August 7, 1904: The No. 11 Flyer, intended to run on the Missouri Pacific Railroad (a.k.a. the MoPac) from Denver to St. Louis is hit by a flash flood as it crosses the Dry Creek Bridge near Eden Station, 8 miles north of Pueblo, Colorado.
The engineer, Charles Hinman, had been warned about the possibility, and had slowed the train to 15 miles per hour before the bridge. But after the engine crossed the creek, a wave threw the cars over to the right, breaking the coupling to the 2 rear Pullman (sleeping) and dining cars, and dragged the engine backwards into the river.
Melville Sales, the Pullman's porter, pulled the emergency air brakes, saving 29 passengers. But 111 deaths were attributed to the wreck. Some bodies were found as much as 22 miles down the Arkansas River.
Within 24 hours, the bridge was rebuilt, and passenger rail traffic had resumed.
In 1971, all MoPac passenger routes were taken over by Amtrak. In 1982, Union Pacific Corporation took over operation of MoPac freight lines.
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August 7, 1904 was a Sunday. Ralph Bunche, a United Nations official who in 1950 became the 1st black person to receive the Nobel Prize, in his case for Peace, was born on this day.
Baseball was the only major league sport in North America at the time, and because several States still had laws against playing professional sports on Sundays, only 2 games were played. The Philadelphia Athletics beat the Chicago White Sox, 5-2 at South Side Park in Chicago. And the Washington Senators beat the St. Louis Browns, 7-2 at the 1898-1908 version of Sportsman's Park in St. Louis.
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