Evening star., 1923-09-28

About 9:10 pm. the Denver train
swept around a curve and plunged
into the stream. Apparently the loco
motive got clear across the culVert
of the heavy train. Then the engine
slipped back into the water and both
engineer and fireman were killed.
SIeepers Escape Water.
Probably only four sleeping car
passengers lost their lives by drown
Ing. From twenty to twenty-four
passengers were rescued from the
top of the sleeper..which was par
TALLY submerged.
Neither the Cheyenne nor Casper
sleepers went into the stream.
rescue train from Casper arrived
at the wreck at IL pm. and imme-
diately E&was decided that the best
chance of rescue was by means of
a rope arrangement strung from the
east bank. There were from twenty
to twenty-four persons on top of the
siespsTi 4 big cable Aope obtained at the
Big Muddy oil I'D was thrown ,r over yer
headlight of the locomotive of the
relief train playing on the scene the
slow process Of rescue in this man
ner proceeded.
Seventy May Be Missing.
It is believed that it will be TWEEN
ty-four hours or more before many
bodies can be taken from the sub
merged cars. Most of those drowned
may have been washed out of the
cars because of the terrific current
of the stream.
Although one of the lightest ticket
sales in years was reported here by
the Burlington railroad, it was be-
lieveG that the final list of persons
aboard the train would show possibly
seventy persons missing.
Men, women and children went
hand over hand from the sleeper to
the east bank, distance of more
than $50 feet. Several times women
lost one hand hold of the rope, only
to regain their balance and save
themselves from dropping into the
sweeping waters.
After their perilous trip across the
water several women tainted and had
TO be carried to waiting cars. A man
carried a baby in his arms from the
marooned car to the bank.
OF the injured brought to Casper
early this morning, few are seriously
hurt.
Water Still Rising.
1t was still raining early this morn
ing. One sleeper was left on the track
where it had been derailed at the
brink of the stream.
Occupants were sleeping in the car.
Aside from two dim railroad arc lamps
there was not light visible at the
scene of the wreck, and it was difficult
10 distinguish the location of different
ones in the stream of 1ammed-up cars
against the east bank.
JTndertakers left Casper at D o'clock
this morning to search the wreckage for
bodies Undertakers also have been
notified at Douglas to cooperate in
finding bodies. The sheriff and deputies
left on the same special train to assist
in removing bodies from the wreckage.
The police in Glen Rock have been
notified and will cooperate in prevent
ing any looting. Cities down the Platte
river have been notified to be on the
lookout for floating bodies.
Rescue Work Halted.
Estimates of the number of persons
who lost their lives differed at o'clock
this morning. The lowest figures placed
the dead at forty. A railroad telegraph
operator at Glenrock, near the scene
of the wreck, and who assisted in the
rescue work, said he though the death
list might mount to 100.
All rescue work had to be temporarily
abandoned at o'clock this morning. 1t
began showing about that hour, after
twentt-fodr hours of continuous rain
fall. No bodies had been recovered at
daylight.
The scene of the wreck is about
fourteen miles east of Casper, about
Two miles west of the Big Muddy oil
field and about seven miles west of
Glenrock The next fiagstop for the
train across the culvert through
which it plunged into Cole creek is
Lockett.
The scene of the wreck is in a
sandy, rolling type of country.
First Bodies Removed.
Several bodies were removed from
partly submerged cars this morning,
but names of victims are still lack
ing, and the full casualty list prob
sbly will not be known until waters
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