Omaha daily bee., 1906-03-17
Debris at 0noe Takes Fire and Several
Bodies Are Inoinerated,
R THIRTY PERSONS INJURED
Survivors Tell Of Awful Suferiugs Of
People Burned Alive,
lLURE TO DELIVER ORDER THE CAUSE
Trains Meet on sharp Curve During
binding snOwstorm and There
is No Chance 20 Avert
Accident.

PUEBLO. Colo. March 16.-A wreck. ao-
companied 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
passenger trains on the Denver g. Rio
Grande railroad, four miles west of Flor
ence Colo, at an early hour this morning
The trains were the Utah-Calfornia Ex-
press No. g. westbound from Denver. and
the Colorado-New Mexico Express No ID.
eastbound from Leadville and Grand juno
tlon. They met on sharp curve and were
less than 300 yards apart when the engi-
neers discovered that a collision was inn
minent. IL is known that the engineer of
the westbound train put forth every pos
sible effort to bring his train TO a stop, but
his efforts were fruitless and although he
succeeded in checking the speed OF his
| train the crash that followed was beyond
| his power to prevent and he went to his
death with his hand on the throttle, faith
! full to his charge. This much is vouched
for by his fireman. who. seeing the useless
ness of remaining in the face of sure death.
jumped and saved himself. OF the conduct
of the engine crew Of the eastbound train Il
can only be said that they died at their
! posts for no one lives to tell the story Of
their herolsm.
The disaster was made more horrible by
| the manner of the death of many of the
passengers. variously estimated at from
twenty TO thirty-five. Fire swept over the
wreck, engulfing the victims in a caldroh
of flame and leaving only charred and
blackened bones to tell the tale of slaugh-
| ter.
| list of the injured given out by OH
.I | oia iafS nf raj
twenty-five names. None OF the injured
are dangerously hurt and It is believed
they will recover
Dead and Injured
A list of dead. made up from close inves-
tigatlon by responsible persons (the rail-
road officials refusing to make a list for
publication) follows:
WILLIAM HOLLIS. engineer No 16. Pu-
WALTER CossLETT, engineer No. 3.
Il, b. suDDuTH. hreman No. is. Pueblo.
EDWARD f. BAIRD, deputy sheriff.
ARCHiBXLD WHITNEY, prisoner, on
way to penitentiary at Canon City, I'm
MRS. william BURNSIDE, DAUGHT-
ER AND DAUGHTERS CHILD, all Of
A. n. BARKLOW Salida, Colo.
MISS GRACE BARKLOW, Salida, Colo.
ENAS MFARIAND, express messenger,
TAYLow HEWITT, Lebo, Kan.
MRS. LILLIAN HEWITT. ISebo, Kan.
MRS. CATHERINE HEWITT AND HER
: BABY BOY. Lebo, Kan.
FRED FR G0MIHa yoNEs. teRS; keSo. Kan. Kan.
5 FRED LEMECOOLE1, Denver.
MRS. ED COWLEY, Lcbo, Kan.
MRS. WIHONA HEWITT, Lebo, Kan.
The injured;
Patrick Murphy Florence, Colo; seri-
= ously.
James Proconone. travelling to Florence.
) Colo. from Italy; head hurt and otherwise
, ira Elrod, Gypsum. Colo; foot sprained.
Miss Mabel Fields. address not given,
travelling to Wolcott, Colo. internal in-
r. 4 Hewitt, Iebo. Kan; one leg broken
and otherwise injured.
M Thomas aDi Webb Webb. Yampa, Colo; right foot
= r. W. Phillips, Cayesville, Utah; foot
h y G. s'7CD G House. champa. N M; both knee
: | caps broken. right hand and mouth cut.
L. c. Ramsbottom, San Francisco; neck
y hurt W Page Yampa Colo; back injured.
l. Kissell New York; head slightly In
y a Gerber New York; ear torn.
n c. N Wright, New York; head sliEhtlS
Il James Page. whitewater, Colo; head cut
III. "
,. j. L. Lotten. Belle Flower Mo-; MI
n crushed.
! J. c. Veale Denver; neck slightly In
J. s Reef. Leadville, Colo. neck injured
II. T. Jones Denver; back hurt.
A. L, Knouse, Ouray, Colo; nerk hurt
Conservative estimates on the total los
OF life place the number of dead at thirty
= Ave Rio Grande officials insist that tn
exact number of persons on the two train
cannot be ascertained, that II is impossible
s. r. Lively. night operator at swal
lows, whose alleged failure to deliver or
r ders to train No is supposed to have bee
It the cause of the wreck, has been in tn
II employ Of the road for many years H'
was relieved from duty tonight and will b.
/ suspended untn the matter is thorough!
% investigated by the officials
e Train order Not Delivered.
ID In a binding storm, which made II al
70 most impossible for the trainmen to se'
IN ahead, the two trains collided head-on at
le polnt midway between Portland and Adobe
se twenty-five miles west Of Pueblo. at 20
3 O'Clock this morning. Immediately follow
+ ing the collision several OF the wrecke'
cars burst into flames and were consumed
a number OF passengers being burned 4
s death More than thirty others were IN
jured. but Of these It is not thought an!
3, were fatally hurt The cause OF the wrec
is attributed to the failure Of an employ
Of the road 10 deliver order whic
changed the meeting place Of the tW
trains.
e. The Utah and California Express No
a westbound, left Pueblo over an hour and
&, half late and was given orders 70 meet IN
& Colorado and New Mexico Express No
In eastbOund. at Florence This order wa
as changed, and the westbonnd train was a
rected TO pass the eastbound train at Bea
~ YER about twelve miles east OF Blorence