The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1904-08-09

ONE HUNDRED PERISH
CLOUDBURST CAUSES A TERRI
BILE DISASTER ON THE DEN
YER AND RIO GRANDE.
PASSENGER TRAIN THROUGH BRIDGE
STRUCTURE GIVES WAY, PREciP.
ITATINC THREE CARS INTO
THE RAGING TORRENT.
COINS AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED
SENT OUT OF DENVER BY
THE RIO GRANDE.

Pueblo, Colo, Aug. 9.-Train No. II,
the Missouri Pacific flyer, crashed
through bridge over Dry creek, near
Eden, on the Denver and Rio Grande
railroad. II is estimated that of the
125 passengers on board the i'll fated
train more than 100 lost their lives
either under the waters of the raging
torrent or beneath the wreckage. Many
of the bodies were carried down Foun-
tain creek by the wall of water, which
had force enough to carry several
coaches nearly four miles away from
the point where they went through
the bridge. A cloudburst had filled the
creek and water was flowing over the
trestle when the train started across.
The bridge went down under the
weight of the train and the baggage
car, smoker and chair car were pre-
cipitated into the torrent. The engine
got almost across, but fell back into
the water.
The body of Engineer Hinman was
found 200 feet down the river. The
express car was found four miles away
with the safe open and its contents
gone The chair car was nearby, halI
filled with sand, in which We're burned
the bouies or many passengers. The
smoker was washed still further down
stream and was not located until sew
eral hours alter the accident.
SO far thirty bodies have been re-
covered from the scene of the disaS-
ter and thousands OF persons are pa
trolling the banks OF the Fountain
river in search of the victims.
Coaches Filled With Bodies.
When Division Superintendent Bow
rem reached the scene of the wreck
the missing cars had not been located
and the passengers and train hands
who accompanied him organized
searching parties to follow the course
of the river. The three cars We're
found close to the shore in Foun-
tain creek, of which Dry creek is
tributary, and which In turn flows into
the Arkansas river.
Most of the dead were in the cars
buried under the debris. The bodies
of three young women were washed
up on the bank of the river three
quarters of mile below the scene of
the wreck. j. Nj. Killen, Pueblo
hardware merchant, was swept down
stream, but crawled out from the
wreckage a mile below the scene of
the accident. He was so badly in
jured and so exhausted from his strug-
gle in the water that he was unable
to talk.
The disaster was the worst that has
ever occurred on the Denver and Rio
Grande railroad. Dry creek, where the
accident happened. is one of the most
dangerous points on the road. 1t is
close to the foothills, which, by reason
OF repeated cloudbursts and washouts,
have been slowly closing in, the bed
OF the creek continually becoming
deeper until 1t has, reached depth OF
about twenty feet
Trains Numbers 3 and Is, preceding
No IL, passed over Nthe bridge and
reached Pueblo safely. The rains had
been severe, but officials did not ap-
prehend any danger at Dry creek, as
a recent inspection showed that the
bridge was in first class condition.
No Intimation of Danger.
Just prior to the time of the acci-
dent there We're reports that a heavy
rainfall was In progress in the vicin-
ity< of Eden, but there was no intima-
tion of cloudburst. So far as the
officials of the road can determine the
engineer evidently did not see the
trouble until III. was too lsta IN sfop