Semi-weekly herald., 1909-01-18
TERRIBLE WRECK
ON D. & R. 6. R. R.
Twenty-Five Reported Killed and as Many or
More Injured in Head=on Collision
Near Glenwood Sp'gs Last Night

GRAND JUNCTION, Jan. 16, a. m
1t is reported here that twenty are
dead and twenty-seven Injured as the
result of a head on collision on the
Denver & Rio Grande between pas
senger train No. 5 and double-head
er at Dotsero siding, twenty miles
east of Glenwood Springs. A relief
train with physicians and nurses was
dispatched to the scene of the wreck
Immediately upon the receipts of the
news. but the injured will be taken
to Glenwood Springs. instead of Grand
Junction as the former city is closer
TO the wreck. The train bearing the
injured is reported to be ten miles out
OF Glenwood Springs, but is not ex.
lz&cted there for several hours. on ac.
count o fthe condition of the road and
the numerous freight trains between
which have to be side-tracked to per
nit the relief train to pass The mea-
ger reports received, indicate that
the passenger train ran into the head
engine of freight while going across
a switch at Dotsero, which is a blind
and the first passenger coach was
wrecked, The last reports were that
sixteen dead bodies had already been
taken from the chair car and that one
body was yet to be recovered. The
first efforts devoted to reaching the
injured, who are said to number TWEEN
ty seven, and as soon as extricated
from the wreckage, which piled the
track for several hundred feet, they
were given emergency treatment and
placed on the relief train and started
for Glenwood Gus Olsen, engineer of
the passenger train, who lives in Sail
da, is reported dead, and his brother,
Sig Olsen, engineer on the first freight
engine was so badly injured that he
will die. J. T. Jeffrays, engineer on
the second freight engineer, had his
leg cut off and is otherwise injured.
ID
GLENWOOD SPRINGS. Jan. 16.-
a dozen more are missing, more than
aaore injured, several fatally, as the
1Sult of a wreck at Dotsero, a small
station 25 miles east of here, asst night,
Westbound passenger train No. 8,
which left Denver yesterday morning,
crashed into a double header freight
train, while travelling at rate of near
ly fifty miles an hour. The huge loco
motive was crushed as If it were so
much cardboard. The mail, express
smoker and one tourist car were teles-
coped. Every passenger in the smok-
ing and tourist car was either killed
or injured with the exception OF one
small girl. When the debris was clear
ed at daylight this morning, she was
found lying under the ruins of the
car, but protected from harm by an
overturned seat, which kept the weight
OF the timbers from her frail form.
. The child is probably less than 2
Years old, and unable to'tell her name
The dead and injured have been
placed aboard a special relief train
and are now being brought to Glen
wood Springs. Because of the dan
gerous condition of many of the inJur'
ed persons the train is travelling slow
" to furnish the victims all the com
fort possible and the train will not ar
rive here before noon.
Every available doctor and nurse
within a radius OF fifty miles is on
the train and the injured are being
given the best of attention. Late last
night Sig Olson, engineer on the nrs'
freight engine and ]. t. Jeffray, en-
eineer on the second locomotive OF the
double-header, were brought TO Gien
wood on a light engine and are now III
n local sanitarium. Olsen's back is bro
ken, and he may not live. Jeffray losl
a limb and is badly cut and bruised
about the body.
The wreck is thought to have beer
caused by NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. OF OF
ders, but on the part of which crew
is not known. The passenger train Il
said to have been instructed to pas
the freight at the Dotsero siding. be
leying the track to be clear, Enginee
Gus Olsen had pulled the throttle wild
.,open and dropping down off Tennessee
pass, was travelling at rate OF neari
n mile a minute. when the freight loon
ed I'D in front of him. less than fift
wards away. He Immediately reverse
the levers, but because Of the hig
speed and the down hill grade IN
sakes made little impression on tn
8ying train The crash came whil
Olsen was still wrestling with III
brakes, and he died at his post.
When the railroad officials frs
reached the scene of the wreck, the
began immediately to search the ruin
Body after body was taken from tn
smashed cars. 1t was thought thi
not an occupant of the two cars ha
escaped But In pulling out the debr
in the hope that the injured migi
be saved, the officials came upon
2-year-old baby. 1t was protected |
an upturned seat. Apparently Its pa
>nAs h. haan kt1taA b~ h.A. 49,.