At Bridge #681-A, south of Monument on the Colorado Division, local freight train No. 46, eastbound, went through bridge about 11:00 o"clock, Wednessday morning, July 17th, 1895.
The train was made up of Engine #902, 9 loads, 15 empties and Caboose #387. The train crew was Conductor A. W. Glanze, Engineer Martin Wickens, Fireman Fry and Brakeman Erby and Gardner. The Conductor escaped with light bruises; the Engineer was badly crushed and scalded and died on the 18th at 5:30 o'clock in the La Junta Hospital. Brakeman Gardner was badly injured and died in the afternoon of July 19th.
Bridge Foreman Childers, who was making repairs to bridge was killed. A Mrs. Cooper, wife of the pile driver engineer, who was under bridge, was killed.
Bridge #681-A was aframe trestle onpiles, 300-ft. in length and 49-ft in height at the deepest part of channel under bridge. The failure of this bridge was supposed to be due to foreman having taken out longitudinal bracing prior to making repairs.
A portion of page 102
This portion of the Meade's Manual transcribed in altered form by Russell L. Crump