The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1921-03-24
PULLMAN CAR TRAGEDY
RESULTS IN DEATHS
Authentic Account Of Case As Writ
ten by Lou C. Jones of Pueblo,
For Democrat
Pueblo, Colorado,
March II, 1921

TOT DGunoCEa
Pueblo, Colorado
March II, 1872,
Mr.. ]. B. Miller,
Liberal, Kansas.
Dearw John: Enclosed is an accurat,
and authentic account of the burning
of the Pullman passenger car nea
Welsenburg, Colorado, as brough
out at the inquest. hope you car
use same.
Be sure the Democrat reaches me
l may come down your way in 1
few days.
Lou G. Jones, Sr.
After a day and a half Of diligent
search for evidence that would cleal
up the mystery surrounding thu
burning of the Pullman coach, Cor
ona on the D. & r. G. Ry., near the
siding at Roof, Colorado, early las
Monday morning whereby five pas
sengers lost their lives an after sub
poeneaing witnesses from the yards
at Pueblo and elsewhere the coroner
of Huerfano county turned the case
over to the jury composed of six Of
Walsenburg's representative business
men at 1929 o'clock Thursday.
After being out forty minutes the
jury returned with a verdict which
very likely covers the situation in its
entirety about as accurately as could
have been possible from the evidence
produced.
Their finding "That the deceased
came to his or her deaths at 1 80 a.
M, on March 18th from asphixiation
and fire of unknown origin to us. We
further find that the accident so far
as the loss of lives are concerned
could have been avoided by the Pull
man company's rules so that the por-
tiers would have been on their respec-
tive cars instead of being asleep and
making it necessary for the Pullman
conductor to be on duty on the two
cars" is generally accepted by the
public in and around Welsenburg as
being pe1>arraignment of the
Pullman Company for it's seeming
failure to properly provide for the
necessary convenience safety, and
welfare of its travelling public and
patrons.
Many witnesses were examined in
GLIDING the Pullman train conductors
Of the train, the two brakemen, the
porter of the car burned, the master
mechanic of the Pueblo cars of the
D. & R. G., the head carpenters of
the cars for the same division, the
caretaker of the Pullman coaches
from the same yards, the engineer
and fireman of the train, the Depu-
ty Coroner, Mr.. Mazzone, who begun
the investigation, William S. Getcher
Supt. Of the Welsenburg coal mine,
J. G. Matthews, City druggist, G. C.
Hibarger of Denver, Supt. Of the
division of Pullman service and 9TH
ers who were relatives of the parties
lost, who testified as to the identi-
fication.
The testimony showed there were
six passengers sleeping in the Corona
five of whom were burned. Parts of
five burned and charred bodies were
recovered from the debris. OF these
three were identified by relatives as
those Of F. S. Steeleman of the Mo.
Pas, Ry. Co., Mrs. Winnie B. Com
stock and Mr.. A. B. Jack, cattleman.
The remaining two, T. H. Downing
a Denver travelling man, and James
Miller, an automobile man, were
identified as lost but could not be
determined as to which remains were
either man and it is planned to bury
them together at Walsenburg in y
common grave.
The evidence showed that the con-
iuctor was alone in charge of both !
cars at the time of the fire, that the I,
porters were both asleep as the COM
oany's rules permitted them to sleep |
1T that time and that at the time the
fire started the conductor was in the
other coach. He was able to arouse
and save the passengers of the sec
ond coach but during this time the
rear coach burned beyond his or any
one else's ability to save any one.
It was also shown that the brake
man was in the smoking compart-
ment at the rear end at the time and
knew nothing of it until the flames
and smoke began to fill the coach
sufficient that the gases and smoke
came through the closed curtains.
The porter seems to have awakened |
and managed to scramble to the floor
and by crawling out avoided the
worst of the gas and smoke until he
reached the rear end and thus he
was saved
A post office inspector, Mr.. o. M.
Hood of Trinidad, Colo, who had re-
tired just previously to the outbreak
of the fire awakened and also escap-
ed by breaking out window and
jumping out.
The engineer and fireman seem
to have first discovered the fire and
the engineer stopped his train i'm
mediately without awaiting signals.
The conductors, brakemen and por-
ter testified that the car was aflame
very quickly and that they broke in
windows and called and endeavored
to reach in and rescue the passen-
gers in the burning coach but found
no one and were not able to hear a
within the burning coach. It was
single sound or cry for help, from
rumored and partly established that
the newsboy made efforts to rescue
q man and the rear brakeman testi-
fled that he himself did stumble on
to a large man in the rear aisle who
was then unconscious and that he