Gilpin observer., 1904-06-02
SlALIDA TRAGEDY
FOUR DROWNED MEMORIAL DAY
Arkansas River Foot Bridge Falls
While Crowded With People to
Witness Memorial Pageant.

Denver, May 31.-A News special
from Salida, Colorado, last night says:
When the memorial exercises were at
their height and the veterans were cast
ing flowers on the bosom of the Ar
kansas river in memory of their heroic
dead to-day, four people were plunged
to death from foot bridge spanning
the Arkansas river at the lower edge
OF River Front park. A dozen others
were thrown into the river and mar
rowly escaped with their lives. Some
OF them were severely injured about
the face and head. The accident was
witnessed by nearly 1000 people, all Of
whom were powerless to render assist
ance. The dead are as follows:
Mrs. Clarence A. Thompson, aged
tbirty-five.
Hazel Lines, aged six.
Esther Morgan, aged eight.
Pearl Holland, aged nine.
Several others are thought to be lost.
Nora Anderson, aged thirteen, is said
to be missing, and the body of boy
is said to have been seen at Cleora,
two miles down the stream. The body
of Hazel Lines was drawn from the
Etream about 400 yards below the scene
of the accident by Harry Cooley and
others. DR.. Rowe of the Denver & Rio
Grande hospital, with a corps OF
nurses worked over the body for six
hours. but no sign of life was ever
manifested
Mrs. Thompson was standing on the
bridge with her husband when the col
lapse occurred. Mr.. Thompson clutched
his wifes clothing in an effort to save
her, but his foot became entangled in
wire, causing him to lose his grip.
His wife was drawn under by the swift
current and has not yet been found.
She was seen floating down the stream
several hundred yards below the bridge
some moments later. She cried for help,
but Immediately disappeared.
Esther Morgan and Pearl Holland
have not been seen since the bridge
broke down. Several objects resem-
bling human bodies have been seen
floating down the stream, but none ex-
cept that of Hazel Lines has been
brought to shore.
The foot bridge was a very narrow
structure owned by the Denver & Rio
Grande railroad. Nearly all the avail
able space was taken up when the
crash came. The river was about forty
feet wide at the point where the bridge
broke and about ten feet deep. The
current is very swift, the stream hav-
ing been swollen by the rapid melting
of the snow in the mountains by the
recent warm weather. People who wit
messed the accident declare there were
at least twenty people on the bridge at
the time CT the collapse. They had
gathered there to throw flowers on the
water and watch the veterans launch
floral barge from the main wagon
road bridge, about 300 yards further up
the stream
The crash wes followed by the most
frantic scene ever witnessed in the his
tory of the city. The entire stream
was choked with human bodies, and
scream of horror indescribable went up
from the crowd. Men with ropes and
pulleys went TO work on the broken
bridge in an effort to clear the wreck
age. 1t was thought the body of Mrs.
Thompson was pinned under the tim
bers, but when the bridge timbers were
drawn ashore and the river bed was
searched no trace of her could be
found. Men in buggies and on horse
back have been running up and down
i the stream for several miles all after
noon in the hope of finding the missing
bodies. A wire netting has been
stretched across the stream at Wells
vile. six miles below Salida, and it is
thought the bodies will possibly drift
into the netting. The people at How
, ard, twelve miles east, were wired to
keep a strict vigil tonight in an effort
to intercept tie bodies.