Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-06-26
TERRIBLE Accident.
A Pleasure Party Precipitated Over a
Precipice

Saturday morning on the road from
Santa Cruz to FELTON,, and about three
miles from the latter place, coach and
four horses were thrown from the noun
tain road with fatal consequences to sew.
eral OF the people on the vehicle. There
were on the coach Misses Celia Clark, of
Oakland; Eva Hussey, Ida Cowdery,
Alice A. Holtz, Sallie Jobson, of San Fran
cisco, and Miss Virginia Davis, of Newark
Messrs. George Woodburn Scott, Benja.
min Burling, j. D. Barr, William f.
Mockbee, w. F. Dixey, of San Francisco
Fred. c. Torrey, of Oakland Jesse Per.
kins FELTON, and Charles Royce, the driver.
The party was returning from Santa Cruz
to Camp FELTON,. The moon was shining
brightly and the party was gay and
joyous one, but its pleasure was
marred by nervous feeling occasioned
by the carelessness OF the driver.
Some of the party tried to get him to re.
linluish the lines to Jesse Perkins, who
lad driven the party to Santa Cruz on
hay wagon, which had become disabled,
and for which the coach was substituted.
Between tunnels and 6, on the narrow
gauge railroad, and at about half.past u
o'clock, point 200 feet from the track was
reached, when the stage suddenly went
over the grade and rolled over and over
until it struck the track below, complete
wreck. Three ont of the company were
killed in the descent, and one died an hour
after. Two others were seriously wound
ed, and the rest escaped with bruises and
scratches.
Those killed are Miss Alice or Celia
Clark Jagged II years., who resides at Mrs.
Holtz's, No. 32S Ellis street, San Fran.
cisco she was badly cut on the face, and
otherwise bruised about the body Miss
Eva Hussey, aged l6 years, who resides at
No. III Columbia street, San Francisco
Miss Hussey was cut over the left eye and
forehead, and an arm broken Miss Ida
Cowdery, daughter of City and County
Attorney Cowdery. San Francisco, who re.
sides at No. 2406 Mission street. She was
badly bruised, cut about the face, and had
severe injuries on other parts of the body.
The young lady's body, after striking the
bluff above the railroad track, must have
struck with terrible force, or carried thither
by the coach, as it was found on the
other side of the track. At that point
the bluff is about so feet in hight
and 200 feet on an incline from
the scene of the accident. The next
victim called away was George Woodburn
Scott, son of ex.Supervisor A. w. Scott,
of San Francisco, aged II, and residing at
10 Rincon place. His death was terrible,
as his skull was crushed in, and one of his
legs broken in three places, and his spinal
column broken. Benjamin Burling, living
at the corner of Eddy and Hyde streets,
San Francisco, received wound that may
cause his death D. ]. Barr, of No. 3lS
Oak street, San Francisco, had leg
broken, and received severe bruises.
Royce, the driver, when he got free
from the wreck exclaimed: ooh God,
forgive me l am the only one to blame,
as did not know the road, and had no
business to drive over it" The search in
the wreck, the bushes and the rocks, for
the dead and wounded, is described as
most agonizing. Mr.. Cowdery arrived
from FELTON, before the body of his daugh-
ter was found, and was the first to dis.
cover it. She had been dashed over a
second precipice to creek, 800 feet further
down. The dead and wounded were
placed on fiat car and taken to FELTON,.
All the business houses at FELTON, are
closed, and hung in mourning. The stories
of the accident as related by the survivors
are terrible in the horror of their details.
The driver had said that the bank caved
away, but witnesses deny this, and say
that he drove near the outer edge when
he had five feet inside room, and
continued to do, though demonstrated
with about it. An inquest was held at
Santa Cruz on the bodies of the dead, and
the jury found that the deaths of the I'm.
fortunate young people was chargeable to
the gross carelessness of the drivers, Jesse
Perkins and Charles Royce. Where the
coach went over the road was twelve feet
wide. Marks show that for sevensy.fve
feet before that the coach had been driven
on the outer edge of the road. An exam.
ination of the road showed that two heavy
pine boards, two feet apart. projected over
and beyond the road on the outside for
distance of three feet The front wheels
of the omnibus running upon this, passed
in safety, but the hind wheels broke the
head boards off short, while at the same
time, while the leaders were on the road,
the wheel horses were plunging and rearing
at the edge of the precipice, and with the
coach rolled over and over to the bottom.
Two of the horses were killed by the de.
scent, and one died afterward. The bod.
les of the dead have been brought to San
Francisco for burial.
Royce, the driver, cannot be found.