The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-07-30
TRAINS CRASH,
NO ONE IS HURT
Collision Occurs at the Rio
Grande and Salt Lake
Route Crossing.
CROWDED CAR WRECKED
BUT PASSENGERS ALL ESCAPE
SERIOUS INJURY.

Northbound passenger train No on
the Rio Grande Western dashed into the
Salt Lake Routes eastbound passenger
train No. 81 at 5:47 p. m. yesterday at the
crossing on Ninth South and Sixth West
streets
Although the passenger coach into
which the engine crashed was filled with
men returning from work at the smell
tiers near Garfield. no one was injured.
At the point where the accident took
place the tracks cross each other at right
angles. The Salt Lake Route train was
drawn by engine No. 20. with Engineer
James NJ johnson and Fireman j. w.
DoOlin in the cab. AS 1t approached the
crossing it began to slow up, when rhe
signal was received from the flagman at
the crossing to proceed.
When the first car had reached the MD
die of the crossing the head of the en-
CINE of the Rio Grande train crashed
into the side of the car, striking 1t in the
middle and nearly cutting it in two. The
Salt Lake Route train was not derailed
but the engine of the Rio Grande, No.
5S, was dragged off the track
The Rio Grande engine was Ill charge
of Engineer Charles Z. Ives and Fire
man Raphael H. Cottrel. AS soon as Tie
ing he reversed the brakes, thus pre-
venting the engine from tearing through
the San Pedro train The fireman jumpJ d
but the engineer stayed at his post until
the train was brought to full stop.
One Man Cut on Arm.
During the excitement and mix-up IN
the car before the crash came. "a laborcr
! tried to escape through a window and
/ received several cuts on the arm and an
! other person had his ankle hurt.
The men who were sitting in the seats
that were torn up by the engine escaped
without a scratch.
The car was well filled but as the r O
Grande train had slowed up. the occu-
! pants of the middle Of the car had wal n
Ing enough to escape to the two ENDS.
! The cause for the collision has not been
| definitely ascertained. When the flag
man saw the two trains approaching he
gave the Salt Lake Route train the right
| of way and signaled for the other TO stop
| II is thought by the members of the SalI
/ Lake crew that Engineer Ives mistook
the signal and thought it was for him to
proceed and had started to do so before
he saw the signal for him to stop.
! Mr.. Ives last evening declined to discuss
| the cause until he had reported to the
company officials. He said. however, that
| the brakes OF the engine did not fail 10
work and that the Salt Lake Route crew
ought to know as much of the cause as
| he did.
The officials of both roads will con-
| duct an investigation this morning.
Damage Not Great.
| No part of either train was damaged
| except the engine and the car that col
! lided. All the windows in the car were
broken and the floor was ripped up and
! in the middle was reduced to splinters.
! Several seats were dislodged and the oil
tank under the car was thrown about
! fifty feet away.
| The Rio Grande engine did not receive
much damage. The cowcatcher and the
/ headlights were demolished and the right
/ cylinder torn off. The engine was pulled
/ completely off the front trucks.
! The wreck caused a blockade of six
| trains for about one-half hour. Two
! freights and one passenger on the Rio
| Grande and two passengers on the San
Pedro were delayed The Rio Grande
! trains were brought in over track that
! runs alongside the blockaded one and the
/ Salt Lake Route trains used the old South
/ Temple street track.