Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-01-22
ESPECIAL BY TELEGRAPH TO THE RECORD uSros.l

SAN FRANCISCO, January 2lst.-The south
bound overland express on the Southern Pc
ciic Railroad was wrecked at o'clock yes
terdsy morning near Tehachapi station, in
Kern county, and twenty-one persons are
known to have been killed and fourteen
wounded. The accident was due to the train
of seven cars, detached from the engines,
moving backward down the steep grade. The
cars, after running four miles, plunged down
an embankment, were smashed into splinteIs
and burned up with the unfortunates who
were in them. OF the twenty. one dead,
seven only have been identified. Several are
missing who were known to have been on the
train. Relief trains were sent to the scene of
the accident, and the wounded and dead were
moved to Los Angeles last night.
SECOND DIsPATCH.I
| Los ANGELES, January 2lst.-According
to what seems the best authority, while the
train was waiting at Tehachapi station on the
summit, the relief engine returned to Caliente
and the front engine went off to take coal and
water. There was very strong east wind
blowing and the rails were coy5rad with frost.
| The train was standing on a grade Of 125 feet
to the nile, when it started back down the
grade. On reaching sharp curve the hind
most sleeper, tie next sleeper, the mail and
express cars jumped the track aud piled up.
one on top of another, in heap. The wreck
took fire, and many of the passengers were
roasted alive before the eyes of those who
were unable to afford them the slightest help.
The scene was appalling bayond description.
The occupants of the sleepsrs were suddenly
wakened amid scenes of terrible agony, or
their slumbars were heightened into the
eternal sleep. A few crawled out olive. 1t
Is now reported that seventeen persons were
| burned beyond recognition. One coach and
| smoking car kept two miles farther
down the mountain side and did not Jump the
track. Their occupants were unipjured.
In TIE sleeper which first jumped the track
| wsre Porter Ashe and wife formerly Amy
Crockei), who occupied drawing.roum at
the end of the car which first went over the
embankment. In the same sleeper were. it
Is said, about sixteen other persona, all of
whom were killed. Mr. and Mrs. Ashe es.
capped most miEaculousiy, with but slight in.
juries.
LIST OF PASSENGERS.
The following passengers were telegrsphed
as aboard the train passing Fresno Friday
night H. A. Oliver, T. J. Oliver, E. L.
Newborc, Captain Waterhouse, wife and two
children. J. G. Downey and wife, Mrs. H. o.
Hatch. Miss M. E. Squire, Stephen Coffin,
Mrs. j. Il. Brown, Miss Ida Brown, r. l..
Hatch, j. 7. Cassell and wife. Other pas
sergers got on at the different stations along
the route.
THE KILLED.
The number of killed and their names can.
not be accurately given yet. The bodies of
twenty-one persons have been recovered, but
it is feared that more will be added to the
list. The remains being unrecognizable, ex-
cept in few instances, their names are not
ascertsinable, and it is doubtful ii all will !
ever be identified. The following are the
identified dead: Mrs. John F. Cassell. Mrs.
John G. Dowpey, Mrs. Fl. o. Oliver, f. W.
Pearser,. Miss Squires, Levin Wethered,
- Wright, two tramps, names unknown.
NAMES OF THE INJURED.
Mrs. Captain J. K. Brown, injured; Miss
Ida Brown, slightly injured Leo Water
house and Mrs. a. L. Wa.erhouse, injured.
and their two children burned; John f. Gas.
SELL bruised: Governor Downey, injured (; |
uIfS. IL. ". llsell, lEJurSU j. w.
Woodhall. baggage -aster, slightly Injured
f. W. Dougherty, mail agent. slightly in. |
jured r. b. Rosg, Captain J. II. Thatcher, |
stephen CeffyD. ]. w. Searles, r. l.. Hatch. |
r. 2. Ashe and wife, uninjured. The maid |
of the latter was injured.
STORIES TOLD BY SURVIVORS,
Your correspondent gained the following
details from the survivors OF the terrible &C. |
cident; The train ran down the grade three
miles, where part of it was ditched and |
turned over. In this section were five cars.
Two remained on the track and went on two
miles further down. They were passenger
coaches. A railroad man named Eli Nabro. |
who was passenger on one and was asleep |
at the time of the accident, was walked up by |
the unususl motion of the car, and, jumping |
up, saw that no engine was attached, nor
were the sleepers in front, and that the cars
were running back down hill He walked I'D |
several people, and by using brakes succeeded |
in stopping the cars and saving the lives of |
forty or more peopls wao were in these two |
cars. or this number about twenty were |
Chinsmen going to Calico. The five cars |
overturned were two sleepers, one mail, one |
baggage and one express car. No one Of the |
passengers can give clear account of what |
hsppened after the cars jumped the track, |
except that they were violently walked up by |
the cars turning over. The cara caught fire |
from the Goals from the stoves and from
lamps, the oil of which spread over every-
thing, and all the cars were instantly blazing
THE SCENE WAS INDEsCRIBABLE.
The noise of the cracklizg, burning wood
blended with the piercing shrieks of the
wounded and dying, all lighted up by the
lurid glare, made hideous scene. Harry
Connors, news agent, says he was awakened
by the unusual motion of the car, felt they
were travelling at terrific rate, and knowing
something was wrong, jumped up from his
bunk in the baggage car and called to James
Woodhull, the baggage master, to Jump up.
as the cars were loose. He had hardly spoken
when he felt violent jerk, the roof of the
car at the same time splitting open, through
which Connors and Woodruff were thrown.
landing on the ground with nothing more
than severe bruises Connors was SO much
confused he could not get up. While lying
on the ground ne says young lady whom he
knew as Miss Squires of Sacramento was
caught in one of the flaming sleepers and
shrieking for help. He tried three times to
get up and 60 to her rescue, but could not
stand up, and saw her
BURNED TO DEATH BEFORE HIS EYES.
UHcEc tut hCciu6nL occurred the road
makes sharp curve. On one side is a ravine
twenty feet deep, and on the other hill
One OF the cars was sent fifty feet up this
hill. The others must have rolled back dowr,
as two of the cars were burned on the other
side of the track. The cars at the time must
have been running 60 or 20 miles an hour
Those in the two cars which broke loose, ard
made the turn safely, walked back to the
scene of the disaster, but every thing was
burned up when they reached. there, and only
burning wood and smoldering ashes were
left. The air was rent with blood -curdling
shrieks of agony and moans of the hurt.
Some of these who first arrived on the scene
commenced at once to relieve, as much as
possible, the agonies of the sufferers. As.
sistsnce from neigbboring houses was secured
and werd sent to Tehachapi All the bag
gage. mail-in fact, all the contents of the
five cars-was reduced to ashes when relief
was sent from Tehachspi.
THE KILLED.
On searching for the dead only four of the
twenty one who had been killed could be
found, tbs seventeen remaining being burned
into unacceptable masses. Here the charred
remains of leg. there headless bodies or
rarts of bodies trunks Uithout haad, ~ laos