The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-10-15
Two Engineers Who Were as
Close as Brothers Are
Victims of Crash.
MAILER Is KILLED;
LOFTS Is MISSING
SEVERAL INJURED TRAINMEN
TAKEN TO Observation-Disclosures
BLOCKED MANY HOURS.


y Grande- The right OF way has been =
y searched for many hundred yards. Z
= the river has been dragged. but no =
y trace of the body has been found. y
y The theory of the railroad people Is y
y that. daZed by the fail from the
= moving train, Lofts has wandered =
y into the hills which adjCin the track y
y of the Rio GTande- Twenty of the y
y employees of the road are now search =
y ing for him in the hills east of the y
= track,
= G. W. McAleer. engineer Of west =
= bound train. A. years old. who ref
= sided at SO South Eighth West =
= street.
y MISSING
= T. J. Lofts, engineer of eastbound y
= train, residing at 416 East Second =
South street ,,-,,,r
y Ninth West street
y A. G. McDougal fireman. of $50 =
y West Second South street.
J. y. Carroll brakeman, OF as o
y West Second South street.
E NJ. Raylonz. brakeman, of 1872 =
Washington avenue Ogden
%<%+<<%%%$@%<* %<%%%
;My God its George McAleer.'' shouted
Tom npftis as he stood in the gangway
of his Sngine as his train entered the
Narrowsk twenty miles '1oeiow the Scity at
$50 o'clock yestsfday morning A. MS
train approached the cut. east bound. Tom
Lofts saw TIE reflection of the headlight
of the opposing train thrown Jpn the
sides of the cut and after setting the
| brakes and reversing his engine he was
showed from the gangway by head brake
man j. y. Carroll. who is at present at
st. Marks hospital.
The two freight trains met in a head-on
collision just in front of the Telluride
Power cOmpanys house at Jordan Mar
rows early Wednesday morning. McAleer
also saw the approaching collision and
Jumped before the two trains collided-
His body was found three car lengths
back of his engine and covered with a
mass of slack which filled the first three
cars OF his train
Tom Lofts has not vet been found Ii
/ is supposed by his friends and by the Of
ficials of the Rio Grande Western that
| he was dazed by the fall from his engine
and that he has wandered off into the
hills which closely border the track where
the wreck occurred. A. f. Thomas. fire
man. A. G. McDOugal, fireman j. y.
Carroll and E NJ. Raylonz. brakeman.
were all hurt internally and all at St.
I Marks hospital in a precariOus condition
as a result of the collision.
Were to Pass at oliver.
1t is stated by Rio Grande officials that
the eastbound train driven by Lofts
was ordered to meet the westbound train
with McAleer as engineer at Oliver A
station about two miles north of the point
WHERE IllS COllSlOn occurred HE point
where the collision occurred was in a deep
cut which, owing TO a curve in the track
prevents the sight of train approaching
from either direction Both trains were
| speeding at the rate of twenty miles an
hour The dispatcher's office refuses TO
allow the train orders which are sent to
each train crew and which must be in
| itialed by both the conductor and engi-
neer OF every train, to be exhibited to
the public.
The dispatcher's office refused TO give
any news of the wreck to the papers and
to the families OF the dead and wounded
trainmen. Mrs. Mary Lofts of as East
Second South street. the mother OF
! Thomas Lofts, was refused information
by the dlspatcher's office and gained the
| only possible news of her son through J
! n. Carroll, brakeman of the train run
I by her son, who is at present al St
Mark hospital The two engineers were
/ the closest of friends
| Some months ago when Mrs. Lofts
/ died, McAIeer was the first to offer con-
/ ISOLATION and financial aid TO the afflicted
/ husband and Tom Lofts never forgot the
! kindness of his friend. Both served on
! the grievance committee of the Brother
! hood of Locomotive Engineers and We're
/ closely associated in the order IL has
/ been shown that Lofts jumped from the
I engine before the train of which ne was
| the pilot entered the cut where the wreck
occurred. but although the fireman and
brakeman VINO jumped at the same time
! have been found. no trace has been dis
covered Of the missing engineer
Scene of Several Wrecks.
! McAIeer's body was brought IN his
| home al 216 South Eighth West street and
the injured members of both train crews
were attended by DIR. J. F. CritchIoyJ and
We're removed to ST. Marks hospital Nc
Aleer leaves a wife and four children.
Lofts is the father of three children tba
! oldest of whom is y years old and The
youngest 3 years old. Lofts lost his
wife less than year ago and McAleer
was Instrumental in raising the money
| for Mrs. Lotus funeral and in helping
him to secure aid for his three motherIess
children.
The Jordan Narrows has been the scene
of several wrecks. all of which have been
carefully suppressed by the dispstcher's
office. The place where the wreck oc-
Cured is but few feet from the Jordan
/ river and the river has been dragged for
, the body of Lofts without result II is
| improbable that he should have wandered
/ into the river there is a high bank be-
tween the railroad track and the river
A party of the employees OF the Rio
| Grande are now searching the hills for
| trace of Lofts. but have met with no
success up to the present time His moth
| er and sister are still hopeful that he will
/ be found and that he is not seriously in
The wrecking crew of the Rio Grande
succeeded in clearing the track late last
night.
| AT the wreck all day and refuses to place
! the blame of the wreck until he shall
have thoroughly investigated the circum-
stances which bear upon the catastrophe
The twelve cars which composed the two
trains were completely wrecked and their
! contents are a total loss. Although the
I family of Tom Lofts were unable to Sc
| cure information from the dispatcher's Of
flee the claim agent of the company
called up the family three times during
the day and attempted to settle and quash
any claim which Lofts family might
have against the railroad.