Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1883-01-26
Strange and Terrible Railroad Acct
dent in California.

A terrible railroad accident occurred on the
Southern Pacific railroad at Tehchlpa, Cal,
at midnight last Saturday morning, by which
10 passengers and two railroad employees lost
their lives. What is known as the through
or overland train leaves San Francisco every
morning at 800 The train that started Sat
urday morning consisted of a locomotive, one
mail, one express and one baggage car, two
sleeping coaches, an ordinary passenger coach
and "A smoking car. On the train were some
60 passengers, two-thrds of them bound for
the East The train reached Sumner station
safely, having made run Of 3li miles since
leaving San Francisco, over what is known as
the Tulare division. At Sumner it is custom
Gry to take on a second locomotive to assist
in carrying the train over the Tehichipa grade
which commences near keene station aud
rises at the rate of l2O feet to the mile as far
as Tehichipa summit. The road here pierces
the Sierra Nevada range where il breaks of
and forms the Sierra de San Rafael range Of
mountains. The tolsome ascent seems to have
been safely made, for the train reached the
neighborhood OF Tehichipa junction, forty
seven miles from Sumner station, between
twelve and one o'clock, aud just below the
Junction the train was stopped for the pur-
pose of ''cutting OUT or disengagng the OK
ira locomotive. While the change was being
made the string of cars in some way received
a backward impetus, and before anything
could be done the helpless train went thun-
dering down the frightful grade, the pace in
creasing more and more as it proceeded For
over four miles this terrible race continued
the cars leaping and bounding over the rails
in their mad, headlong career, until the fore
most sleeping coach (the train now going
backward) jumped the track and went tum-
bling over an embankment fifteen feet high.
The coupling between the two sleepers held
fast and the second sleeper followed its COM
panion with a terrible crash, carrying with it
the mail, express and baggage cars. The
other two cars kept the rails and were finally
stopped by the application of the breaks
Scarcely had the sleeping coaches and box
cars fallen in shattered heap together than
they all caught fire and were soon consumed
The scene that ensued was a terrible and
heartrending one, for nearly all OF the occu-
pants were jammed in the debris and were
slowly roasted to death before the eyes of
those who had happily escaped, but were un-
able to afford any succor or resue them.
Cries and shrieks for help were heard, then
faint grosns of pain, and all was over.
Another despatch gives these particulars ::
II is now ascertained that at the time when
the train broke loose and ran down the grade
the air-brakes had been taken of, and the
from their posts, one attending to switching
the engine, and the other relighting his eX-
tinguished lantern. Tho train gathered head
way quickly, and was soon dashing down the
grade at the rate of mile a minute. At q
sharp curve of the road the coach and smoker,
which were ahead, broke the coupling and
separated from the rest of the train, making
the turn safely. The sleeping cars and the
mail, express and baggage cars were dashed
against high bank and then thrown back,
rolling down an embankment. The lamps
and stoves at once set fire TO the wreck, which
was instantly in a blaze. Henry Connors,
news agent was awakened by the movement
of the car and aroused James Woodruff, bag
gage-master, just as the cars made the jump.
The roof of the car was split open and both
men were thrown out and severely bruised
Conners while lying on the ground unable to
render any assistance, saw the train envelop-
ed in flames and heard the shrieks of dying
victims, and saw them vainly endeavoring to
struggle from the burning ruins. Porter Ashe
and wife, who occupied a drawng-room of
one of the sleeping coaches, were awakened
by the crash. They succeeded in getting out
without injury but of sixteen other occupants
of the car, not one is believed to have escap-
ed. Meantime, the occupants of the coach
which kept on the down grade succeeded in
stopping IT, thereby saving the lives OF some
forty occupants of that and the smoking-oar
They Immediately walked back to the scene
of the accident, but found only the shoulder
ing remains of the train, and the few who
had escaped with their lives lying bruised
and bleeding in the darkness, shivering in
the piercing cold night air, or rendering as
sistance to each other. Relief soon arrived
from Tehichipa, four miles distant, and as
soon as possible medical attendance was sent
from Sumner and Bakersfield, and, subse.
quently, from Los Angeles. search for the
dead soon showed that twenty-one persons
had persisted. Eleven were beyond all reeog-
milton, only headess bodies and eharred
limbs being found. OF the body of Mrs.
Downey only the head and bust remained,
which were recognized by her jewelry. All
the bodies and fragments of bodies were plao-
ed in the cotius The wounded were remov-
ed to the baggage car and ON tue arrival of
the relief train from Los Angeles were sent to
that city.
THE SCENE OF THE ACCIDENT.
The road through Tehiohipa pass has been
built some six or seven years. Its oonstruc.