The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-03-21
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Thirty.five People Lose Their
Lives in a Wreck.
TWO TRAINS COLLIDE
Several Of the Unfortunate Pa.i,sesas iai
We're PluiOned In the Debris aid
We're Slowly Re..tsd to Bs.tl
as The Rescuers Looked
~ H.Io1ao.Ev
on HelplessIy.

". 49, ~ - 70. -FlssstS+.I~
Thirty-Hve lives were crushed outs
early Friday In a heai-end collision Of
two passenger trains near Adobe, Coli
on the Dever ard Bio Grsnde railroad,
and nearly a score OF the victimg wsrs
t~ncinerated, several beyond recoont:a
tion,- by q fire that destroyed thu
wrecked coaches. More than, D scoro
we're Injured, but all will probably re-
cover. 3
The wreck was due to un1e1iversd
orders, heavy mountain gradaer3
binding sno I'VE torm, asharp curve end
the slippery condition Ct t~hebfatls,s
Only the Ice )notivss, baggage and
day coaches were wreokeo, tie sleep-
ing cars escaping almost unscathed,
as in the e len disaster on the sSne
road In 1904, when part Of . train nm
into q q )oded canyon througha wash
ed out bridge. suEGs. X
Many of the dead were homsseek.
ers bound for the Northwest. The
three crushed locomotives sst Ere 10
the splintered coaches and IL wa
hours before all the bodies we're ,ICc0y;
ared. the hamss being so hot that Eess
cuers could not approach the dsbriS
until the fuel burned out. G;s1
1t was 9 wild, stormy night In the
mountain canyons when the two heavy
rains met. Binding snow dlrkaned
ne rocky gorgss and speed was mot
!Ih. s.5 IS 80
Suddenly headlights dashed ont and
" was realized by the engineers that
onething was wrong. Accordingsto
r'ireman J. d. Smith of the west.
Jound train, e lgineer Walter Ooslett
applied the emergency brake, but thu
slippery rails allowed the momentufn
If the heavy train to carry 1t ON to
the fatal crash. ; .ug3t
The impact was severely noticeable
but the trains crushed and ground
into each other. The haIpef engfneof
the westbound train acted asa cu4h.
lon, minim ling tine flrcs and weight
# the heavy mountain engines, This
helper was crushed together Ike 40
nu ,h paper and the other Loo m jtiysaS
tan through the mesh Of iron and
plowed each o.her to pieces.
Fireman Smith was the only one OF
the engine crews to escspe.> The bag;
gage car Of the westbcund train hfQklAA
n two and three coaches we're sQpeeIss
cd together. The bagg lge car, the mail
car and q coacn Of the eastbound train
ouckled bus none Of the cars. tslescope
ed.
Hardly had the noise of the wreoks
ceased when q sheet Of fame: ran
through the shattered cars oil. both
trains. IL the forward coach OF the
Vestbopnd train every seat was, occu:l
pied by passengers, most OF whom Nefej (
lcmeseekers. A number Of foreigners
we're among them and in their terror
they gsv. up Life without making any.
attempt to reach safety outside tina e
burning cars. They sank to the fooI
IT the Ger and we're roasted alive. The .
coClsr ones in the car, seeing their
danger, rushed for the Windows and
doors and with the aid Of the pasSen. S
gers In the rear of train crew who
were unhurt. managed to reach thu
open air. Many were injured by;thaI
rough handling they received or By
flying glass. a-
Wnen the occupants Of the two
sleeping cars taw that nothing could
be done to check the flames, they aid.
ed the trainmen In pushing bsex the;
unchanged cara. Communication ~as
opened with the Pueblo Cf1se OF tina
railroad from Portland, q mile tom
the wax OK, and q relief train with
physicians vas dispatched to the &C.
cident. The injured were placed In
Ice Sleeping Cars and brought 70
Pueblo with the passengers Of the
easrbound train, who we're unhurt,
Another relief train came from Flor.
ence to take away the uninjnred pot.
ton of the eestbound train.
Committed Suicide.
A special from Norfolk, Va, says