The Evening critic., 1883-01-22
A FATAL DOWN GRADE.
A Passenger Train In California
Runs Away-PassenEers Crushed
and Burned.

Runs Away-Passengers Crushed
and Burned.
The Southern express train which left
San Francisco Friday was wrecked near
Tahaehapi early Saturday morning. Twenty
people were killed and twelve badly in
.jured. Shortly after midnight the overland
express by the Southern Pacific stopped near
Tehaehapi Station to cut out an extra en-
gine taken ON at Sumner to assist in pulling
up the Tehaehapi grade. When the train
stopped the air brakes were applied. On
detaching the engine the brakes 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
the strong gale blowing. The train got
away and started back nOrthward down q
grade of 100 feet to the mile. The train
consisted of two engines, express, mail,
and baggage cars, two sleepers one
coach and smoker 1t went
down the grade at a frightful speed for
about four miles, when the hindermost
sleeper jumped the track and went over an
embankment about fifteen feet high, carry
ing with it the other sleeper and mail,
baggage and express cars, which were piled
in shattered heap. They then took fire
and were consumed. The coach and smoker
kept on down the grade and were stopped
without leaving the track about two miles
uniDjured. The scene following the wreck
was terrible. A number of persons were
| jammed amid the ruins of the train and
roasted to death before the eyes of those
| helpless to save them.
At the time the train broke loose and
ran down the grade the air brakes had
been taken off, and the men who tended
| the handbrakes were away from their
| posts, one attending to switching the en-
| oina and tba nthar raliOhtinu his aytin.
| guished lamp. The train gathered headway
| quickly, and was soon dashing down the
grade at the rate of a mile minute. At a
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 sleepers
and the mail express and baggage cars
were dashed against high bank and then
thrown back, rolling down an embank'
ment. The lamps and stoves at once
Set Fire TO the Wreck.
which was instantly in blaze Harry Con
nors, news agent, who was sleeping in the
baggage car, was awakened by the move
ment of the car and aroused James Wood
hull, baggagemaster just as the cars made
the jump. The roof of the car was split
open and both men were thrown out aud
and severely bruised. Connors, while lyini
on the ground. unable to render assistance
saw the train enveloped in flames and
heard the shrieks of the dying victims, ant
saw them vainly endeavoring to
struggle From the Burning Rains.
Porter Ashe and wife, who occupied draw
ing-room of one of the sleepers, wer
awakened by the crash. They succeeded il
getting out without injury. Ont of sixteeI
other occupants of the car not one is be
leved to have escaped. Meantime the oc
cupants of the coach which kept on tht
down-grade succeeded in stopping
thereby saving the lives of some forty oc
cupants of that and the smoking car. The,
Immediately walked back to the scene 0
] the accident, but found only the shoulder