The daily sentinel., 1906-09-03

and best kno railroad men ii
Grand Junction, met a horrible death
this morning at an early hour while
on duty.
No accident of a similar nature oc.
curing in recent years caused more
general regret and sorrow in the city
than the tragic and untimely death
of Engineer Reister.
The exact details of the accident
will never be known as there was no
witness to the tragedy.
Engineers Reister and Fireman
Fireman Hardman of this city were in
charge of Denver and Rio Grande
passenger No. A, section one, com
ing into Grand Junction from the
west.
At Helper two new wheels We're
placed on the engine that was pull
ing No. 4. 1t seems that after leav-
ing Helper Engineer Reister remark
ed to the fireman that there was evil
IDENTIFY no brass" on one of the
wheels and he feared hot box.
The train coming out of Helper
was making good time and the fire
man and the engineer were in their
respective places.
Some twenty or thirty miles out of
Iielper Fireman Hardman hapI ened
to step to the engineers side of the
cab and was shocked to find that
Reister was not in his place and was
no where to be seen. The train was
stopped and Conductor Campbell in
charge of No. was notified 1t was
quickly decided to run the train back
over the track in search of the miss
ing engineer. At a point about three
miles from where the train stopped
the body of Mr.. Reister was found
The train had run three miles with
out an engineer. Life was extinct
and terrible wound found on
the right side of the head told in
what form death came The acci-
dent had happened near Farnham,
Utah, on bridge near the town.
The remains of the unfortunate
engineer were placed on board and
brought to this city.
1t is believed that the accident
happened in this manner:
Engineer Reister, uneasy about the
wheel which he feared would de-
velop hot box, was keeping a watch
upon the wheel Evidently he had
taken a standing position in the
gangway of the cab. leaning forward
over the edge of the engine, with his
back toward the head of the engine,
peering down at the wheel or trucks.
Suddenly the train came upon high
iron bridge, one of the old narrow
guage bridges and quick as a flash
and without warning, some heavy
timber or iron on the bridge struck
the engineer a terrible blow on the
side of the head. The engineer had
evidently forgotten this danger in
taking his stand in the gangway and
his life paid the penalty. After being
struck the terrific blow Mr.. Reister
fell forward and out of the cab. strik-
ing the ground and rolling down an
embankment. If he uttered a cry,
which is improbable. the fireman did
not hear him. Death was beyond a
doubt instantaneous. Besidet the
awful wound on the head there was a
bad cut on one leg between the
knee and ankle, probably sustained
by the engineer in falling from the
cab.
The railroad offices in this city
We're notified of the accident before
the train arrived. No. 4 came into
Grand Junction about $3.50, some
three hours behind time. At the sta
tion were large number of railroad |
men, mostly members of the Brother |
hood of Locomotive Engineers and |
these gentlemen with Unddrtaker
Bannister took charge of the remains
The body was removed to the Bannis |
ter undertaking parlors and there
prepared for burial
These narrow guage bridges on
the Western, it is said, have been res
ponslble for the death of several rail
road men. JEFF Smith, of this city, |
met death in a manner almost identi-
cal with that of William Reister.
After the road was made broad guage |
several of the narrow guage bridges
being practically new or in good con-
dition were left in the service.
The funecal will take place on
Wednesday afternoon from the fam
lily residence at sos Pitkin avenue.
The Brotherhood of Locomotive
Engineers will have charge. Inter-
ment at Orchard Mesa cemetery. o..
William Reister was one of the pio-
neer railroad men of Grand juno
tion and of Western Colorado. He