The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-12-22
RAILROAD DISASTER

RAILROAD DISASTER.
DETAILS OF THE LATE SMASH UP ON THE cES-
TRAL PACIFIc-A PASSENGER TRAIN RUNS
DOWN AN EMlGRANT RAIN-T SCENES
y
A telegram to the San Francisco Chronicle
GATED Sacramento, the Sth inst, gives the
particulars of a railroad catastrophe on the
Central Pacific: This morning about o'clock
the western bound emigrant train was near
ing the station at Boca, a flag station about
II miles east of Truckee, and was SWITCH
ing of TO let the west bound passenger
train pass. The rear of the emigrant train
was struck by the passenger engine before
1t reached the side track. The emiprant
train had stopped 10 the night to take on a
quently behind time. The cattle car. which,
was behind the cabOose car. and one pas
senger car were still on the main track.
while the train was slowly switching on to
the side track. There were three passenger
cars on the emigrant train. The passenger
train had just turned a curve and was running
az the usual rate OF speed. The engine struck
the eattle-car, literally crushing through it.
and also smashing the caboose, throwing
them, together with one emigrant passenger
car, on the track and down an embank ment
so feet deep into the Truckee river below.
Then began one of the most heartrending of
scenes. The morning was dark, and the
believing of the wounded and diving
cattle, the shrieks of the terrified
human beings as they were hurled from
sleep into death, and the terrible cries OF the
dying as they struggled in the water below,
were enough to curdle the blood and make
the stoutest heart grow sick. As soon as
possible, the passengers from both trains
rushed to the rescue. The car that was
thrown over the embankment rolled over
twice, when the top ca ne of, scattering the
inmates down into the river. Two men
were killed outright end several terribly in
jured. and many more suffered with bruised
bodies and broken limbs.
THE KILLED.
Mr.. Lichtenstein, brother of Sol Lichten.
stein, broker on Kearney street. was killed.
He had both legs broken, and was probably
killed instantly. AT the time of the collision
Mr.. Lichtenstein was sitting in a dose. with
his little boy about fourteen years of age re-
clining in his lap asleep. The old man was
found in the river below, but notracs Of the
boy could be discovered. When the train
left he was still missing. IL is supposed that
be was either stunned or killed, and that his
body hoated of down the river. William
Gregory was killed. He had two sons with
him, both OF whom lie injured at the hos
pital.
Here follows a list OF the wounded, num-
bering some 20 in all: Mr.. Bennett, the
conductor on the emigrant train, who was
on duty in place of the regular conductor,
was standing on the platform of the car that
was thrown of, and received a terrible scalp
wound and was mashed up so badly that he
can not live. One OF the passengers says that
one of his legs is broken and both his arms.
As soon as the news reached this CITY, a spe-
cial train with surgical aid was dispatched to
meet the train and relieve the sufferers. All
agree that the conductor of the pas
nnnn0E train VNoa ~ hInNan " hA
curves in the road made it impos-
sible TO hear the train ahead. No hight
was on the rear end of the emigrant train.
Had not the emigrant train been chino
time, nothing would have happened. The
cattle were either killed or so badly hurt
that they were dispatched on the spot. The
delay was about three and a half hours.
The peanut boy of the train was on the ca
boose car at the time, but jumped off before
the collision. The dead were lett at
Truckee; where al inquest will be held
WITH A
Entering a frst-class car the Chronicle
representative obtained the following in
formation from a passenger who desires his
his name withheld from publicat on.
He said: AZ was seated in this
car when the collision took
place. Beyond a severe jar we felt nothing
unusual, although of course all were more
or less frightened. Immediately Jumped
from the car to ascertain the cause
of the shock. 1 found that the emil
grant train had displayed no light nor other
signals from the rear of the train, so that
it was impossible for our engineer to have
avoided the accident. TIL rear car OF the
train contained beef cattle, and that car was
a perfect wreck, being broke literally to
Atoms. / never saw such complete destruc-
ton. All the cattle were killed except two.
/ believe the car in which the killed and
injured ones were seated was thrown from
the track and down the embankment.
It didn't go into the water, as / hear
has been rumored. Whether it madea COM
plete revolution as il descended or not am
unable to say, but it now stands upright as
il did on the track. Tine roof is torn OF, and
and the whole car is badly broken up. Some
of the escapes were almost miraculous FOR
one woman was holding ia her
arms a child three months old at the lime
OF the crash. The woman was thrown vlo-
lently in one direction and the
child in another, she being some
child was Intellectual, and the mother was
almost frantic until Barnum, the news
agent on the train, found the little fellow be-
tween a pile of seat cushions, not a hair OF
his head injured. 1 tell you 1T made every
body feel good when he was found. There
were two persons killed outright, one of
whom was a Mr.. Llchtenstein. brother or
~Lichtenstein, the pawn broker on
street, San Francisco. He had with
him his boy, who bad not been found at the
time we left. The man killed besides Mr..
Lichtenstein was. 1 think, the owner OF the
oxen.
The Hon. Richard Fletcher, Of Boston, be-
monev 70 the trustees of