Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-16
SEvENTY-ONE DEAD
IN RAILWAY WRECK
Head-On Collision Near Glen
wood Springs, Col.
ONE COACH TELESCOPED
Little Girl Is Sole Survivor in the
Chair Car.
FIFTY OR MORE BADLY HURT
One Engineer Killed and Two Dy-
ing-Passenger Train Blamed
for Disregard of Orders.
FIFTY OR MORE BADLY HURT

DENVER, Col, January 16.-Seventy-
one dead. fifty injured. at least thirty IA
tally hurt.
That is the record of the wreck of the
Denver and Rio Grande passenger train,
No ), near Dotsero. twenty miles from
Glenwood Springs, according TO a long
distance telephone message from Glen
wood Springs. today.
To add to the horror of the wreck the
second relief train, on its way to Glen
wood loaded with injured, has been tied
up by the derailment of some freight
cars.
The first relief train, bearing a number
of the more slightly injured, reached Glen
wood this morning, bringing reports of
the wreck which appears to have been
reading.
Most of the slaughter was done in the
chair car. OF sixty-nine passengers in
that coach sixty-eight are said to have
been killed.
The human being to escape was a six
year-old girl. who was found under the
dead body of her mother. The child is
too near dead now to remember her name,
farther than it is Alice
No further identtfcations of the dead
have been made. according to the reports
reaching Glenwood. The dead are in
many instances SO horribly mutilated that
identification win be difficult.
At the Office Of General Manager Ridge
way of the Denver and Rio Grande rail-
road 1t was stated that reports received
there indicate that the list Of the dead
will number twenty-three and the injured
from twenty-five to thirty. No details
have as yet been received,
Passenger Cars Telescoped.
GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Col, January
18.-At Dotsero siding, on the Denver and
Rio Grande railroad passenger train No.
=. west bound, coIlided with freight train
No 66. east bound, at about 1880 last
night
The passenger train was flying down the
grade making for siding five miles west
Of Dotsero, where it expected to meet the
make the siding. The result was a head
on collision.
The engines were smashed, the baggage
car of the passenger train left standing on
end. and one of the day coaches telescoped
by the chair car Immediately behind it.
II is said that not single person in the
day coach escaped
1t was from the chair car that the dead
passengers were taken. Twenty bodies
have been recovered thus far. All the
sleeping cars remained on the track. No
passenger in them was injured.
1t was impossible to carry the wounded
around the wreck. This fact delayed the
relief TO passengers for more than an
hour.
Head-on at High Speed.
The passenger train is said to have been
going at u high rate of speed when 1t
reached the siding at Dotsero. 1t is sup
posed that tn. engineer of the passenger
thought the freight had passed the siding
and was going too rapidly to stop his
train when he saw the danger.
The great locomotive attached to the
passenger train was demolished The
chair car and passenger coach were
turned on their sides and shattered.
With the arrival of the relief train from
SienWood Springs 1t was possible to start
The work OF rescue Of the bodies. The
injured were pinned under the wreckage
and the heroic work Of the passengers Of
the rear cars saved many lives.
some OF the injured were terribly man.
Ei"d. The death list, 1t Is feared, will be
greatly increased.
Train No. left Denver yesterday morn
ing well hllcd with passengers, many of
whom were to get off at Gienwood
Springs. Dotsero is a blind siding with
10 station and no telegraph office
When the relief train reached the scene
u was found that long string of freight
ears was in the way. The only way
they could be disposed of was to back
them 10 Shoshone, eight miles from the
accident.
The physicians and nurses, however
left the relief train soon they
reached there. and ministered as best they
could to the dead and dying.
A special train. with Amos c. Ridgway,
general manager of the Denver and Rio
Grande. and other Denver officials of the
road on board, left Denver last midnight
for the scene of the wreck. The special
was given right of way over the Colorado
Midland and Denver and Rio Grande, and
made record run to Dotsero.
passenger engineer Blamed.
Special Dispatch to The Star.
GLENWOOD SPRINGS. Col. January
16-At daylight today railroad officials
gave out a bulletin announcing that
twenty bodies far have been taken
from the wreck at Dotsero. and that there
was strong possibility more were buried
beneath the debris
The wreck is declared, in the railroad
bulletin. To have been caused by dis
obedience of orders on the part of the
engineer of the passenger train. He had
been ordered to wait at Dotsero for the
freight 10 pass, but apparently thought
he had time to make another siding seven
miles beyond.
The locomotive of the passenger train
and the front locomotive of the freight
reared upon their tenders. The second
locomotive of the freight came crashing
In on top of the heap, literally p!lihg it
Continued Second Page.l