New-York tribune., 1921-06-07
3 Swept to
Death From
rain i'm Flood
Believed Minimum Toll
Among the Passengers of
Stalled PuIlmans Just
Outside Pueblo Station
Thrilling Tale of Rescues
Negro Porter Real Hero
in Aiding Women and
Girls to Place of Safety
sp,c,a, ptspotch 10 IN. Tr;buns


PUEBLO, Col, June 6.-Twenty- three
dead is considered the minimum death
toll among the passengers of Denver
& Rio Grande train No. 8, which was
upturned by the flood waters of the
Arkansas River in sight of the Union
Station here Friday night.
I. t. Robinson, fifty years old, a
civil engineer from Kansas City and
tourist on the dictated train, is au-
thority for the statement He said to-
day that the conductor told him q
few minutes before the coaches went
oyer on their sides that ninety three
passengers were n board When a
count was made or the rescued at the
Nuckolls packing plant, the next day,
only seventy could be located.
Robinson said the rrain carried four
Pullmans. He was riding in the third
one.
1--WE were in sight OF the station"
Robinson continued, "wnen the water
crept upon US We suddenly stopped.
Our lights went out ana it was pitch
dark except for the kaleidoscope illu-
sion given by the recurrent flashes of
lightning.
"The cars began to wabble back and
forth, followed by crash, and our
car topped slowly over on it's side.
Hastily we broke through the windows
in the top. Our Pullman porter, q
negro, proved himself real hero in
that emergency Needless of his own
danger he boosted the girls and wom-
en- up on top.
Voices Drowned by Roar of Torrent
"Once on the top We were COM
paratively safe. Through the long
night hours we sat there huddled to-
gether, unable to be heard one by the
other because of the deafening roar
of the torrent. At dawn rowboats
removed to the Nuckolls plant. | cam
not believe that every one on that train
escaped from that night of terror
alive"
Once in the Nuckolls plant the
rescue party was attended by Harvey
Nuckolls, president of the company.
A huge bonfire was built to warm their
chilled bones and wienies and bread
toasted over the Goals.
Robinson told of helping rescue a
200-pound woman who was trapped in
the same car with him. She protested
being lifted through the window at the
top of the car, but Robinson seized her
and boosted her through one. Two
women on top grabbed her arms and
pulled her to safety. He also aided in
the rescue of two young girls, 13 to
10 years old. They were standing knee
deep in water before he hoisted them
through the broken windows. They
were on their way to the Coast.
Although the Missouri Pacific train.
which overturned few rods away, was
seen before total darkness descended,
Robinson declared that he could not
discern what happened to it after his
own train was upset.
j. w. Stanbaugh, a railroad fireman
from Cumberland, Md, on the same
Pullman with Robinson, declared this
morning that he had come West for a
vacation, but that he has now had
enough and will start home at once.
The rain came down in Sheets
Stanbaugh recited. "Box cars, freight
and various railroad equipment were
sweeping down upon us all night. The
crashing of box cars into our train
is what turned US over. | think every
enc got out on top in our car, but I
can't say that they all stayed there"