The state herald., 1909-08-20

Grande at Hustled, twelve miles north
OF Colorado Springs Saturday morn
ing.
Five hundred souls have looked into
eternity and nine have not looked
back. Still others are battling for
life with the odds against them. That
the death list will be swelled a half
dozen more is probable, Judging from
the injuries sustained by that many.
The cause:
The members of the crew in
charge OF train No. s north
bound read their orders to wait
at Hustled for No. l second
section southbound. and then espied
an engine on the sidetrack. Its end
was obscured by a thick underground,
and. mistaking 1t for the engine OF
train No. l. they went ahead.
Train No. was rounding the curve
less than 800 yards away Its con-
ductor saw No. approaching. He
applied the airbrakes and No. / was
stopped. No. s, oblivious to the fate
that awaited 1t. double.headed, just
had time to apply the airbrakes before
It crashed into No. /.
The impact was terrific. Three 81
ant locomotives came together. built
pyramid and then toppled over.
The tender of No. SIS second engine
forced its way into the combination
baggage car and smoker of No. l. put
ting II on end and injuring only two
persons.
The combination smoker and bag.
gage car of No. s was split in twain,
its human cargo was hurled through
windows. pinioned under seats, shot
through windows. pinioned under
seats. shot through the roof. Death
and destruction were everywhere.
In that car the carnage was great
est. There were two coaches. an OBJ
servation car, chair car and two
sleepers behind the combination smok'
er and baggage car on No. s. They
carried upwards Of 27S passengers.
Behind the first coach on train No
l were two observation cars. the trair
carrying in all 1877 passengers.
Nearly three score were injured. Al
many had miraculous escapes and the
brown and red OF the hillsides raj
rivulets OF blood.
|, Bodies were hurled through CLOSED
windows. across the railroad right-oi
way and into enclosed pastures: 9th
ers fell down the embankment an,
the groans of the dying and th'
shrieks OF the injured rang in the ear
of the more fortunate.
1t all happened in the twinkling o
an eye.
Passengers saw their seat compan
ions carried inlo eternity as a candle
were left blinking and only half-con
, scious of what had taken place.
II was n wreck without reason.
One little girl. name unknown. wa
: thrown as from catapuli through NJ
open window up In the air ten fee
or more and alighted ut the bottom
/. OF the embankment, none the wors'
. for her experience.
A man. ID. w. Johnson of Denver
, engineer of No. |. was pulled from IN
, der the body OF J. A. Gossage. fire
man on the other train. with only hi
left hip and back injured. Gossage wa
killed outright.
l. There are forty-four men and eigh
teen women In the list OF injured. No
! one woman was fatally hurt
I Some little children escaped with
4 out a scratch. One boy. halfgrown. rt
/. ceived some bruises on his leg. III
f, father. who sat beside him. had hi
, leg broken.
, There were other strange feature
and many condolences.
Fireman Gossage met death nlmos
In his front yard. His wife and fOu
Q children. living on ranch at Hustled
= were the first TO arrive on the scene
!. Mrs Gossage swooncd In the arms o
!. sympathetic passengers.
A The little ones clapped their hand
n and gleefully shouted "PaDa!" The
did not know their father was beyon
the range OF tiny yoices'
Tho scenes were henrtrending.
u With 400 men. women and childrc
on the escape list there was stat
Q OF panic aboard the relief train.
y DR.. Henry W. Hoaglnnd and DIR. {
n +. Slough were among the first ph,
o slclnns to reach the scene. Miss Ma
4 yarct Krcdol. n trained nurse. haI
r pened to get aboard nj Palmer LAX
A and she wns kept busy during III
short ride 10 the Springs,
The dead and dying had the rlgi
y Of way OF Colorado Springs street
: nil afternoon and night Every dea
n wagon was pressed Into service, an
l. carriages and automobiles were use
3 for ambuances.
= List Of the Dead.
r. W. Beetles. Colorado Springs.
o james Rozporka. Chicago.
d G. NJ Larkin. Colorado Springs.
&. 3. Brown. Jericho Springs. Mo
,. r. E. Murphy. Denver
>, J. A. Gossage. Hustled.
y A. A. Davidson. Mcpherson, Kan.
+. q. Frederick. St Louis
Joseph \. Parker, Chicago.