Rocky Ford enterprise., 1914-05-29
ROCKY FORD COLORADO, FRIDAY, MAY 80, 1914
TERRIBLE AUTO ACCIDENT
tiaIf of Ordway Ball Team Killed or
Manned by Collision with
Train at Cheraw

Half of the Ordway baseball team
were either killed or manned. when an
auto bearing a party of the players
home from victory at Cheraw, was
struck by an eastbound Santa Fe mail
train on the Arkansas valley branch,
Immediately outside the limits of
Cheraw at about O'Clock last Satur-
day afternoon.
The train which struck the auto
bearing members of the ball team was
through eastbound passenger from
Denver and Pueblo, which was being
detoured over the Arkansas valley
branch because of washouts along the
pated by the driver of the car, who
was acquainted with train schedules
along the route, and it did not stop at
Cheraw. His machine was directly
upon the grade when the engine bore
down upon them at high rate of
speed. He had neither time to back
up or stop and the pilot of the locomo-
tive caught the car at its middle, toss
ed it high into the air and then struck
it second time as it came down.
Two of the ball players Reuben E.
linn and Tony Peters-were instantly
killed; the chauffeur Wamstead-
had both legs broken and his spine in
jured; Oscar Goetz, the first baseman,
was injured internally and Charles
Garret, pitcher, had both his legs
broken. The only one to escape was
John Mclver, the 11-year-old mascot of
the Ordway team, who was thrown
clear of the locomotive by the crash
and landed with but few cuts and
scratches in a plowed and rain soaked
field, so feet away.
The train stopped as soon as possible
after the accident and returned to the
crossing. The injured were placed
aboard sleeper and physicians from
both Ordway and Cheraw, who were at
the game, accompanied them to La
Junta. Goetz and Garrett were taken
to the Valley hospital while Wamstead
was taken to the Santa Fe hospital
where their wounds were dress
ed and fractures reduced. At last ac-
connts the three men were resting
comfortably but it could not be definite
ly stated whether they will recover.
Coroner Thompson went down to La
Junta on Monday and held an inquest
when the following verdict was re-
turned:
1--WE the jury, find that Tony Peters
and Reuben Zinn came to their death
at the railroad crossing one mile west
of Cheraw, in the county of Otero,
Saturday, May %, 1914, at about 80
p. M, as the result of an accident when
the car in which they were riding was
struck by an engine, No. 584, on said
railway, while attempting to cross,
being driven by Roy Wamstead. The
accident was caused by lack of due
diligence on the part of the occupants
of the car"
From the testimony adduced four
cars, none of whose occupants would
testify that they had seen the ap-
preaching train, had preceded the
fated car across the tracks. Wam-
stead the driver, claimed that he could
remember nothing from the time he
left the ball parl; at Cheraw until he
came to his senses in the hospital.
C. w. Garrett said he did not see the
train until Reuben Zinn, who sat be-
side the driver, arose in the seat and
cried "Looki''
Engineer William Ergood of the train
said that he saw the automobile and
expected it to stop, but when within
60 feet of it saw that the driver in
tended to cross. Ergood then put on
the emergency brake, but it was too
late.
After the inquest the body of Reuben
Zinn was shipped to Ordway for inter
ment. The remains of Tony Peters
were held at La Junta awaiting advice
from relatives in Denver, from which
place he had gone to Ordway a couple
of weeks before to take the position of
foreman in the New Era office.
"Rube" Zinn was quite well known
in this city, having been employed as
blacksmith by F. A. Karpe until the
latter left for California, and the news
of his sudden and shocking death cast a
gloom over this community.