The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-07-11
GRAPHIC TALES
OF WRECK TOLD
BY PASSENGERS
Twin City EIkS in Terrific Crash
at Early Morning
Hour.
MANY LOSE BEL ONGINGS
IN RUINED BAGGAGE CAR
THREE TRAlNMEN LOSE LIVES
IN COLLISION BETWEEN HELP
Err AND GRAND JUNCTION.

Westbound special passenger train
No. us, carrying about ninety persons
to the EIks' convention I'm Los Angeles.
at 3.22 o'clock yesterday morning col
iided with an extra stock train, No.
1883, eastbOund, one mile east Of White
head and about sixty miles west of
Grand Junction. Tt was a terrific head
on collision, both trains moving at fast
speed. Engineer HeIdeman and Fire
main Heinze of the passenger train
were killed and Baggageman Vaughn's
mangled remains were found hours later
IN the debris of the baggage car. The
freight engine crew it is reported.
Jumped for their lives Freight Brake
man Burke was also injured badly, but
not fatally. None of the passengers
was fatally injured, but many Of them
suffered cuts and bruises, the most Sc
rloUs Of which were scalp wounds
The stock train consisted of five dou-
ble-decked cars loaded with sheep. Two
Of these cars were demolished and
many of the animals killed. The pas
Senger engine was totally wrecked and
It's tender was piled partly on top Of
the first sleeper the baggage car be-
tween being reduced to kindling wood.
The first sleeper was stove I'm at the
front and the washr0om and lavatOry
was demolished
A doctor on the train hurried to as
sist the injured men, and word was tel
egraphed to Grand Junction. ThOmD-
] sons station and Green River for help.
. Three physicians were soon on the
scene, but their services were not re-
quired, the victims being beyond aid.
/ Two relief trains were sent from Helper
and Grand Junction, bearing everything
that might be needed, and a large
wrecking crew, who began clearing
away the wreck at once. The passen-
gers were transferred TO another train
and at 10 O'Clock got away from the
scene Of the wreck, arriving here at $50
O'Clock last evening.
Carried Twin City Elks.
The passenger train carried the dele
CATION Of Minneapolis and St Paul
I Elks and ladies to Los Angeles. and the
| report reached the local office of the
/ Denver d Rio Grande that the wreck
caused the delay o fourteen special
Elks' trains ali day. AT 9.30 o'clock last
evening a message was received here
! that the three deaC bodies and the in
/ JUred bTakemen had been taken TO
| Grand Junction, which was their home,
and that traffic had been resumed since
5 o'clock in the afternoon, a "shoo-dy''
--rr ms -|-I-A NglAclA AALEA UlO4ltu LLlE
scene Of the accident. Until this mes
sage came there were many Salt Lakers
who were expecting friends on the de-
layed train awaiting anxiOusly at the
depot for news.
When the train carrying the passen-
gers of the wrecked special arrived In
salt Lake they were met by a large
crowd of anxious citizens. They re-
ported that no passengers had been
IaI rar he
wore bandages on their heads OF arms
having sustained slight injuries. That
the train did not catch fire was con-
sidered miraculous as # was reported
that both locomotives were demolished
All were asleep i'm their berths when the
crash came, and the awakening in the
dead of night with the confusion. the
bleating Of the injured sheep and the
general chaos was an experience not
many VIII forget. The baggage car is
said to have been utterly demolished
and # was several hours before the body
Of the Inflated baggageman was found
buried beneath the debris Trunks
satchels and other baggage belonging
TO the travellers were scattered all
about. When they arrived here some
Of the travellers had such Of their be
longings as they could find on the scene
gathered together in sheets and towels.
Llit rest " lll Dt HlCEeu up ana what
is identified VIII be forwarded Many
Of the people who arrived here yester-
day had only what clothes were on their
backs when they got In and large
number Of the women were in a sad
plight The excitement Of the accident
and that which Immediately followed
was seriously felt by some of the
women. The shock was terrible, ana
some Of them did not leave the train
here.
When the Crash Came.
when the trains coIIided." said J. G.
Quinlivan Of DicllersOn. n. D.. who was
member Of the party, iithe passengers
did not realize what had happened. Many
Of US were thrown from our berths into
the aisles. When it was realized that
there had been a head-On collision. the
sleeping cars were filled with passengers
and excitement ran nigh. There followed
much confusion, every one trying TO get
outside. They grabbed their clothing, or
what they could find Of it, and fastened
to the doors. One woman I saw in a field
100 feet from the train dressing herself.
Many left the cars clad only in their night
clothes.
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