Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1883-01-23
rag SOUTHERN Pr1fac HORROR
Further Heartrendins Details of the
Railroad Tragedy.
SAN FRAscIsco, Jan %.


Howard Tilton OF Yale, B. c.. freight
| agent of the Canadian Pacific Railroad, who
| was on the Southern Pacific train at the time
| of the disaster, says: Il was asleep in the
| lower berth when the accident occurred. and
| was awakened by the terrible speed and rock
| ing of the car. threw up the curtain and
looked ont of the window. The train was
dashing down the grade with frightful sapidi-
ty, at rate probably of seventy miles an
| hour, and realized that disaster was ina
| minept. ~
| | laid down again to await the inevitable
! with the feeling that man must experience
| when he is standing on scafold, in expecta-
| ton of the fall of the trap 1t seemed only
an instant when the crash came. and was
hurled from nv berth. l was on the left side
of the car, which fell upon the right side. and
| i was covered to my waist with mattresses,
woodw ork and debris, but found no difficulty
| in recovering myself Smoke passed through
the car, giving timely warning of the impend-
ing peril.
| To the right and in my rear, saw Mr.. and
Mrs. Porter Ashe perfectly free. but Miss
| PetersSn's maid was buried under about six
| feet of debris, on top of which was the water
cooler and wash basin. Mrs. Ashe endeav-
ored to extricate her. and assisted in clear
/ ing away the rubbish. We soon succeeded
\ in pulling her out. They were the only per-
sons in sight. pushed up the windows on
what was then the top of the car, and found
them to work perfectly, not a pane being
broken.
| crawled through, and drew Miss Peterson
| out. and Mrs. Ashe followed; l asked Porter
| Ashe to throw out some blankets, which he
did, and then crawled through himself. Mr..
Ashe, Miss Peterson and myself had only our
Undertaking on, but Mrs. Ashe wore seal
skin saeque.
The cold was intense. Deep stiffness fol-
lowed the crash. and we heard only one
| scream while We were in the As en-
erged from the car, saw Mr.. Hatch and his
mother climbing out of another window.
ran along and found we could reach the
ground by the platform. l lowered Miss
Peterson, Mr. and Mrs. Ashe leaping to the
ground. The upper part of the car was in
flames by this time. Passing along by the
sleeper, saw the leg of man protruding
from the car. He was piteously calling for
help, but was cool and thoroughly conscious
of his position.
l succeeded in partially extricating him,
when a train man came to our assistance, and
we saved him from horrible death. He
proved to be John r. Cassel of San Francis
co, and he was the last person taken from the
ruins alive. All human efforts were of no
further avail, and the sleeper was in a sheet
of flames.
We left the spot and tramped to the bottom
of the ravine, some fifty feet below, where
had now collected exGov. Downey, Mr.. and
Mrs. Ashe, Miss Peterson. Capt. Warehouse
and daughter. A few persons were scattered
about us, shivering in the blast among the
rocks.
On the steep side of the slope lay Wright
the porter. wounded to death and begging
bitterly for help. At this time, there were
several large, strong men, fully dressed, pa
rading up and dow n. who were appealed to
for aid bv the injured, but they took no no.
tice whatever of the cries of suffering. | at
tempted to assist Wright. who was dying, but
being worn out could do but little. brake
man named Mckenzie, did all in his power
for us.
A locomotive soon came to our relief. and
conveyed us to a station, where we arrived
two hours after the accident occurred. Here
we were kindly cared for by railroad officials
and others. Medical aid was rendered, and
everything done to relieve our necessities.
The locomotive then returned to the scene,
and brought to the station the injured pass
engers Miss Squiers, who was killed, occu-
pied berth opposite mine. In front of the
berth of Miss Squiers, Mr.. Oliver, county
clerk of Lake County. was sleeping; he was
burned to death; his wife was not with him;
| Inc next Oertn contained MT. anu MIS-. Cas-
sell. He escaped, but she was killed A
physician occupied the next berth, whose
| pane is unknown. lie was burned t. death.
and the remains couli not be identified. All
on my side of the car, with the exception of
Mrs. Downey, were saved. Porter Ashe,
wife and maid occupied drawing room car.
In the sleeping car. we're a lady and her
daughter, who, I believe, were Mrs. and
Miss Brown. Capt. Whtehouse, wife and
two children were also in that car. Only
few persons in the dining car escaped, and
they were more or less injured.
One tramp, who was killed, jumped from
the train while it was moving at lightning
speed and then was crushed horribly in the
| wreck"
| SAN Francisco, Jan %.
A Tehachipar dispatch says the coroner's
jury found verdict in the train disaster case,
that the victims came to their death by the
neglect of Conductor Reid and Brakeman
Patten. The verdict is not yet approved by
the coroner. Two bodies have been identi-
fled as those of Thos. Keegan and Ferdinand
Cromfort, discharged soldiers of Company
H., Sixth Cavalry.