Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-01-22
TERRIBLE ACCIDENT.
WRECK ON THE SOUTHERN PACIFIv.
A Train OF Cars Separates, Ii Wrecked and
Burned-Twenty-one Persons Known
TO Have PeriShed.

A Train OF Cars Separates. L. Wrecked and
Burned-Twenty-one Persons Known
to Have Perished.
The overland express by the Southern
Pacific, which left San Francisco at 8 a.
m, Friday, stopped near Tehichipa sta
ton to attach an extra engine. While
making the change the train by some
means yet unknown got away and started
back down a grade of 12O feet to the mile.
The train consisted of two engines, ex-
press, mail and baggage cars, two sleeping
cars, one coach and a smoking car. 1t
went down the grade at frightful speed
for about four miles, when the last sleeping
car jumped the track and went over an
embankmenJ fifteen feet high, carrying
with it the other sleeping car and the
mail, baggage and express cars, all of
which We're piled in a shattered heap, took
fire and were consumed. The passenger
coach and the smoking Car kept on the
down grade, but were stopped by leaving
the track two miles further on, no one
on board them being Injured. The
scene following the wreck was ter
rible one. a number of persons jammed
in the debris of the train were roasted to
| death before tho eyes of those who were
unable to save them. at present it is inn
possible to give al accurate account OF
the loss of life, but it is believed that
| from twelve to fifteen persons were killed
or burned to death The dead, so lar as
known, are Mrs. John Cassell, wife Of
well known mining nan, burned F. w.
| Pierson, express messenger; MIR. Law
renee, porter of one of the sleepers, burned
and the porter of the other sleeper, named
Wright, who was taken out alive, but
died soon after. 1t is feared that the wife
of Ex-Governor Downey, who was on the
train with her husband, is among the dead.
| At 1910 a. m. seven bodies had been
taken out, some OF them burned
beyond recognition. The follow
ing named persons are reported in
!jured Mrs. Captain j. X. Brown, Miss
Ida Brown, Lse Waterhouse, Mrs. A. L.
Waterhouse and her two children, John T.
Casell, Ex-Governor Thomas Downey, a
maid of Mrs. Porter Ashe, James WOOdail
F. W. Dougherty, Mrs. P. c. Hatch, Mrs.
r. Hatch. 1t is remarkable fact that
the wounded are almost without exception
but slightly injured. The following pas
sengers received no injury Porter Ashe
and wife, H. A. Oliver, Miss L. Squires
and T. J. Oliver. Many are missing and
arc supposed to have been buried i'll the
wreck. Ashe and his wife, who is t1aush-
ter of tho late Judge E. 3. Crocker. were
on their wedding tour. They were in the
sleeper which first left the track and their
escape unipjured is almost miraculous.
4 special train has been sent to the scene
from Los Angeles with physicians and an
undertaken. The dead and wounded will
be taken to Los Angeles. Meanwhile every
possible attention is paid them on the
ground. A wrecking train has arrived
from Sumner.
Further advices from Tehichipa state,
as the probable cause of The accident, that
when the train was stopped the air. brakes
were applied, and that on detachiug the
engine the brakes were relaxed and the
hand brakes were either left open or were
not strong enough to hold the train. The
movement may have been helped by
strong gale which was blowing at the
time. 1t is now certain that eighteen
passengers and two sleeping-car porters
lost their lives and that teu Or twelve
other persons were badly injured. Seven.
teen bodies have been recovered from
> the wreck. One of them is considered
certainly to be that of Mrs. Dow.
ney. Captain Waterhouse, previously ro
ported injured, is not expected to survive
The following named persons were badly
burned: Mrs. P. C. Hatch, Mrs. R. l..
Hatch. Mrs. Captain Brown, X. G. Rons
Capt. T. II. Thatcher, Stephen Coffin, J
w. Scaries, j. B. Woodall and F. W.
Dougherty. The wounded will be placed
+ in the hospital at Los Angeles at the raj!
road company's expense. The remains OF
, the unidentified dead, if any, will bt
r buried at Los Angeles. Superintendent
| Fillmore says that it is not yet known who
is to blame, but that some one has beer
careless. The matter will be thorough hlJ
investigated. The train carried from Sa,
Francisco ono pouch of registered letter:
for St. Louis, No., and about one hundred
small packages of registered letters fol
various other points. The mail was i'm
portant and unusually heavy. containing
letters aud printed matter for Les Angeles,
San Barnardino and all postoflices south
Of those points in Arizona. New Mexico
Texas, portion of Colorado and the state
of Sonora, Mexico. One report is that al
tho mail and express matter was burned
= while another is that it was saved.
Further Particulars.
/, A dispatch from Tehichipa concerning
D the accident to the Southern Pacific eX
+ press train near there confirms the deati
/ of Mrs. Downey and says Ex-Governor
Downey is badly hurt, but will recover
Only q few passengers left here Oh tht
= train. A number got on at way stations
f but as the list is not made up until Mo
p lave is reached, full list cannos be ob
. tanned except by personal inquiry.
+ 1t is now ascertained that at the time
/. the train broke loose and ran down the
i grade the air brakes had been taken of
v and the men who attended the hane
braces were away from their posts, ont
attending to switching the engine and tbs
other relighting his extinguished lamp
The train gathered headway quickly, ant
v was soon dashing down the grade at th'
., rate of mile minute. At sharp curv.
. of the road the coach and smoker, which
. were ahead, broke the coupling and sepa
> rated from the rest Of the train
=. making the turn safely. The sleep
+ ers on the mail, express and baggage
n cars were dashed against high bani
i ? and then thrown back, rolling down al
:, embankment. The lamps and stoves a
g once set fire to the wreck, which was in
n stantly in blaze. Harry Connors, new
~ agent, who was sleeping in the baggag'
the car and aroused James Woodruff
:. just as the cars made the jump. Th
q roof Of the car was split open and boil
!. men were thrown out and severely bruised
n Conners, while lying on the ground
p unable to render any assistance, sav
the train envelOped in flames and hear(
! the shrieks of the dying victims and saw
q them vainly endeavoring to struggle from
v the burning ruins. Porter Ashe and wife
who occupied q drawing room in one o