The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-08-09
DETAILS OF THE DISASTER.
Engineer Was Proceeding Cautiously
When the Crash Came.


Pueblo, Colo. Aug. .S.-Two carloads
of human freight plunged into the
raging torrent that destroyed the tres
tle-Over the usually dry arroyo known
as Steele's hollow near Eden. about
6 o'clock last evening. Two sleeping
cars and the diner stopped at the brink
of the hungry chasm filed with a boil
ing. seething current that quickly
snuffed out probably 100 lives. So
quietly had the catastrophe been en-
acted that the occupants Of the three
cars remaining on the track did not
realize that an accident had occurred
until they alighted from the train. and
they were utterly powerless to render
any assistance TO the victims who had
disappeared in the rushing waters.
Engineer Was Cautious.
On the lookout for danger, warned By
the squally clouds and heavy rains
to the north, Engineer Charles Hind
man was running cautiously, about
fifteen miles an hour. as he approached
the arroyo, which was spanned by a
bridge ninety-six feet in length The
condition of the bridge was not known
until the locomotive, one Of the mon
SLer passenger type, had nearly
crossed. Fireman Frank Mayfeld, with
a large torch that the engineer and
the fireman had been using to ascer-
tain the condition of the track, was IN
the gangWay. When Engineer Hind
man felt the tremor in the great ma
chine and caught a glimmer on the
water. he shouted his last words; Put
out that torch. evidently thinking
that in the accident he felt certain was
coming. the flames would serve to
spread fire. But before Mayfield could
obey, while the words were still on the
lips OF the doomed man and his hand
seeking the mechanism controlling the
air, the bridge gave way as if 1t had
been d stack of kindIing wood, and the
locomotive dropped with the kissing
of steam through thirty feet Of flood
10 the bottom OF the arroyo. crosswise
TO the track.
Only Three Saved.
The baggage ear, smoking car and
chair car followed the locomotive into
the stream and were swept away. All
the occupants of these cars, save three
men, persisted, and had not the roof
of the chair car burst asUnder, not one
would have escaped The fireman. as
the locomotive went over, was thrown
Out and managing to grasp piece Of
wreckage from the bridge. foated with
That 20 q curve, made by the caving
bank and crept out of the water. He
Operator +. NJ. Jones and his wife. who
had already started up the track.
They had seen the headlight Of the
approaching train a minute before and
hen had witnessed il disappear with
OmiuCUs suddenness.
Notify Pueblo came the voice of
the running man. The trains gone
down and everybody Is killed"
Search Was in Vain.
Even. as he spoke, relates the oper-
atur there were cries coming from the
distance The Two men ran To where
the bridge had been. TO search. but in
vain. for victims of the disaster When
they reached the spot all cries for help
had ceased.
Relief trains with physicians, wreck !
and pile-driving outfits and scores OF /
Workmen were hurried from the city
The first train from the wreck came in /
shortly after midnight with J. n. Kill
I'm Of Pueblo, whose escape was mirac-
ulous; H. =. Gilbert. Tony Fisher and
Fireman MayfieId
These were the four men in the
midst of the wreck who escaped.
When dawn came the wonder. grew
that four mad been permitted to emerge
from the raging torrent with breath
still in their bodies.
Partly Over the Chasm.
The end of the Pullman Ashmere. ex-
tended four feet over the brink. while
broken timbers and twisted rails hung
still further over. The arroyo had been
widened 70 over leo feet at the point
where the bridge had been. The water
tore a zigzag course across the prairie
10 depth of thirty feet ia several
places. There was but little left of the
baggage cara few rods a truck or
SO. dimly seen in the muddy water q
half buried iron safe.
The great locomotive. the boiler free
of the trucks the cab and tank gone.
lies where il fell
A quarter Of mile to the east.
where this gorge OF death debOuched
into the Fountain, lay the chair car.
windows gone, three-fourths filled with
mud and sand A hundred feet farther
on was the cmOker bottom up. against
a saudbar. A hundred and fifty feet
farther in the bed Il the Fountain was
the coal tender OF the engine. and from
that point GA for four or FIVE miles.
yestiSes of the coaches the engine and
tender stuck I'D from the bed Of the
stream or lay along the shore or on the
islands Red plush seats of the smoker
were strewn along the stream Brass
rails from the coaches We're found in
the sand half a mile from the site of
the bridge and pieces of the baggage
car stuck out of the water IN several