The Delta independent., 1923-02-23
MARCH, 1883
Railroad Wreck

Railroad wreck
The most disastrous accident that
has ever occurred in the reservation
happened Thursday morning about 5
o'clock. The eastbound overland pas
senger train on the ID. & r. G. went
through the bridge over the Gunnison
river at the mouth of the Roubideau,
the engine, baggage, mail and smok-
ings cars being precipitated into the
stream. No cause can be attributed
for the accident, unless it was the
high water III the river weakening the
bridge, which was the first or tempor-
ary one put in, when the road was con
structed nine months ago A new
bridge has been under way for some
time, but has not yet been completed.
The river at that point is confined to
one channel, not having any sloughs
or lagoons on its sides as at most
points, and is probably twelve feet
deep. The engineer, William Duncan,
Fireman Emery, and another fireman
whose name we did not learn, were
lost. No man living saw the engine
go off the bridge, but it is believed it
ran safely over the weakened spot
which gave way and went down under
the mail car, throwing the locomotive
off the track and over the bridge. At
that early hour most of the passen-
gers were asleep. One thing is cer-
tain, the engineer evidently saw tie
danger and set the air brakes and
whistled, then came the crash. The
engine went off the upper side of the
bridge, and now lies completely SUBJ
merged, only a slight ripple marking
the spot. Nothing was seen of the
three men, but they are probably
buried with the engine. The mail car
was broken to pieces, but the baggage
car was not much hurt; these two
f1oated some distance with the stream
before they lodged. The baggage mas
ter and mail agent saved themselves
by clinging to the wrecked and float
ing cars until they lodged. The mail
car was knocked all to pieces around
the agent, few bruises and a good
ducking being the extent of his in
juries.
The smoking car went partially off
the bridge, one end being in the river
and the other remaining on the track
Almost the entire top and end were
broken off. A brakeman sitting in the
forward part of this car had narrow
escape, but got away with few Sc
we're cuts around the head. An elderly
gentleman in the front end of the
smoker was thrown clear out of the
car and into the river, but catching
hold of an iron rod that had bent out,
he pulled himself in and came out at
the upper end of the car. About a
dozen other persons were in this car
but succeeded in getting out without
getting wet and with only a few
rest of the passengers were uninjured.
A considerable amount of baggage and
express matter was lost, but to what
extent is past finding out. The entire
contents of the mail car was lost The
sound coach with most of the passeE-
gers was pulled back to Grand juno
tion; some of the passengers came on
to Delta. where they were entertained
until they could get transportation
east. A large force of men were put
to work and Sunday afternoon the
bridge was SO far repaired that trains
were run over it. The gap in the
bridge was nearly one hundred feet
long.
Three lives, one engine, three cars,
100 feet of bridging, considerable
amount Of baggage and express mat
ter and the entire mail lost besides
the delay in travel and business of
the road, is the sum of the damages
DONE