Harry Friend
Burial Details
Obituaries
Eagle Valley Enterprise page 1 - December 18, 1931
TWO MEN KILLED ! BY RAILROAD TRAIN IN MINTURN YARDS
HARRY FRIEND AND HENRY ; CORDING STRUCK BY PASSENGER TRAIN NO . 1 FRIDAY EVENING—NO WITNESSES TO j ACCIDENT — CORONERS INQUEST PRONOUNCES IT UNAVOIDABLE ACCIDENT . The Coroner's Verdict . Inquest held Dec . 12 , 1931——Henry W . Cording and Harry Friend. That from the evidence submitted the above named Henry Cording and Harry Friend , came to their deaths by being killed by Denver & Rio Grande Western train No . 1 in the railroad yards at Minturn on the evening of Dec . 11th , 1031 , death being purely accidental . —Signed : O . W . Randall , G . D . Roberta , J . E . Berry , H . G . Bayer , Harry Custer , B , D . Price , Jurors . j t
Harry Friend , 43 , and Henry Cording , 49 , were struck by the locomotive of Rio Grande passenger train No . 1 , a 3 the train was entering the railroad yards in Minturn at approximately 6 : 20 Friday evening and instantly killed . The accident occurred at the east end of the yards 200 or 300 feet west of the road crossing near the Y . M . C . A . building and just how j these two men , used to being around the yards , and aware that No . 1 was due to come in, got in the way of the train will always be a mystery. They had left the Y. M.C .A . building but a few minutes before for the depot to mail a letter on train No.18 , shortly due to arrive. They went toward the road crossing located some 300 feet from the north entrance to the Y building to walk down the track from that point to the depot . An engine , in charge of Hostler Hughie Young and his helper , Albert Burnett , was just taking the siding to the sand house . As Cording and Friend passed the engine they hailed the enginemen and Mr . Young called to them to be careful and not get hit by No. 1 , which was due . As they reached the crossing , they met Elmer Huff , coming j from the depot in his truck , and , stepped aside to permit him to pass , the three recognizing and greeting one another . This was the last seen of either Cording or Friend until after the horrible accident .
Engineer Earl Z . Victor and Fireman W . G . Schneider on No . l s loco- j motive testified that they were approaching the station at a speed of ] from 12 to 15 miles an hour , and ! that the engine s whistle was sounded for the crossing . Messrs Young and Burnett each testified that they heard the whistle just as they were in the act of taking sand , and Huff heard it after he had stopped his truck near the pool hall . Fireman Schneider testified that owing to a curve in the main west bound track just west of the road crossing his view of the track was obstructed , so that he could not see the track ; in front of the locomotive . Mr , Victor stated that he had his eye 3 strictly on the line ahead and that he had a clear and unobstructed view through the yards to the depot But he never saw the men and neither he or his fireman knew of striking anyone or anything . But as the brakes were set for the stop each noticed a smell which they from experience recognized as that of burning flesh a 3 if between the brakeshoes and the engine wheels . So when they got off the engine at the depot they walked around it to see if they could find evidence of having run over an animal or person . A close inspection discovered blood on the coupling bar , and then a hat was discovered on top of the pilot .
This was the first intimation that probably a man had been hit . The hat was taken to tho yard oft ice , where it was at once identified as that worn by friend . Parties at once went up the track to see what they could find . Their discovery was a gruesome one . The body of Friend was found lying in the middle of the track, head cut off and nearly every bone in the body broken. His shoes, with overshoes on, had been jerked from his feet intact. Cording was found about 100 feet east of the body of Friend lying just outside the right band rail . When found he was struggling to set up, and said , Harry and I were trying to get to the depot, and then expired, before he could give any explanation of how the accident occurred . Coroner Dymenberg was notified at once , and Mortician O . W . Meyer of Red Cliff called , as was District Attorney W.H. Luby at Eagle . A coroner's inquest was held Saturday and a thorough Investigation made of every detail leading up to the accident , but nothing was brought out ] to attach any blame upon anyone j connected with the railroad . The only . explanation that seems plausible is that these two men perfectly familiar with the danger of walking in the I yards among the maze of railroad tracks , became confused as to which I track they were on , and confident they were not on the west-bound j main line , gave the approaching train no heed.
Friend was a brother-in-law of Pat Whitmore owner of the pool ball in Minturn , and for the past year had been employed as day man at the pool hall. His home was in Denver where his wife and twin daughters lived . They were at once notified of the tragedy and arrived in Minturn Saturday evening . Friend's body was taken to Red Cliff by Mortician Meyer and prepared for burial , funeral services being held at i Minturn Monday , and the remains 1 laid to rest in the cemetery at that i place . Cording was employed as houseman at the Y . M . C . A . building , his J home being in Grand Junction . Relatives there were notified of his death , and a brother-in-law . Will Murphy , ] came to Minturn at once to attend j the coroners inquest, and take charge of the body , which was shipped to Grand Junction for burial Saturday evening.
