Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1906-03-16
Lay Coaches Of Both No Is and No 3 Telescope
and Flames Burst Forth IN an Instant
Burning Many 70 Crisp
I'ent O ot One Family Of Ten Persh>>>Cne Man Ro.s =
Death While Screaming for Help Before Eyes o Horrsed
Onlookers>>Faure to Give Proper Orders Causes Tra;os =
Kush together During Binding Snow Storm.

fue0lo, COL. March 16.-In a hind
ing snowstorm which prevailed Al
last night In the Arkansas Valley
train No. l6, east-bound ana No. 4
westbound. on the Denver & Rie
Grande railroad, collided head ~,
near Portland, Col, small town
ABOUT thirty miles west Of Pueblo. 4,
ABOUT two O'Clock this morning.
Latest reports say that about fftv
persons We're killed, and II is known
at least seventeen We're injured. Con.
fusion OF orders Is said 10 have been
tne cause OF the wreck.
Many wild rumors are in Circulation
70 the effect that $50 persons wers
killed. It is not hriieved, however
the dead viii exceed forty although
easned oasn Eafs .x,sssey xsssey % snaw st5iFb
continues and suffering from the coll
is great.
The Frightful Details.
r Pueblo, March 16.-The worst raii
roao wreck since the memorable Eden
disaster occurred at two this morDlng
ON the Denver & Rio Grande near
Adobe, East.bound No. l6 crashed IN
to west-bound No. 3, telescoping the
forward cars on each train. The
coaches at once took fire and me
flames completed the horror begun by
the collision.
The number of dead is estimated
at from fifty upwards. The number
of injured ii placed at TWENTY-FIVE
The cause OF the wreck Is attribute
to the failure to deliver orders te
No. is, SO that No. 3 could pass her
Among the passengers who rendered
assistance was DR.. r. n. Cochens q
Salida. who was on No. l6, but es
capped injury. He at once entered o.
the service OF caring for the wound
ed. He was assisted BY doctors from
Florence, who were soon on the scene
Most 81 the victims were pinioned un
der the wreckage and burned alive be
fore help could reach them. Most Q
the injured were on No. 3, which va
heavily loaded. No. 16 carried CON
paratively few passengers, and thes
escaped with slight shaking up. On
man. whose name could not be learr
ed. vas one Of family Of ten VII
escaped. He lost his father. mothel
we. three children. brother and tw
other relatives.
Three Of the crew Of No. 3 wer
killed and two on No. 16. One OF tn
engineers OF No. 3. which was doul
,e header, was found dead with b
hand on the throttle. Mcfarland.
relative OF the great detective, n
express messenger. is among u
dead.
Many Of the bodies will never !
identified. because Of the fact nf the
being burned to 4 crisp and itnJeco
nisable. Part Of the mail vas q
stroyed and all the express matte
Relief trains were At once dispatch'
from Pueblo and Florence. but U
work is necessarily slow, because
nc smoke ana cold. The first ira
hearing the injured reached Pueh
shortly after six. The recovered DC
ses OF identified dead are:
william Hollis, engineer NO. IT,
&. N. Mcfarland, express messe
ger. No. 16.
walter Causlett. engineer first
gine. No. 3.
Hugh suddeth. engineer No. ls.
The injured:
n Webb. yampa. Col. slight.
Bert Meyers. Pottsville, Mo-, slish
W 4. Hewitt. Lebo, Kansas. slish
Claude Robinson. Denver. serious
E. Ooldberg. Denver, slight.