The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-01-18
GRAPHIC TALES OF DEATH
DEALING WRECK ARE TOLD
BY ARRIVING PASSENGERS
Continued from Page /.

been of proper construction, the chances
are that no one would have been killed.
The beams of the car were only by
inches, and the whole car was crushed
in just as if it were a match box. All
the other cars withstood the SHOCK. For
instance, the smoking car was only
saved from being hurled down into the
river by reason of its strong construc-
ton and that its coupling with the bag
gage car held"
T. A. Tucker, travelling from Cook,
Neb., to Spokane, Wash, had just re-
tired to his berth when the sickening
crash of the coliiding trains came. The
force of the jar threw him. like many
other passengers, from his berth. but Re
was able to scramble out quickly and
aided in the work of rescue.
The most remarkable thing about
it, he said. sis that fire didn't break
out IN the wreck If it had there would
have been many more deaths, as it took
hours to get some of the people out of
the wreckage."
Mr.. Tucker also criticises the railroad
company for the paper" chair car, but
spoke in the highest terms of praise of
the work of the train crew and COM
pany employees following the wreck.
These men couldn't possibly have
done more than they did, and they all
worked like Trojans to help the peo-
pie"
Porter's Heroic Work.
w. A. Wilson. one of the tourist car
poTteFs, came in for much commenda-
ton for his heroic work At the time
Of the wreck he was engaged in prepar-
ing the berths in his car.
II have been in two wrecks before"
he said, land the instant the shock
came 1 knew what had happened. I
rushed to the front end of the car and
saw the car in front turn sidew; VS..
/ Then I heard the screams Of those hurt
and ! yelled to my paa sengeTs to get
/ out The other porter and I helped
them out through the doors. but two of
/ the ladies we had to get odt through
/ the window"
With his clothes still showing the
/ bloodstains of those whom he mad
/ helped to care for, Wilson, with AL his
/ experience of the hardships of the rail-
road. couldn't keep from shuddering as
he recalled some of the incidents of the
wreck.
'One thing I Will never forget. There
was a family of father mother and a
I little boy and girl. The girl was only
four or five years old, and she is the
only one left OF that family. The father
/ lived for several hours after the col
ana heavy beams. He kept crying out
for somebody to shoot him. and he SUI
fered hours of agony before he died.
The little girl was taken to GIenwood
Springs without knowing that her faith
ct and mother and her little brother
1 were dead"
Trained Nurse at Hand.
Miss Blanche McKibben of Lincoln.
Neb.. earned the title of a mother Ct
the whole bunch" as one passenger put
it Being a trained nurse, she began
her work with the injured and brought
relief to many.
DR.. ". J. Bakus of Stockton. Cal.
who was returning from London, ren-
dered invaluable service in relieving the
injured. and did much to save life be-
fore the doctors arrived from the near
by towns
over twenty-five passengers who were
in the wreck came through to salt Lake
last night and were dOmiciled in various
hotels.
The wreck occurred at a point be-
tween DOtsero and Spruce creek. about
twenty-five miles from GisnwoOd
Springs. According to the -tories told
by the passengers. the conductor and
engineer of the passenger train, No. ).
had orders to meet a freight train at a
siding there The engineer passed The
siding. since stating that he had mis-
taken the time by eight minutes. but
the opinion * expressed by the Dassen
gers that the engineer thought he could
make Spruce creek before the freight.
The two trains met on a sharp curve,
about coo yards beyond the siding. Al
the point where the collision occurred
the track is cut in the side of the noun
tain. the Grand river running eighty
feet below the sheer embankment.
In the confusion Of the wreck many
of those bound to tine California coast
lost their tickets. but it was announced
. last night from the office Of the salt
Lake route that all who had been on