Buenavista, CO train wreck, Feb 1902

COLLISION ON HIGH TRESTLE.

Narrow Escape From Terrible Disaster - One Man Killed.

A Colorado Midland passenger train, west-bound, for Salt Lake City and San Francisco, had a narrow escape from instant destruction Sunday morning two miles west of Buenavista, Col. The locomotive dashed into a freight train standing on a trestle, 65 feet high, hurling the caboose and one freight car into the creek bottom and instantly killing Owen McCarthy, rear brakeman on the freight train. Engineer Peck and his fireman were prevented from jumping by the high trestle and remained on their engine, expecting to be dashed to death. The engine left the rails, but miraculously remained on the trestle, almost balanced on its edge.

Owen McCarthy, the only man to lose his life, received orders to flag the coming passenger train, but tarried in the caboose warming himself, as the morning was extremely cold. He had just started to flag the train when he saw the headlight of the locomotive rounding a curve not 100 feet distant. He retreated toward the caboose, but was caught and knocked into the creek, being shockingly mangled.

The Springfield Republican, Springfield, MA 4 Feb 1902
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Transcribed by Tim Taugher. Thanks, Tim!