The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-04-01
Watched Over by Providence.

\ few days ago youth arrived in
camp from Utah. BY that memorable fate
that leads the young into the very
jaws of death he was in the wreck. on
the 18th ult. in the Meadow Valley wash,
and by that providence that seems often
to snatch them from destruction the Utah
youth escaped with a bruised knee while
five men were crushed to death and thir-
tv-fivC seriously wounded As the story
of the wreck illustrates the hiatus be
tween western nerve and presence o.
mind and the absence of both on me
part of uninitiated foreigners. and as the
details of the wreck have not been pub
Iished, his story will be given to the
public, and IS as follows; c.,i
After waiting several days AT 1all-
ente for the track to be repaired
walked down to kiernans ranch. about
thirty miles southwest of Cabente and
forty miles north of Moapa AS pulled
with bridge timbers, piling and ties, came
in from Leith six miles below Two nat
cars loaded with bridge tmbers were I'M
coupled for the purDOse OF taxing the
night shift down to Leith. | climbed on
and rode down with the men. The rest
of the train was left in the deep cut
just above Kiernan's house, and on a
sharp curve in the track.
A Terrible Collision.
after breakfast l boarded the flat car
next to the engine, the pilot drawbar
of which was attached to the two flats
About 100 men. nearly all Greeks and
Austrians. climbed on, and We Were
pushed up toward Kiernan's- The speed
was twelve to fifteen miles per hour
1t was an oil engine. The conductor ana
brakeman had remained at Leith for
breakfast. As we neared the cut where
the cars were standing l was surprised
that the engineer did not slow down
tried in vain to signal them. As 1t be-
came apparent that a collision was m
evitabIe the men became frantic and
clasped each other while crying out IN
terror: 1t was tough LOOKING place. f dop
a collision. 1t was about ten feet from
the top of the timberS down 10 the
ground, but it looked hundredd; Ihe
walls of the cut were steep and close
TO the cars and it looked like certain
death to jump, but few took the risk
The Others who were not paralyzed with
fear braced themselves for the shock.
started to climb down. when one of the
men caught me. and in foreign tongue
tried, presumably. to dissuade me:
wrenched away from him. climbed down
on the pilot and jumped off. An instant
later the crash cane ana men were
chin 0uiyered and further utterarnce was
chin ouivered and further uteeranee was
choked with sObs as memory again
flashed the terrible scene on his brain.
Proceeding. he said;
Crushed Beneath Timbers.
AT the point of impact the colliding
timbers reared in the air ana descended
The stakes on the sides of the car broke
and let other timbers down on the men
who had been thrown into the cut. One
man had both his legs and MS mead cut
off The man who tried to restrain me
had both legs broken. Needless of others,
men rushed to the assistance OF reia-
tives and personal friends. ] must have
looked rather wild, for when L went 10
the aid of one who was pinioned by
heavy timber across his legs, he drew
a long-bladed knife and motioned me
away. | cannot further detail the aW-
fnI intermixture of timbers, and human
beings. nor the heart-rending cries OF the
wounded and dying. 1t was about
o clock in the morning when the wreck
occurred. and it must have been noon
when the last man was extricated.
was too sick and faint at the awful sight
to distinctly remember the exact hour;
l had intended at the beginning OF lnls
letter to describe this portion of the coun-
try from the viewpoint of a burro pros
pector, but it can be continued IN ouF