Crystal River Saga: Lore of the Colorado RockiesFrancis, Theresa V.
History
Crystal River Saga: Lore of the Colorado Rockies
Francis, Theresa V.
Crystal River (Colo.); Gunnison County (Colo.) -- History; Marble industry and trade -- Colorado -- Gunnison County
In some manner Healy, the motorman, lost control of a heavily loaded
train at a point on the line near the old smelter, half a mile from the
yard at the mill. Doubtless the airbrakes failed to work. Before the
hand brakes could be set the train attained a frightful speed. W. C.
Goodwin, a mill employee who was riding on the train, jumped and landed
without a scratch. The others stayed on the train.
Just before reaching the bridge over the Crystal River two of the cars
in the train left the track and smashed into a rock cliff at the side of
the track. Lytle, the brakeman, was on one of these cars. He was thrown
with terrible force into the face of the cliff and death was mercifully
quick.
Healy, the motorman, stayed with the balance of the train, as did the
Mexican and the little girl. The runaway cars held the track until the
turn at the loading station in the yards, when everything turned over on
the curve and smashed into splinters. Healy was caught beneath a huge
block of marble and was crushed to death. He probably never knew what
struck him. The Mexican was slammed onto the ground with such force that
death was instantaneous. The little girl, eight years old, was alive
when rescuers reached the scene and was hurried to the hospital. She
died at six o’clock that evening.
Col. C. F. Meek owned controlling interest in the Colorado Yule Marble
Co. composed of stockholders from Philadelphia and other eastern cities,
and was the president and general manager. Knowing how to handle men as
well as finances he was very popular with the company employees. Under
his management orders came pouring in and soon Colorado Yule marble was
being used all over the United States: From Houston, Tex. to Chicago,
Ill.; from Washington, D. C., and New York City to Portland, Ore., Los
Angeles and San Francisco, Calif.
[Illustration: INTERIOR OF QUARRY—One of the “rooms” with floor
space—30,000 square feet—producing 3,000 cubic feet of marble per
day.
—_Photo by_ Henry L. Johnson, Marble, Colo.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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