The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-01-17

Glenwood Springs, Colo, Jan. ID
Twenty -one persons were killed and 30
injured, many of them seriously, in q
head-on collision between westbound
passenger train No. 6 and an east
bound freight train on the Denver 4
Rio Grande railroad between Dotsero
and Spruce Creek, 20 miles from
Glenwood Springs, at 8: :36 O'Clock last
night. The dead:
While nothing official is given out
as to the cause of the wreck 1t Is
said to have been due to misunder-
standing of orders on the part OF
Engineer Gustaf Olson OF the passen-
ger train. Olson, however, claims he
understood his instructions perfectly.
but that he misread 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 Glenwood Springs every avail
able physician and nurse in the city
was pressed into service and a relief
train was soon on scene never to be
forgotten In its gruesomeness. Body
after body was taken from the wreck
age and for time Ii appeared as
though the heartrending task would
never be completed. The body of a
woman was found lying dozen yards
from the wreckage, close to the banks
of Grand river, both arms missing and
otherwise horribly mangled.
Victims Arrive.
A frat t,1n 81
blody men and women, who barely
escaped with their lives, arrived In
Glenwood Springs at z o'clock this
morning. Carriages and wagonettes
were waiting at the Rio Grande depot
when the train came to stop. The
wounded were taken to the county hos
pital and to the sanitarium and when
the cots and wards had been filled
rooms were secured in the hotels of
Glenwood Springs for the manned
1t was found at an early hour that
there was shortage of surgeons and
only first aid could be administered
until late this afternoon surgeons from
all the surrounding cities began to
pour into Glenwood Springs. A wom-
an died from her injuries on the re-
lief train while on her way here.
1t is expected that at least dozen
or more, who were brought here, will
die from their wounds.
Train No. 6 was made up OF an en-
gine and tender, a baggage car, a
car, followed by a chair car
tourist sleeper and full complement
of Pullman sleepers and dining car.
AS the bodies were taken from the
ruins they were laid side by side on
a bed of snow, amid the agonixing
rhrieks of husband, wife, child ana
rarent. as they searched amorg she
dead for their loved ones, many Of
whom were mangled beyond recogni-
ton.
Pathetic Incidents.
pathetic feature of the accident
was the killing of a father and moth
er, leaving two small children, the old
est being years old. the youngest 2.
The elder boy told nurse at the san
itarium that his father called him
Bennie, and this Is all he will say.
From a. fellow passenger II was
learned that the family was en- route
to Grand Junction to visit relatives.
It Is supposed Mr.. and Mrs. Kettle,
whose names appear among the dead,
were the parents of the two little ones.
who are badly injured.
Another sad scene was the destruc-
tion of an entire family with the ex-
ception of an infant % 3 months This
helpless child was taken care of by
kind family at Shoshone who intend to
adopt the sole survivor of once hap
py family.
Miraculous Escape.
One of the remarkable incidents of
the wreck was the miraculous escape
from the Inflated chair car of Mr..
Small of Pueblo, Colo, salesman for
a commission house of that city. Mr..
Small escaped without scratch. but
soon afterward suffered a nervous
shock and is tonight on the verge of
nervous collapse.
Another heartbreaking scene was
enacted in the wreck, when kind hands