Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-09-28
COAST DISPATCHES.
SPECIAL TO THE REcoRD-UNIoN.
THE YosEMITE C0MaIssIoN.
Meeting and Organization of the New
Board at San Francisco.
PASSENGERS FROM THE EAST BY RAIL.
Terrific Boiler Explosion Upon a Ranch in
colusa County.
OPENING OF HE NEVADA STATE FAIR,
The Slayer Of Theodore Clancy Held for
Murder without Bail.
OREGON AND WASHINGTON TERRITORY ITEMS.
Further in Regard to the Accident at
Oakland Wharf.
CALIFORNIA.

Oakland Wharf.
CALIFORNIA.
The Oakland Accident-AdditionaI De-
tails.
SAN FRANCISCO, September 27th.-The
point of the disaster is about a mile and q
half from the ferry landing, where the over
land and local trains connect, at what is
known as the old ferry slip. It appears that
the switch was placed for the local train, and
the engineer of the special did not see this
until within hundred or hundred and fifty
feet of the switch target Then perceiving
that disaster was imminent he applied the
air brakes and reversed his engine. The
brakes acted in an instant stopping the train
SO suddenly that passengers were thrown for
ward from their seats.
A railroad man who was standing near the
track, a few hundred yards distant, said he
saw the headlight go high in the air and then
disappear frcm view suddenly.
In the first car the confusion was great
and indescribable The sound of hissiag
steam and the crashing of timbers stimuli
ta,ieously with sudden lurch, which piled
men together promiscuously in the forward
end of the car, produced panic. Men swore
and screamed, and in their haste to escape
from the car, which had toppled forward,
broke through the windows on the left hand
side and jumped ont. This car was occupied
by the band OF the First r egiment. The men
in the next car were also thrown forward
violently, but none were injured. A scene of
confusion followed as men jumped from the
cars and rushed to the head of the train.
Some shouted "Ioo& out for the boiler stand
back, men, she's going to burst There
was slight recoil, and the men then went to
49, ,l..l-
killed or wounded. Major Wilder, the regi
mental surgeon, who was in the car next to the
rear. was hastily summoned to take care of
the wounded. Search was made around the
floating debris, which filled the ugly abyss,
for the bodies of the fireman and engineer.
The fireman was taken out dripping wet He
was dazed and almost unconscious. DIR.
Wilder sent him to the nearest engine, where
he could be close to fire and get dry cloth
ing. The fireman said he jumped from the
engine Just as she was going over. He also
saws he heard the engineer speak after he had
applied the air-brakes and reversed the en-
CINE. Search was continued about the trestle-
work and the wrsckage and in the water sur
rounding for the engineer, William Brown,
but he could not be found. 1t seemed like
hopeless search from the beginning, for if he
was not instantly crushed to death in the
wreck, he could not extricate himself from the
water, and must have been drowned.
Had the accident occurred few feet fur
ther down the wharf the result would have
been much more fatal, for there the occu-
pants of the cars, in their hurried exit from
them, would have had nothing but the trestle-
work to step upon, and many would have
been crowded into the water of the bay and
drowned AS it was they were enabled to
step out upon the filing. The nerve and
bravery OF the engineer alone saved the pas
sangers in the forward car, for had he jumped,
as he could easily have done when he first
discovered the impending danger to the train,
instead of remaining at his post and revers-
ing his engine and putting On the brakes, the
train would have had such headwaY that
several Of the cars must have gone over into
the break with the wrecked engine.
The fireman who was on the ill-fated engine
goes by the name of Scotty. The engineer
was known on the road as Billy Brown. One
of the musicians in the forward car. Herman
Kaufrain, was badly cut about the forehead,
and bled profusely DIR. Wilder sent him
back to Oakland.
Colonel Dickinson, shortly after the disas-
ter, gave orders for roll call of each COM
pauy. None Of the men were missing, and
the casualties simply consisted of slight
bruises. The regiment was marched down
to the ferry landing, a mile and half
distant and came across on the ferry steamer
Capital.
STATEMENTS OF RAILROAD OFFICIALS.
To-day A. n. Towne, General Superintend-
ent, ard Mr. Fillmore, Assistant General Su-
perintendent, said that the accident was
caused by the failure of the engineer of the
special train to obey orders. The instructions
are clear and positive for all incoming trains
on the northern track to come to full stop
at this switch and wait until it is seen that
the way is clear. The Oakland or local trains
have the right of way, and they are required
to slow down when approaching the switch.
This rule applies alike to incoming
and outgoing trains on the local route.
There is an impression at railroad head
quarters that the engineer miscalculated
his whereabouts or else his mind was
on something else. Mr.. Towne says
the speed of the train when the engineer saw
the danger ahead was about twelve or fifteen
miles an hour. II it had been much greater
several cars would have been precipitated into
the bay on top of the engine. He believes
that the engineers body is under tie locomo-
tive, and will be recovered when the wreck is
removed If the switch had been set to allow
the special to pass on down to the wharf, a
colli-ion might have occurred with the Oak
land train going out from the slips. As it
was, the engineer Of the outgoing train, see
ing that the special was not stopping accord
ing to tie rule, applied the air brakes and
brought his train to q full stop.
The railroad officers said that the appiica-
tion of the air-brake on the special train pre-
vented disaster in which many lives might
have been lost.
The switch, according to the theory at rail
road headquarters, was not misplaced, but
properly placed for the train going from the
ferry slip to Oakland. If the engineer hal
obeyed the instructions which are given to all
engineers on the route the accident would
have been avoided and he would have been
running his engine to-day. The running
time from Sacramento to the point where the
accident happened was not faster than that
allowed by the schedule for the regular train.
The Yosemite Commissf0n-NIeeting and
Organization OF the New Board.
SAN FRANoIsco, September 27th.-The
State Board of Commissioners to manage the
Yosemite Valley and Big Trees met at
o'clock this afternoon in the Office of the
Commission, corner of Pine and Montgomery
streets. Governor Perkins said that the re-
cent decision of the Supreme Court was sup
posed to have settled the question in favor of
the new appointees.. Ex-Justice Rhodes said
that the legal standing of the new Com
mission had been called in question by the
Executive Committee of the old Commission,
and the matter was brought before the Su-
| preme Court, which determined that the
Commissioners were State officers. The Ex-
ecutive Committee, however, has taken the
| case up to the Supreme Court of the United
States. AS the case will be presented
upon a written argument, q decision
| may be reached in ninety days.
| The matter now rests just as it did before the
| case was taken to the Court, and there can
be no steps taken to carry out the decision of
the State Supreme Court. In case there be
any work which is necessary to be done, it
would be best, in order to avoid al future
difficulty, for both Commissions to act to-
gether. The present Guardian Of the valls.
| is paid by the old Commission 500 per year.
| Under the new law the salary is increased to
| S1z5 per month, which the present Guardian
might claim should the new law be sustained