Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1883-01-24
A FATAL DOWN GRADE
A Railway Train Runs Away.
TWENTY LIVES LOST IN CAL.
IFORNIA.
A PASSENGER TRAINS RACE Down
A STEEP GRADE-FATAL DEFECT
OF THE BRAKEs-PAsSENGERs
CRUSHED AND BURNED.

injured. Shortly after midnight The
overland express 10y the Southern
Pacific stopped near Tebaehapi Station
to cnt out an extra engine taken on at
S mmer TO assist IN pulling up The
Tehaehapi grade. When the train
stopped the eir brakes were applied.
On detac'ipg the engine the brakes re-
laxed. and the hand brakes were either
left open or were not strong enough
10 hold The train. The movement
may have been helped by the strong
gale blowing. The train got sway
aud started back northward down a
grade Of 100 feet TO the mile. The
tram consisted Of two engines, express,
mail and baggage cars, two sleepers,
one coach and a smoker. 1t went
do ,n the grade al a frightful speed Tor
a5ou; four miles, when the hndermost
sleeper jumped The track and went
over an embankment about Is feet
hish, carving with 1t the other sleeper
ard nail baggage AID express cars,
which were piled in shattered heap.
They then took fire and were consume
ed. The coach and smoker kept en-
dosn tie grade End were stopped With
out leaving the track about two miles
further on. All on board the latter
were uniujurod. The scene following
the wreck was terrible. A number of
porsous were iammed amid the ruins
Of tie train, and roasted to death before
lie eyes Of those helpless to save
them.
At the time tie lraiu broke loose and
ran down The grade the air brakes had
been taken cfl, aud the men who tend
ID the hanjbrakcs wire away from
tier posts, one aitcr ding TO switching
the engine. and tie other relishtiug his
ex iucuish, d lamp. The train gather
I'd htadsay quickly. and was sOon
dashing down The grade at The tate OF a
nil, q minute. At q sharp curve OF
The road ;he coach and smoker, winch
were ahead, broke the coupling and
separated from the rest 0! the rain,
making the iutn safely. The sleepers
and the mail express and baggage cars
ve ere dashed agalnst a high bank aud
then drown back, rolling deSn an
embarkmcnl. The lamps and stoves
IT cnce set fire to The wreck, which
Aas instantly il bl:ze. Harry Coz
nors, news agent, who was sleeping in
the bogse e CIR, wa awakened by tie
novemen, Of The car and aroused Jas.
Woodruff, baggage master, just as lhe
cars made he jump. The ROOT the
cal WAS split open and both men Nere
u.rowu out and severely bruised. Con-
nor. wh lC Wing On he grOund. unable
to rrLd.r aay as-i-'anc saw The train
enyel. ped il fltc,, aud Leard the
li,ko oi tie d) ias victims, and saw
lt.1m yaiuly tnd,ayori.g 10 ,tr<sgle
iron ihf Luluug ruins. Porter Ashe
and vile. who occupied dravius-:oom
OF enc Of lbe lie, pers, were awakened
BY the crash They succeeded in ger
III. Cf ii =
Heen other occupants oi The Car not OIe
is believed to have escaped. Meau-
line thr occupants OF The coach which
kept Oh I down grade succeeded iu
stoppir 9 IL, Hereby saving the lives Of
some forty occupants Of that and The
smoking car. They immediately
walked back 10 the scene of the ace!-
dent. but found OILY the suoulderDg
remains o( lbe tram aud the ie@ "ho
had escaped with their lives, lying
bruised and 81, eding in the darkness,
shiyerins in Ike piercing cold night dir,
or rendering assistance 10 each Oiber'
Relief soon arrived from TeLichipa,
{, VI miles distant, and. as soon as
possible, medical attendance was sent
from sumner ard BakeIheld and sut-
,equeuly from Los Angeles. \
earch FIR The dead soon showed shat
p p.r.oas lad pcrisAc >. E.aycn "cie
beyond all rcco sntiol.
The burned body of Mrs. DJwney
has been fou d and was recognized by
her iewelry. All the bodies AMI irdg'
menls Of bodies were placed in coifils.
The woucded we're removed to lie
baggage car, and on ths arrival Of the
relief train from L.. Angeles were seut
10 that c.ty. OF the dead Wright, coll
ored. porter OF one of the sic pers was
crushed; Express Messenger Charles
Pelcsou Lad hi. head shattered, aud the
following Eve wcresburned, hut not be-
,ond recognition: Mss NJ. +. q Iirries,
Mrs. II. d. Oliver, Mrs.. DoVney
lL.Ain Wethcrcd and Mrs. James
Ca,sell. Two men, hames unknown,
but supposed TO be discharSed soldiers,
Vi ere ioa d dead but not burned. One
oih.r BODY. Of large man, badly
cbarred. was found. aud is supposed TO
be that of Colonel Larrabee, ex'COn-
gresham from Wisconsin. Ex-Goy.
Downry says Mr.. Llrrabee was on The
rain, aL.l has been missing since the
accident. The cemaiOing eleven bodies
are still unidentified, Col. LaFrab c.,
also q victim Of lie disaster, was born
in Wiscousin, aud served for a number
Of years ID The UuIled States army.
For The last len years he had lived in
| Washington Territory. HIS oaly daugh-
Ter GaFried Capt, Burton, u. 5. A.
H. was q lawyer Of prominence, and a
member of the last COnslitu lOnal con.