The Irish standard., 1904-08-13
TRAIN PLUNGES
THROUGH BRIDGE
Three Cars Dropped Into Swollen Creek in
Colorado-Fully 100 Lives Lost-Seventy.
Six Bodies Have Been Recovered.

Pueblo, Col. Aug. 9.-The wreck of
the worlds fair flyer on the Denver &
Rio Grande railroad near Eden, seven
miles north of Pueblo, Sunday even
ing, proves to have been one of the
greatest railroad disasters in the his
tory OF the country. Two crowded pas
Senger cars and baggage car were
engulfed in the torrent that tore out
a trestle spanning Steeles Hollow, 9TH
erWise known as Dry creek, and, so far
as known only three Of the occupants
OF these cars escaped death. Fortu-
nately, two sleeping cars and diner,
completing the train, remained on the
track at the edge Of the abyss and none
OF their occupants were killed or in
jured.
Seventy-Six Bodies Recovered.
How many perished probably will
never be definitely ascertained, for the
treacherous sands are drifting over the
bodies. Searching for the dead was
begun about midnight on an extensive
scale and still is in progress. All
corpses found were brought to Pueblo
fnd placed in four morgues here. At
eight O'Clock Monday evening rs bodies
mad been recovered and of these SO
had been identified. During the day
bodies were recovered all the way
along Fountain river, from the scene
OF the wreck to this city. At one O'Clock
Monday afternoon two bodies were
taken from the stream at First street.
Pueblo, more than eight miles from
the point where the disaster occurred
and it is probable that some may even
be recovered further down stream.
None of the bodies are badly
mutilated and all are in such
condition IS to be recognizable.
Many identifications have been made
by articles found on the bodies, no per-
sons who viewed them recognizing the
features.
The Disaster.
, In all probability 100 lives were lost.
Engineer Charles Hindman was ruiz
ming cautiously, about Is miles ar
hour as he approached the arroyo.
which was spanned by bridge 9G feet
in length. The condition of the bridge
was not known until the locomotive.
one OF the monster passenger type, had
nearly crossed. Fireman Frank May
Held, With torch that the engineer
and fireman had burning to ascertain
the condition of the track. was in the
gangWay. When Engineer Hindman
felt the tremor in the great machine
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 COM
ing 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 seek
ing the mechanism controlling the air.
the bridge gave way as if it had been
a stack of kindling wood and the loco
motive dropped with the Kissing of
steam 80 feet to the bottom of the
arroyo, crosswise to the track.
Only Three Saved.
The baggage car, smoking car and
chair car followed the locomotive into
the stream and were swept away, one
car being found eight miles below the
scene of the wreck. All the occupants
OF these cars, save three men, perished
and had not the roof of the chair car
burst asunder none would have es-
capped. The fireman, as the locomotive
went over, was thrown out and, man
aging to grasp a piece of wreckage
from the bridge floated with that to
curve made by the caving bank and
crept out of the water.
When dawn came the wonder grew
that any one had been permitted to
emerge from the raging torrent with