The Lamar register. [volume] (Lamar, Colo.) 1889-1952, 1906-03-21
FEARFUL WRECK and LOSS OF LIFE
IN D. &R. G. RAILROAD COLLISION


rank as one of the great railroad dis
astcrs in the history OF railroading. In
other wrecks the loss Of life has been
greater, but none was productive OF
scenes more horrible. The collision
happened at Adobe, four miles east OF
Florence. at 80 O'Clock Friday morn
ing. binding blizzard was raging
and the thermometer was degrees
below zero. Rio Grande passenger
train No. 3 from Denver collided with
No. lG from Salt Lake. Operator j. S.
Lively ut Swallows is said to have
slept and failed to deliver orders.
The accident happened on the same
curve whore about a year ago seven
teen persons We're killed.
Two great mogul locomotives were
hauling No. 3, the westbound train
and they bore down on the engine pull
ing No. 10, around the outer edge of a
sharp curve eucircling the high blum
at the point of the wreck. on down
grade ut the rate of forty-five miles an
hour.
Going thirty miles an hour was No.
16. Shut on from each others view
until almost together, there was no
chance for brakes.
The engineers who lost their lives
hardly knew what happened. The
great engines came together in the
light of their headlights with tremen
douS force.
The leading engine of No. 3s double
header was jammed and crushed be
tween the mogul behind 1t and the one
pulling No. IL like an empty tomato
can. The sheathing of one set OF
boiler tubes covered that of another
great energy generator.
Cars piled up In high masses of steel
beams and woodwork and caved in and
down on their slumbering occupants.
The scene that followed. as de
scribed by the few survivors who have
been able to talk cohcrently. can only
be left to the Imagination of people
fortunate enough not to have been
present.
No man can say to-day. tomorrow or
next week how many travellers met
their doom in that irresistible grind OF
wood and steel.
Sixteen charrcd. mangled and utterly
unrecogniZable bodies lie in the morgue
at Pueblo. six more have been identi'
fed. AMI more than score We're doubt
less burned 10 ashes.
Conservative estimates on the total
loss of life place the number of dead
nj thirty-fve. Rio Grande officials at
Pueblo insists that the exact number
of persons on the two trains cannot be
ascertained; that it is impossible,
The Republican of Sunday morning
says:
Operator l.. S Lively has been sus
pended from further duty and Opera
tor Nm. NanDeusen will be relieved
IL 20 stated. as soon MS a suitable man
can be sent 10 Swallows to take his
place AS far MS the train dispatch
cr's Office in Pueblo know. say the men
in charge. NanDusen was working his
own shift at the Swallows station all
the time and the first information re
coivcd by the office WAS when the
wreck occurred.
1t is understood that Van Deuser
had made arrangements to lay on and
had come into the city to spend the
night. 1t is not known definitely
whether he did this or not. The optn
ion OF the railway men as expressed Is
that Lively was directly responsible
and that Van Deusen 10 some eNten
indirectly for the catastrophe.
Matter Murphy, the Florence OF
drillcr who WAS supposed to have per
ished in the car while rCscuinS pas
sengers from the flames. has turned
up safe and sound. with but 4 few
scratches. II appears that he rescued
number of persons and then wen
with the injured people to Portland
station. where r assisted in caring
for them. before he tool. the Time TO re
turn to his home.
\ hoartrendinE story Of mother Low,
and sclf-sacrifice is told by Conductol
kroeCer. who had charge of the Pull
mans on the westbouud train
Il saw one mother" he said. witt
little babe in her arms. She knew
that IL was almost an imposstbility Il
be saved herself. but her only though
was of her child. One hand was pin
toned by the debris. but her head anc
the other arm Were free.
she was trying 10 keen her heat
from the flames and with her free hanc
was holding the infant rs high in tn,
air as she could Just As We wer,
about TO reach her she gave \ gasp anc
fell back into the DANES with The
babe
There is only one change in tbs
death list as made up yesterday. The
name OF Patrick Murphy is stricken
out and that OF Thomas Brennan sub
stituted. The list follows:
William Hollis. engineer, Pueblo.
Walter Cusslett. engineer. Pueblo
II. n. Suddeth. fireman. Pueblo.
Ed. +. Baird. deputy sheriff, Denver
Archibald Whitney. convict. Denver
T. NJ Mcfarland. mess niger, Den