Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-07-12
OVER A PREcIPicE.
A Pleasure Party's Frightfal Fall
Three Young women Killed.
Condensed from the San Francisco.


Early on the morning of June 24 a
heart-rending accident occurred in
Santa Cruz county. About three weeks
ago party of young people left this
city to spend vacation at Camp Fell
ton. a large number of persons were al
ready there. The camp Is
situated in the heart of
one of the most picturesque regions Of
the State, about one mile from what is
called the Big Tree Grove and seven
miles and half from the town ofSanta
Cruz. A ride and dance by moonlight
to Santa Cruz had been proposed, but
this Was objected to by many Of the
party, as the mountain road was known
TO be very steep and dangerous. Fri
day night, however, party of twelve
started on the frOlic which terminated
so faIally. On the return trip the party
drove through the grand old forest aud
the bright moonlight, their pleasure be-
ing only married by nervousness
caused by the careless driving Of
Charles Royce, who handled the reins
instead of the regular driver, Jesse Per-
kins.
The scene of the accident was be-
tween Tunnels Five and Six on the South
Pacific Coast Narrow Gauge Railroad.
About 1880 o'clock the party had reach
ed this spot, some hundred feet above
the railroad track, when suddenly the
stage went over the grade, rolling over
and over in its swift descent until It
lodged a complete wreck near the track
DetUw. Three out OF tue
twelve eXeursionest were pro-
badly dead by the time Of reaching
the bottom and one died within an
hour. Two Others were seriously wound
ed and the rest escaped, with painful
bruises. A Cal reporter made an IN
vestigation of where the coach went
over the road to the railroad track De-
low, a distance of 30 feet by actual
measurement. Fifty feet beyond this
was found the dead body OF Miss
COwdery. The point where the acct
dent occurred, at its most narrow
width, was twelve feet, and marks of
the wheel were seen early this morning
where the coach, for distance of sew
enty-flve feet away, had started to the
outer edge of the road. An eXamina-
of the road showed that two heavy pine
boards, two feet apart, projected over
and beyond the road on the outside for
a distance of three feet. The front
! wheels of the omnibus running upon
this passed in safety, but the hind
wheels broke the headboard off short,
while ut the same time. while the lead
ers were on the road, the wheel horses
were pIunging and rearing at the edge
of the precipice, and with the coach
rolled over and over to the bottom.
The story of w. f. DiXty is rs fol-
lows: al was sitting outside with the
driver, Miss Davis being between us.
/ We were all singing and having good
time, when all of sudden felt that
one hind wheel had gone over the edge.
| The thought struck me that the coach
| was going, and the next thing Miss
| Davis and were thrown over the head
/ of the wheel horse. After going through
| lie aIr ways | lost myself, and the
! next knew / was lying on my LEFT
| side against some obstruction on the al
most perpendicular hillside some
. Fl " feet below the road. 1t was dark,
and when l recovered my presence OF
mind l called out the names of the
party. About half of them answered,
some close to me. i went to Miss Davis,
who was lodged about ten feet above
me, and helped her to the road. Went
back and found Miss HOltz and Miss
Jobson about one hundred feet down
the hill, and with the assistance of Tor
rey, who pushed while l pulled, the la
! dies were got to the road above. Mock
bee, away below in the darkness, we
could hear calling: "For Gods sake
come down." Near the foot ofthe hill
was a perpendicular precipice. We
found George Scott lying across the
track dead, Miss Hussey lying died at
the foot of a tree and Barr along side OF
her, with a broken leg. Burling had a
horrible scalp wound, which was bleed
ing profuSely, and We did not think he
could live but short while. The stage
was complete wreck, and near it were
the three dead horses.O
The dead are Miss Alice Clark, Miss
Eva Hussey, George Scott and Miss Ida
I COWdery