The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-03-16

/ were crushed ike egg smells. The sleep
I ers were practically un1nJurd, the pas
! sengers being only badly shaken up.
/ w hen the flames burst out among
! the wreckage, the surviving passengers
4 assisted by the few rairOader who
were uninJured, cut the connection be
{ tween the wrecked cars and those
which had escaped couaDa rafiveIv nm
/ injured and forced the latter cars
down the track to a distance that pre-
vented the flames from communicating
10 them.
Cold Was Intense.
4 It was an intensely cold morning and
the snow was falling heavily. The
weather combined with the flames.
added to the suffering Of the injured
and to the discomfort of the rescuers.
Word was hastily sent to Florence and
Portland and volunteer workers rushed
I to the scene, where they did all that
was possible under the conditions that
prevailed A relief train with sur
geons was hastily arranged when the
news reached the offices of the com
pany in this city, and It arrived at the
scene about O'Clock in the morning
/ The wounded were at once placed uDon
/ the train and were brought to this city
Undertakers went to the scene of the
: sisted in extrieating the dead and dy-
/ ing passengers.
On train No 16 was Dr. F. M
/ Cochem Of Salida- He had nothing
I
/ the care Of the injured excepting a
/ pocket case, but rendered valuable as
( sistance
There were heart-rendfng scenes at
/ the wreck. Mingling with the roar of
the burning gas and the cracking of
/ the flames as they licked up the de-
I bris Of the cars, were the terrific cries
4 OF the poor creatures pinned down be-
meath the wreckage, the cruel flames
eating their flesh while the beInless
survivors Of the catastrophe could only
/ look on shivering with horror at the
sounds which viii ring in their ears
until the end Of their lives.
Cause of the Wreck.
Lap orders were the cause of the dis
aster so far as can be ascertained.
Orders had been issued for the trains
10 pass at Adobe, about half a mile
from the scene of the collision. but No
49, when it pulled out Of Florence was
given orders to pass No. at Beaver.
i've miles east Of Portland. It is said
that the second order was to have been
given to No at Swallows, but that
| the train went through without receiv-
ing any orders there. The railway offI-
cials have instituted a rigid inquiry in
to the matter.
The scene of the wreck is located
twenty-seven l1d cne-half miles from
| Pueblo, four and q half miles from
FLORENCE and one and a half miles from
Portland.
train came in from the wreck bringing
the bodies Of Is of the dead They
were Immediately taken to an under
taking esta blishment and the work of
preparing the bodies for identification
VIII be begun At noon it was said that
only two Of the bodies those of Engi-
ueer Cosslett and Engineer Hollis, had
been Identified. The bodies present a
/ frightful appearance and are so black
ened by the fire that 81 will be difficult
n
How many more bodies still remain
at the scene Of the wreck has not been
established up to this hour.
Injured Brought In.
The. first train bearing injured reach
ed Pueblo shortly after o'clock. Re
covered bodies and identified dead:
WILLIAM HOLLIS, engineer No. 16.
e. M. MCFARLAND, Globe express
messenger No. IS.
WALTER CAUSLETT, engineer first
engine No. 3, 80 Block G, Pueblo, wife
and three children.
A. H. Smith, 924 East Evans, fire
man to Engineer Causlett, stated that
he saw the headlight of train No. 16,
as 1t rounded the curve 200 yards dis
tant- He went to the engineers side
and saw Engineer Causlett at the
emergency brake. He stopped down
and feeling Causlett's feet upon his
back jumped Not a word passed be-
tween the two men. Grant KelkeF of
Pueblo, engineer on the second engine
Of No. 3, and Harry Hartman, his fire
man, both noticed the headlight Of 10.
16 as It rounded the curve kelker
yelled Lookout" and applied the
EN- ergency brake.
Both escaped by jumping. Engineer
Kellxer said that he had barely reccv-
I cred himself when the whole train
seemed to be afire. Frank Smith
conductor on No. 8; Mike Garrett
conductor on No. 16. and Phil Peters,
Globe express messenger On NJ 5,
escaped.
/ Superintendent Rockwell stated That
/ train No. was composed of mail
car, ez press car, two day coach y two
| tourist and two standard Sleepers- All
4 tie asleeDers we're saved, none Of the
/ cccupsnts being injured
r. Z. Jones. Of Denver, colored mail
weigher on No. 16. and who was in
the car with Express Messenger Nc
/ ParIand. escaped with injuries about
4 TIE chest and head.
w. A. Watkins. coIOred. Of Denver,
/ train porter on No. 16. escaped with
! cuts about the head. All three engines
were practically demolished and piled
/ in a heap and within a few minutes
/ after the collision the Wreckage was a
I mass of flames.
The first three cars Of No Is. were
piled UP, but before the wreekaze took
I fire the majority OF the passengers
were removed. So far as known at
this time Express Messenger McPar-
! lana was t1G Only one caught III the
/ wreckage and burned to death.
Front Car Well Filled.
I According to a statement of a passen-
ger IN the front coach Of No g. there
were only eight or ten vacant seats IN
the car. J. l. LawtOn of Belldower,
No. and 8. H. Sweeney of Trenton. No.
/ escaped with slight injuries Lawton
had his back badly wrenched and left
/ leg cut Sweeney's left leg was pinioned
beneath the wreckage and badly mashed.
BE was pulled from the mass by two
men Just before the FIRE reached him
L. H Rose and Ed F. Wood. Of Den
/ Yer mail clerks on No g. escaped with
i slight shaking up. The impact. they
+ say. was hardly noticeable.
/ when we felt the shock" said Rose
1--WE both rushed to the door, realizing
+ that something was wrong. The FIRE
/ had started in the coscn In the rear Of