CanÌƒon City record. [volume] (CanÌƒon City, Colo.) 1883-192?, 1906-03-22
Head On Collision In Fiercest
Blizzard Of the Winter.
Operator At Swallows Slept While Heavily Loaded Train
Rushed to Desarucon-Loss Of Life Greatest In History
Of Fremont County.

Engineer COSSlett OF the mead engine
was caught between the tank and the
boiler of his engine and almost cut in
two at the waist. His body was jam
med in so tightly that II was not ex
tricated until about noon Friday. The
face was not much disfigured and
neither face nor body was reached by
the flames. Cossiett's body was taken
in charge by Coroner Stephenson and
removed to Florence soon after It had
been taken from the wreck of his en-
gine. The coroner selected Mr.. Coss-
let's body as the one upon which to
hold an inquest as IL is the only one
that could be positively identified.
Passengers and trainmen say that
before the heat became SO intense they
attempted to pull passengers, whose
heads and arms were hanging out of
the windows of the coach, from their
precarious positions. but that most of
them were caught fast between the
bulge them. The volunteer rescue
crews labored over these people for
the few minutes that elapsed before
the heat of the rapidly spreading
flames compelled them to step back
and leave them to their awful fate.
Some of those who were hanging from
the windows were injured in such a
way that they were unable to speak.
but their frantic signals to those who
were attempting to assist them indi-
Gated the agony they were suffering.
The great slaughter of passengers in
ed and bruised. They were in the
No. 3 is due to the fact that when the
collision occurred the lighter coach
was telescoped by the express car
ahead of IL, which cut back into the
day coach for more than half its length
killing instantly some of the passen-
gers. wounding others and pinning
others between the seats. and breaking
the gas connections. so that, almost
simultaneously with the collision the
car was in blaze.
The chair car. which was behind the
day coach. was not much injured. al
though 1t was from this coach that
many of the injured were taken. They
were injured by being thrown against
/ the seats in the sudden stoppage of
the train.
train. who were in the smoker, say
tnat Wnen Inc trains came toSetueT
they first felt hard Jar, and then a
series of plunges, after which the train
came 10 stop. Ahead of the smoker
on No. l6 was baggage car and a
lcombination express and mail car. 1t
was probably due to this fact that no
one In the car was seriously injured.
As soon as the injured had been re-
moved from the burning cars they
were carried into the Pullmans. which
| had been moved back out of danger.
Fortunately for the injured, DR.. F. n.
Cochems. chief surgeon OF the Red
Cross hospital at Salida, and his as
lsistant. DIR. o. T. Parker, were in the
smoker on No. 16. They went to work
at once and. with the aid of splints,
Iimprovised from wood of the wrecked
cars. and linen taken from the berths
of the Pullmans. they managed to bind
Iup the wounds of the cut and bleeding
and TO set the limbs of those who had
sustained broken bones. Conductor
Mike Garrett and the passengers on
No. f6 are loud In their praises of the
noble work accomplished by Drs. CO.
chems and Parker.
All that is left of the body of Ex-
press Messenger Enos Mcfarland, who
was in the express car on No. 16. is n
few pieces of charred bone and less
than a handful of ashes. The little
I