Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1906-03-16
DISASTROUS COLLISION.
Many Persons Killed and Others
Burned Alive.

MANY Persons Killed and Others
Burned Alive.
Denver, Colorado, March l6.--What
is likely to prove the most disastrous
train wreck in the history OF the country
took place ON the Denver & Rio lSrande
railroad near Portland, Colorado early
this morning. Two passenger trains,
loaded with passengers, met on curve,
and al leas. $50 persons persisted The
two trains were running alta high rate
of speed aud crashed with terrific force.
The locomotives, baggage and smoking
cars of the two trains, ii is reported,
overturned, while the rest of the coaches
were piled in confusion. The gas
tanks exploded and in few minutes the
entire mass of wrecksge with scores OF
helpless passengers, many of them only
held down in the ruins, slowly roasted
to death. No one was there to give as
sistance. All the train men are among
the missing. Unofficial reports from
the scene say not more than twenty OF
all those on board escaped. The cause
of the accident cannot be told ut this
hour, but is thought TO be due to dis
obedience Of orders.
Immediately after the collision the
wreckage took fire and the injured who
were pinned down were slowly roasted
alive, while the bodies of those to
whom death had been more mercilul,
we're cremated beside them. One Of the
trains was a local passenger made up al
LeadgilIe, and The other was the Utah
& California express, which left Denyer
at O'Clock last night The trains were
both behind time and met on curve In
binding snow storm. The impact
caused both engines, smoker, and a
day coach to turn over and both cars
took fire But fifteen of the passengers il
the cars were able to escape The cars are
still burning. A snow storm iupedes
the work of The wreckers. It's reported
that the crews of both trains are missing
A doctor who has reached Portland, from
the wreck, says forty are dead.
ANOTHER DISPATCH.
Denver, Col, March l6-.-From
forty to fifty passengers we're killed or
roasted alive after collision between 2
passenger trains on the Denver IL Rio
irande railroad at 2 O'Clock this morn
ing. The trains, one a double header,
met on a curve near Florence in the
Arkansas valley, 40 miles from Denver.
From the details at hand, the wreck
near Portland is the worst that has hap
pened in the whole country since the
accident at Eden north of Pueblo nearly
twenty years ago, when 1913 persons
were drowned by a passenger train
plun2ing into a flooded stream, the
bridge over which had been weakened
by the floods.
The wreck occurred at Abode station,
four miles east of Florence, during a
terrific blizzard and was due, it is claim
ed. to miscarriage of orders, either by
the dispatches at Salida or those at
Pueblo. The trains were running at a
rapid speed. Engineer William Hollis,
OF No. Is, and Eng neer William Consul
lette of No. 3, are among the dead. The
firemen on No. 16, also was killed, but
Firemen J. H. Smith, of No. 8, escaped
by jumping, being badly hurt. EXPIRES:
Messenger Mcfarland, of Denver, On
No. 16, was badly injured. He was
caught under the wreckage and burned
to death while people stood helplessly
by Some tried to stop the flames by
throwing snow on The poor man, but he
finally succumbed The majority Of the
dead were passengers in the forward
coach of No. 3. How many met their
fate will never be known. The car to-
geiher with ten others, gss entire y con-
sumed by fire, which started within tSo
minutes alter the engines came together.
The scenes at the wreck, after the cars
began to burn, we're too horrible almost
to describe One man, badly hurt, was
pinned under a iron rod He begged
the other passengers to release him.
They worked until the flames reached
the spot, when the man said al am
too badly hurt to want to live; save your
selves and let me die
A man and wife were trying to get
out of one Of the car windows, when an
iron rod caught them. They were burned
alive together with their little child
which was near them. Another man
begged to be taken from the wreckage.
When the rescuers took hold of his
hands all the flesh came from the bones.
He was burned to death moment later.
1t il now estimated that forty persons
met death in the wreck.