The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1906-03-23
Thirty.five People Lose Their
Lives in a Wreck.
TWO TRAINS COLLIDE
Several Of the Unfortunate Passengers
We're plnioned In the Debris and
We're Slowly Roasted TO Death
as the Rescuers Looked
on HelplessIv.

Thirty-hve lives were crushed out
early Friday In a heas- Ind collision of
two passenger trains near Adobe, Col,
on the Dever al d Rio Grsnde railroad,
and nearly score OF the victims were
incinerated, several beyond recogDi-
tion, by fire that destroyed the
wrecked coaches. More than score
were Injured, but all will probably re-
cover. q,
The wreck was due to undelivered
orders, heavy mountain grades, o
binding snOw5torm, sharp curve and
the slippery condition Of the rails.
ODly the locomotives, baggage and
day coaches were wrecked, the Sleep
Ing cars escaping almost unscathed,
as In the E1en disaster on the same
road In 1904, when part Of a train ran
into a flooded canyon through a wash
ed out bridge.
ers bound for the Northwest. The
three crushed locomotives set FIRE to
che splintered coaches and 1T was
hours before all the bodies we're recov
cred the flames being SO hot that res
| cuers could not approach the debris
until the fuel burned out.
1t was wild, storny night in the
mountain canyons when the two heavy
trains met. Binding snow darkened
the rocky gorgss and speed was not
nigh.
Suddenly headlights flashed out and
IL was realized by the engineers that
something was wrong. According to
Fireman j., III. Smith OF the west.
bound train, Engineer Walter CosleGu
applied the emergency brake, but the
| slippery rails allowed the momentum
OF the heavy train to carry 1t on to,
the fatal crash,
The impact was severely noticeable,
bud The trains crushed and ground
into each other. The helper engine of
the Weslbound train acted as o cush-
ION, minimizing the force and weight
Oh The heavy mountain engines. This
helper was crushed together like so
much paper and the other loct m olives
ran through the mesh Of iron and
/ ploWed each q tI@rS to piecss. n j
Fireman - spl Oh III as tl1e 0pl N one 3f
the engine crews to escape. The bag
gage car of the westbound train broke
IN two and three coaches were squetz-
cd together. The baggage car, the mail
49, SSAN 70 SOeSolk VI DllC UI6Iu
bucKled but none Of the oars telescop.
ed.
Hardly had the noise of the wreck
| ceased when sheet Of flame ran
| through the shattered cars OF both
trains. III the forward coach of the
westbound train every seat was occu-
pied by passengers, most Of whom were
nomeseekers A number Of foreigners
were among them and in their terror
they gave up life without making any
attempt to reach safety outside the
burning cars. They sank to the floor
OF the Ger and were roasted alive. The
coOlar ones In the car, seeing their
danger, rushed for the windows and
doors and with the aid Of the passen-
gers In the rear Of train crew who
were unhurt, managed TO reach the
open air. Many were injured by the
rough handling they received or by
fl ing glass.
When the occupants of the two
sleeping cars taw that nothing could
be done to check the fla mes, they aid
cd the trainmen In pushing bscx the
unchanged cars. Communication was
opened with the Pueblo tfli 80 OF the
railroad from Portland, a mile from
| the waeck, and q relief train with
physicians was dispatched to the &C.
cident. The injured were placed In
| The sleeping cars and brought to
Pueblo with the passengers Of the
astbound train, who were unhurt.
Another relief train came from Flor.
ence to take away the unir jared por-
| tiOn Of the ecstbOund train.