145 Years Ago
The October 29, 1879 Colorado Transcript detailed a pair of grisly accidents that had happened within minutes of each other on the previous Sunday afternoon.
A group of boys was playing on the north side of Creek. They had “borrowed” a hand car on the Golden and South Platte railroad. They rode it down the track toward the Creek. The car picked up speed as they got close to the bridge. One of the boys took fright and jumped off, landing on the track.
The wheels passed along his left arm, cutting the flesh and muscles badly but leaving the bones intact. The interior bone of his left foot was broken in the fall. Under Dr. Floyd’s care the injured limbs have been restored to form and will soon be “as good as new.”
At about the same time, a different group of boys was playing in a clay mine south of town (about where the golf course is now). One found a can of damp gunpowder and put it in his pocket. He already had a match in the pocket, and as he played, the match sparked and the powder exploded. The boy died of his injuries.
Many thanks to an anonymous donor for sponsoring Golden History Moments for the month of October.
