The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1883-01-26
HORRIBLE r. r, ACCT
Awful Rush of a Southern Pa


Down Steep Grade-Cars TIL
an Embankment and Set on Fire, and a
Number of Persons Instantly Killed or
Roasted to Death.
SAN FRANCISCO. CAL, January %.
II is reported the Southern express which
left here yesterday was wrecked near Tehi-
ch1pa- Shortly after midnight the overland
express of the Southern Pacific, which left
here at $40 a. m. yesterday, stopped near Te-
hlchipa Station to cut out. An extra engine
was taken on at Sumner to assist in pulling up
the Tehichipa grade. While making the
change, by some means yet unknown. the
train got away and started back northward
down grade of 12O feet to the mile. The
train consisted OF two engines, express,
mail and baggage cars, two sleep
ers, one coach and a 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 emtank-
ment about fifteen feet high, carrying with it
the other sleeper and the mail, baggage and
express cars, which were piled in shattered
heap. took fire, and were consumed The
coach and smoker kept on down the grade,
and were stopped without leaving the track
about two miles further on. All on hoard
We're uniniured. The scene following the
wreck was terrible. Persons were janmed
amid the ruins of the train and roasted to
death before the eyes of those helpless to save
them.
FURTHER PARTICULARS.
Los ANGELES, January q.
1t is now ascertained that at the time the
train broke loose and ran down a grade the air
brakes had been taken off, and the men who
tended the hand-brakes were away from their
posts-one attending the switching engine and
the other relighting his extinguished lamp.
The train gathered Roadway quickly, and was
soon dashing down grade at the rate of mile
q minute. At 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. ThesIeep-
er, mail and express and baggage cars were
dashed against a high bank, then thrown
back and rolled down the embankment. The
4 lamps and stoves at once set fire to the wreck,
which was instantly in a blaze. Harry Con
nors, news agent, sleeping in the baggagecar,
awakened by the movement of the car,
aroused James Woodruff, and the baggage
master, just as the cars made the jump; the
roof OF the car was split open throwing both
men out, severely bruising Connors. While
lying on the ground unable to render any
assistance, he saw the train enveloped in
flames, heard the shrieks of the dying victims,
and saw them vainly. endeavoring to
struggle from the burning ruins. Porter
Ashe and wife occupied a drawing room of one
of the sleepers, and were awakened by the
crash. They succeeded in getting out without
injury, but of the sixteen other occupants of
the car no one is believed to have escaped.
Meantime, the occupants of the coach which
kept on the down grade succeeded in stopping
1t, saving the lives of some forty occupants
of that and the smoking car. Thirty i'm
mediately walked back to the scene of the
accident but found only the smoldering re-
mains of the train, and the few who had
escaped with bodies lying bruised and bleed
ing in the darkness, shiverng in the piercing
cold night air, or rendering assistance to each
other. Hs@
Relief soon arrived from Tehichipa, four
miles distant, and as soon as possible medical
attendance was sent from Sumner and Ba-
kersheld, and subsequently, from Los Angeles.
search Tor the dead soon showed that twenty
one persons had persisted; eleven were be-
yond all recognition, only the headIess bodies
and charred limbs being found. All the bodies
ana aI,I fragments were gathered up and coffined.
The wounded We're removedto the baggage
car, and onthe arrival of the relief train from
Los Angeles, sent to that city. 8o
or the dead, the colored porter, Wright, was
crushed. Express messenger Charles Pierson
had his head shattered. Four were burned,
but recognizable, Viz, Miss Mamie e. SQuires
Mrs. II. 0. Oliver, M. Wetherel and Mrs.
James Cassel'. Two men unknown, but sup
posed to be discharged soldiers, were found
dead, but not burnt. One other body was
found, that of large man, badly charred, but
"a supposed to be the remains of Colonel LARA
bee, ex-Congressman from Wisconsin. Gov.
ernor Downey says Larrabee was on the train
and he is missing since the accident.
The remaining twelve are unidentified still
The list OF the wounded is not changed from
the previous report. The inquest is in pro.
greSs