The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1906-03-22
PASSENGERS ROAST
In Burning Wrecks Of Two
Trains in Colorado.
A FRIGHTFUL SMASHUP
Denver and Rio Grande Trains Crash
Together in Binding Snow Storm
and Scores Lose Life-caused
by Sleeping Operator.


A wreck accompanied with horrors
exceeded only by the Eden disaster,
which occurred August Z, 1904, on
the line of the same railroad, resulted
from a head-on collision of two pas
senger trains on the Denver. and Rio
Grande railroad, four miles east Of
Florence, COL, at an early hour Fri
day morning.
According to the latest dispatches
from Pueblo, conservative estimates
on the total loss of life place the num-
Der of dead at thirty-five. Rio Grande
officials insist that the exact number
of persons on the two trains cannot
be ascertain; that it is impossible.
S. F. Lively, night operator at
Swallows, whose alleged failure to
deliver orders to train No. is sup
posed to have been the cause of the
wreck, has been in the employ Of
the road for many years. He was
relieved from duty Friday night, and
will be suspended until after the mat
ter is thoroughly investigated by the
officials.
The trains were the Utah-California
express No3, westbound, from Den
yer, and the Colorado-New Mexico
express, No. Is, eastbound from Lead
vile and Grand Junction.
They met on a sharp curve, and
were less than two hundred yards
apart when the engineers discovered
that a collision was imminent. It IS
known that the engineer Of the west
bound train put forth every possible
effort to bring his train to a stop,
out his efforts were fruitless, and, al
though he succeeded in checking the
speed of his train, the crash that fol-
lowed was beyond his power to pre-
vent, and he went to-. his death with
his hand on the throttle, faithful to
his charge. This mucn is vouched for
> by his fireman, who, seeing the use
lessness of remaining in the face of
sure death, jumped and saved himself.
Of the conduct of the engine crew OF
the eastbound train, it can only be
said that they died at their post, for
no one lives to tell the story Of their
heroism.
The disaster was made more horri-
BILE by the manner of the death OF
many Of the passengers. Fire swept
over the wreck, engulfing the victims
in a caldron of fame and leaving only
charred and blackened bones to tell
the tale of slaughter.
In a binding storm which made it
almost impossible for the trainmen to
see ahead, the two trains collided
head-on at a point midway between
Portland and Adobe, Is miles west OF
Pueblo, at 2 o'clock in the morning.
The Utah and California express
No. 3, westbound, left Pueblo over
an hour and half late, and was given
orders to meet the Colorado and New
Mexico express, No. 16, eastbound, at
Florence. This order was changed,
and the westbound train was directed
to pass the eastbound train at Beaver,
about IL miles east Of Florence.
The order should have been deliv'
cred to the train crew at Swallows.
but for some reason still unexplained,
the operator there neglected to do so.
In the meantime, the eastbound hal
received it's order, and expected to
meet the westbound train at Beaver.
In the forward coach Of the west
bound train every seat was occupied
by passengers, most Of whom were
homeseekers on their way to the
northwest. A number Of foreigners
we're among them. and in their terro:
they gave Up life without making any
attempt to reach safety outside the
burning car.
Paralyzed with fear and with pray.
ers upon their lips, they sank to the
floor OF the car and were roasted
alive.