Wheeler, CO Snowslide and Train Wreck, Mar 1890

A Great Snow Slide.

WHEELER, Col., March 6.---One of the greatest catastrophes in the way of a snow slide without loss of life occurred last night five miles east of this place at what is known as Wallcut, on the high line division of the South Park railroad, in which two passenger trains came near being swept away. The train going west was running in sections. The first section got stuck in the snow at Wallcut and section 2 came up with two powerful engines to pull out the first section Road Master Dobbins was standing in front of the head engine superintending the work when in an instant an avalance[sic] of snow came down, sweeping him away. He was completely covered by the flying mass of the snow, and carried a distance of several thousand feet entirely across the river, and on to the Rio Grande tracks where he managed to extricate himself with great difficulty. He was severely injured. A tremendous volume of snow had piled entirely over the four engines, putting out the fires and completely buried the mail car, in which was Mail Agent George Roberts and Baggage Master Mason, of Denver. It took some time to extricate the men, but neither were injured. Fireman Culbertson was badly scalded.

The Knoxville Journal, Knoxville, TN 7 Mar 1890
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Transcribed by Linda Horton. Thank you, Linda!