A RAILWAY HORROR

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1814, 15 October 1884, Page 2

A RAILWAY HORROR

The burning of a circus car nine miles north of Greeley was attended with indescribable horrors. The burned car wag next to the engine in a train of seventeen' cars, containing Orton'fs Anglo-American Circus, wbicb left Fort Collins about midnight for Goldon, over the Greeley, Salt Lake and Pacific road. The train was Bearing Windsor, i small station near Greely, running about twenty-five miles an hour, when Engineer Collepriet discovered a car on fire. Ho reversed the engine and then threw open the whistle-valve. There were sixty men in the car, arranged in three tiers of berths on either side. v The forward side door was dosed in bunks were sleeping against it. The rear side door was also closed, and the men who awoke discovered that the lower unoccupied .berth next to it. contained rubbish, was.on fire, filling the car with smoke and,cutting off escape on that side, ■ The only means, of egress was through a small window between the . car and engine. John Pine, of Egerton (Wis,), and Elmer Mill, of lowa, crawled through the opening and tried to 'pass in water from the engine tank. Owing to the suffocating gases-it was dificult to awuse the sleepers. Some were kicked and braised in a shocking manner, and pitched out of the windows, The screams of thoso unable to get- through the blockaded aperture were terrifying. The wild glare of the flames and cries of the burning victims writhing with agony on the cactus beds caused the wild beasts in the adjoining car to become frantic with terror, making the scene appalljng, The performers who occupied the rear cars, gazed with white faces on the awful spectacle. In the midst of the confusion two or three heroic souls appeared equal to the occasion. and bravely cut there ways to their companions, to find them already in agony of- death. Albert Lake, in charge of the animals, and. his friend Kent, cactus in their bare feet, poured buckets of oil on the blistered unfortuand wrapping them in blankets. An old Pacific coast sailor named M'Donald formerly of Forepongh's show, was terribly burned. Meantime the engine, had . gone to Greeley for assistance returning with Dr Jesse Hawes president of the State Medical Association. Many of the rescued, in being pulled through the small window, had limbs broken or joints dislocated, ■ At daylight a flat car carried out the charred bodies into Greeley for interment. The County Commissioners, buried the remains in a huge coffin, 7ft wide and 10ft long, in the Greely Cemetry. Tbe-Rov.Mr Reed, of the Presbyterian Church conducted the funerai services. The coroner empannelled a jury, which was unable to learn the c,ause of the fire or any important, faces, as the managers with the remainder of the company left immediately for Golden to fill their afternoon engagement. It is.imposßi.ble to get a complete, list of the dead, as many had been- engaged but: a day'ov two, and thsir names are unknown. The names of the dead, as learned, are as follows:-Alexander M'Leod, of Marinettee, - WisThomas M'Carboy, of Indenpence, laj'John Kelly, of New York City; the others were known as Silventhora, Andy, "Frenchy," French George, Smithie, and one unknown. A number of the rescued agreed that in

the car were two barrels of gasoline, which were exploded either by sparks from the engine or from a naked torch with which the men were accustomed to light themselves to -bed.'-> i Denver , News,' ' -