Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1909-01-21
GREWSOME TALES ARE TOLD OF
DEATH AND PITIFUL
SUFFERING.
NONE OF THE PASSENGERS IN
STANDARD SLEEPERS
WERE KILLED.

|
passenger train No. and an east
bound freight train on the Denver &
! Rio Grande railroad between Dotsero
and Spruce Creek, % miles from
Glenwood Springs early yesterday
morning.
The identified dead are:
J. D. Mahon, Princeton, Ind.
A, A, Hamilton. Polo, III.
W. G. Kettle, Ashton, Neb.
Mrs. Matte Kettle, Ashton, Neb.
Mrs. Matte Ezen, Williston, N. D.
G. w. Oleson, ST. Louis.
DR.. Arvilla A. Oleson, either from
Hildroh, Neb, or AXtell, Neb.
Rev. R. L. Meiley, either from
Brooklyn. N. Y, or fredericksburg, Pa.
Clarence A. Gooding, Washington.
John Williams CIarks, Neb.
J. C. Davis, DavisBrigham Drug
company, Denver.
Henry Dunn, st. Louis.
Arthur Williams, Des Moines, Ia.
The unidentified dead with descrip-
ton are:
A twelve year old boy, eight year
old girl, ten year old boy, six year old
girl, four women.
While nothing official has been
given out as to the cause of the
wreck, it is said to have been due to
a misunderstanding of orders on the
! part of Engineer Gustaf Olson Of the
passenger train Olson, however,
claims that he understood his in
structions perfectly but that he mis-
read his watch thus encroaching on
the time of the freight train which
was being drawn by two locomotives,
the first of which was in charge Of
his brother, Sig Olson.
When news of the catastrophe
reached GIenwood Springs every
available physician and nurse in the
city was pressed into service and a
relief train was soon on the scene.
The work of rescue Immediately
began Body after body was taken
from the wreckage and for time it
appeared as though the heart had a
rending task that would never be
completed
As the bodies were taken from the
ruins they were laid side by side on
bier of snow amid the agonizing
shrieks of husband, wife, child and
parent as they searched among the
dead for their loved ones. many of
them mangled beyond recognition.
A pathetic feature of the accident
was the killing of a father, leaving
two small helpless children, the eldest
being four years old and the youngest
two. The older boy told a nurse at
the sanitarium that his father called
him Bonnie and this is all he will say.
From a fellow passenger 1t was
learned that the family was enrOute
to Grand Junction to visit relatives
1t is supposed that Mr.. and Mrs.
Kettle, whose names appear among
the dead, were the parents of these
two little ones who are badly injured. |
Another sad case was the destruc-
ton of an entire family with the ex-
ception of an infant Of three months. |
This helpless child was taken care of
by a family at Shoshone, who intend
to adopt it.
One of the remarkable incidents of /
the wreck was the miraculous escape
from the Inflated chair car of Mr..
Stall OF Pueblo Col Stall escaped
without a scratch but soon afterward
suffered a severe nervous shock and
was last night on the verge of ner-
vOus collapse.
Another heartbreaking scene was
enacted in the wreck zone when kind
hands gently lifted four year old
girl from the death clasp of her
mothers arms. Nearby lay the body
of her father, decapitated, and on
every side were Iifeless bodies-vic-
Tins Of the disaster.
The body of a woman was found
lying a dozen yards from the wreck
age close to the banks of the Grand
river, both arms missing, and other
wise horribly mangled.
A train load of 80 wounded and
bleeding men and women arrived in
Glenwood Springs and were taken to
the hospital and to the sanitarium.
There was shortage o. surgeons
and only first aid could be admins
tered until late in the afternoon when
from all the surrounding
cities began to pour into Glenwood
Springs. A woman died from her in
jurfes in the relief train while on her
way to Glenwood Springs. 1t is ex-
pected that at least a dozen others
who were brought here will die from
their wounds
Train No. 5 was made up of an en-
CINE, baggage car, smoking car
chair car, tourist sleeper and full
of standard sleepers and
dining car.
The locomotives are up on end and |
joined together as one piece OF mech
anism. Their wheels were rolled ]
down into the Grand river and pieces
Of machinery scattered all over the {
scene of the wreck. The smoking ]
ear was only partly derailed, while s
the chair car Immediately following
was completely telescoped by the {
tourist sleeper. t
None of the standard sleepers left I
he track and none was killed or in c