Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-05-25

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with physitians, coach and baggage car.
| In twenty minutes we had cleared the wreck. |
| The passengers had become so infuriated |
while | was away that they were talking of |
| throwing the fireman into the San Lorenzo I
river, thinking he ana myself were to blame
| for the accident. The track is three degree |
curve, compoundng to IS. where the cars
were wrecked. The fat cars the train had
no air-brakes. I do not know the cause of
the wreck. It might have resulted from an
obstruction on the track or from the fiat cars
| being top heavy in consequence of the passen-
gers hanging over the racks. l have been in
the employ of the South Pacific Coast Rail
road four years as engineer. In clearing the
wreck we placed the cars on the track and used
| them to bring the passengers to Santa Cruz.
! should think there were $50 to 200 persons
altogether en- the train.
Frank IL. Thompson, the fireman, was also
| interrogated, but said he did not see or Sis
pect anything wrong until the train stopped,
when he looked back and saw the wreck.
CoRoNER's INQUEST.
Acting Coroner Davenport commenced
holding an inquest at $50 P. NJ. to-day in the
Court House. District Attorney Storey ap-
peared for the people, and Joseph III. Skirm
and F. Adams for the railroad company.
| The first witness examined was Duncan
Sentinel, who testified as follows: reside at
Santa Cruz was on the train when the acci-
dent occurred there were three cars in
the train; don't know how many
passengers were on the tran but
the car I was in was not crowded
The cars were open flats, or freight cars We
left Big Tree Grove three minutes behind
time; L observed nothing in the way of fast
time worthy of comment when near the tun-
mel by the powder mill, being aware it was
down grade, | got down from a sitting posi-
ton on the railing of the rear car the We
locity of the train seemed to be increasing,
and [ got down to avoid being hit by any
timber which might be projecting from the
tunnel | was then in a standing position,
and leaning against the railing in a moment
after the engineer blew the whistle of alarm.
l thought there was a stone on the track
and cars were churning up and down as if
running over the ties; the car seemed to
strike something solid, and the jar almost
threw me over the railing; after going
short distance the cars stopped [ next
alighted observing that all the passengers in
my car appeared TO be unhurt after doing
all [ could for the wounded and dying, [
went back on the track, where | discovered
that both rails and ties had been moved two
and three inches to the right; the rails were
unchanged with reference to their place on
the ties, but the ties had moved,
forming a sharp angle joint; the ties
were also cut inside and outside the right
rail, as if by the wheels passing over them,
aud the solid rock on the right bank was
marked as though struck by the end of the
car; | went ahead to where the cars were
standing distance of 800 to 500 feet from
where they left the track the car next to
the engine was off on the side next to the
bank ; the wheels of the second and third
cars were between the rails the entire rail-
ing on the right side of the first car was car
ried away, and about one halt the railing of
the second car looked for defects in the
broken timber, but saw none; saw two pieces
of iron, one apparently shoe used in
breaking among the wounded were two
men who represented themselves to me as
conductor and brakesman, respectively, of
the train the conductor said the brakeman
had tried his best to stop the train the track
was on a curve, aud the rails seemed to form
an acute angle it looked as if the engine had
forced the rail off and the front car had
jumped the track to the right and the two
rear to the left the killed were lying
next the bank, and looked as if they had been
shot out of the car like wheat out of shovel;
saw two men take S6S3 from the pocket of
one of the dead, said to be named John
Staub the men claimed to be authorized to
take the money, and turned it over subse-
quently to woman said to be the wife of de-
ceased.
The inquest was then continued until
o'clock tomorrow morning.
MISCELLANEOUS.
The shocking disaster still forms the lead
ing topic of conversation among the people OF
this town.
1t is stated on good authority that engineer
Elliott had never before run a train down
that section of the road where the accident
occurred, he having been employed on con-
struction train running between San Fran
cisco and FELTON,, and that on the afternoon
of the calamity he said he was totally unta-
miliar with the grade.
Much excitement has been manifested here
against both the engineer and fireman, and in
the heat of the moment threats were made
: of hanging the former and throwing the lat
ter into the river Now, however the excite
ment relative to these two employees. who ap.
pear to have been UDjustly blamed for the
accident, has abated, and they have lost all
the fears which they entertained yesterday of
personal violence but the adverse public
sentiment against the railroad company is
increasing as the circumstances Of the catas-
trophe are being made known and cempre-
hended.
Irrespective of the non acquaintance of the
engineer with that section of the road, the
company i severely censQred for having
made use of the fat cars. Had the regular
passenger cars been on the train, it is said the
accident could not by any possibility have
happened. The platform cars are objection
able, for the reason mainly that they are not
j, provided with air brakes, like the passenger
cars also that owing to their construction
they are, when crowded with passengers,
liable by their weight to raise the engine
from the track when rounding q curve and to
become top-heavy, and thus lose their balance.
There does not appear to have been but
one brakeman on the train, and when it, got
, on the down grade near the tunnel the I'm
crease of the speed was so great that he was
wholly unable to check it when the engneeS
whistled for down brakes. Had the cars been
provided with air-brakes the speed of the
train could have been much better controlled.
The wounded and dead passengers ON ar
irving here were met at the depot by citizens
and town officials, who conveyed them on
stretchers and in carriages to their homes or
to the hotels, where they were given the ben
eft of every possible attention.
L. j. Swift, proprietor of the Pacific
Ocean House, promptly signiied his willing
ness to let his house be turned into tempo
rary asylum for the use of the suffering and
wounded excursionists. Accordingly some
fifteen of the injured passengers were taken
there, and the remainder were conveyed to
other places
The present condition of the injured pas
senSerS Is as favorable as could reasonably be
expected.
RUMoRED ARREST OF THE ENGINEER.
SAN JOSE, May 24th.-It is rumored here
that Elliott, the engineer, has been arrested.
FIFTH DISPATCH.l
SANTA Cruz, May 24th.-The noon train
to-day from San Francisco brought good
many friends and relatives of the dead and
injured passengers
THE SCENE AT THE WRECK
Is described by eye-witnesses as one most
pathetic and horrifying. The racks of the
cars were shattered and broken and the car
wheels went off the track, throwing the cars
in zig gag position between the rails. The
locality was rugged, mountainous pass, the
railroad curving sharply around between the
base of rocky and PERCEPTIONS bank on the
south and the water of the San Lorenzo river
on the north. Underneath and by the side
of the wrecked cars and near the bank were
lying in confused mass the bloody forms Of
wounded and dead men and women. Shrieks
! and groans filed the air, while those who had
escaped injury themselves rushed frantically
TO and fro seeking to alleviate the sufferings
of their unfortunate companions. Here
could be seen leg and there an arm
, L