About a mile and a half west of Salida, the two engines of Passenger Train No. 16 were wrecked due to a rail washout on the line. The washout extended for about a hundred yards and the first engine fell in and buried itself, followed by the second engine, which rammed against it. Before the wreck occurred, Engineer Reardon averted disaster when he noticed a cautionary headlight given off by a neighboring switch engine. Using his ‘customary Safety First caution’, he slowed the train down from 40 mph to around 10, saving passenger lives. Unfortunately, there was one fatality. Fireman John Mangan was killed when the coal car crushed him and a steam pipe scalded him to death.
This image is from the Bob Pierce Collection.
