The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1883-01-24
Particulars of the Accident on
the Southern Pacific.
Twenty-One Persons Perish in the
Burning Wreck.
List of the Victims Identified Up
to a Late Hour Last Night.
Fifty Cinnamon Killed by the Ex-
plosion of a Powder Works
Near San Francisco.
ROASTED ALIVE.

hOASTED ALIVE.
Terrible Railroad Accident on the Southern
Pacihc-A Runaway Train Goes over an
Embankment and Burns-The Dead and
IDjured.
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 20 1t is reported the
Southern Express which left here yesterday, was
and injured.
sAH Francisco, Jan. 2O.-There being only Que
operator at Tehauchspa Station no press dis
patches regarding the railroad accident have yet
teen received, but the following is obtained at
the Office Of the Railroad Company here: shortly
rfier midnight the Overland Express, on the
Southern Pacific which left here al 920 q. m yes
terday, stopped at Tehsuchapa station to cut out
an extra engine, taken on at tlSumDer to assist in
pulling up the Tehauchapa grade. While making
| the change, by some means, yet unknown, the
train got away and started beck nor;hwsrd down
the the grade of 100 feet to the mile The train
consisted of two engines, express, mail and
| baggage cars, two sIeepeTs. one coach and a
smoker. 1t went down the grade at q frightful
speed for about four miles. when the hiadeEmost
sleeper jumped the track and went owe, an en-
/
it the other sleeper. mail, bagssge aud express
| cars, which were piled in a shatterd heap. took
nre ana tnen cons IN neo me me eosea ana
| without leaving the track about two miles
further on. All on board were injured. The
scene following the wreck was terrible. and a
number of persons were jammed amid the ruins
of the train aud roasted 10 death before the
eyes of those helpless to, savs them.
the less of life accurately, but IL is
believed from twelve 70 fifteen persons were killed
or burned to death The killed so far known are
Mrs John Cssseli, wife of a well-known mining
man.
F. W. Pierson, express messenger.
The porter OF one ot the sleepersa named
Wright, was taken out alive, but died soon afIeT-
Lawrence, porter Of the other sleeper. burned.
| IL is feared that the wife of Ex-Governor Dow
ney, who, with her husband, was on the train is
among the dead.
At 1850 a. m seven bodies had been taken out.
some burned beyon recognition The following
are reported injured: Mrs. Captain J. n. Brown,
| Miss Ida Brown, Lee WaterhOuse, Mrs. A. l.
Waterhouse and two children, John Cassell ex-
Governor Tom Downey, maid of Mrs Porter Ashe,
James Woodall: f, W. Dougherty, Mrs. z. G.
Hatch, Mrs. r. Hatch.
almost without exception but slightly IN Jured
The following passengers are unhurt: Porter
Ashe and wife, II. a. Oliver, Miss i. Squires, t.
5. Oliver. Many are missing, supposed TO have
been burned in the wreck and consumed. Ashe
and wife, who is the daughter OF the late Judge
b. Croeker, were on their wedding tour, sno
their escape slniDjured is almost miraculous.
special train has been sent to the scene from
@ Aagees with orsS hSS@fns @ be snd 1at n
Angeles. In the meantime every POSSIBLE stien-
ton is paid them on the ground.
FuTher adyoes sS dSs 'tEe IS e TS pbb cse
the accident that when the train stopped the air
brakes were applied. On detaching the engine
. either left open or were not strong enough 70
hold the train. The movement NAV have been
helped By the strong gale blowing. II Is now GER
car porters were killed and ten or twelve badly
injured. Seventeen bodies have been removed
from the wreck one OF them considered certainly
I reported injured, is not expected TO survive
The following were badly burned Mrs. p. O.
Hatch, Mrs. r. i. Ha'ch. Mrs. Captain Brown: K
, G. Rors. Captain I. H. Thatcher. stephen Coffin,
J. w. Searles J. b. woodall and +. w. Dough herty
: The wounded will be placed in the hospital al
Los Angeles at the Railroad COmpany's expense
The remains of the unidentified dead, II any
viii be gathered up and buried at Los Angeles
Superintendent Fillmores says It IS not yet
known who was to blame. but some one has beer
careless. The matter will be thoroughly investi
gated The train carried firm this city one
pouch of registered letters for St Louis Mo-, and
about 100 small packages of registered letters fo
various other points. The mail wss imp0rtan
and unusually full containing letters and printed
matter for Los Angeles, San Bernardino and al
POstoffices south of those points in New Mexico
Texas, a portion OF Colorado and the State OF Ole
Mexico. One report Is that all the rail and ex
T, | press WINS DuIhC0s thnt IL was shfe0.
SAN Francisco, Jan. 21,-A Los Angeles
dispatch says: at is now ascertained tina
at the lime the train broke. loose and rar
down the grade, the air brakes had beer
taken of, and the men who tended the han(
brakes were away from their posts one at.
tending to the switching engine, the othe
, relighting his extinguished lamp. The traiI
, gathered headway quickly. and was sooI
; dashing down the grade at the rate of a mile
a minute. At sharp turn of the road tn
coach and smoker which were ahead brok,
a coupling and separated from the rest o
: the train, making the turn safely. Th,
a sleepers, mail, express and baggage car
we're dashed against the high bank. Three
: were thrown back and rolled down the EN-
! oankment. The lamps and stoves at ono,
e set fire to the wreck, which was instantly il
g blaze. Harry COnnors, news agent, sleep
ing in the baggage car. awakened by th'
movement OF the car aroused James Wood
hull, baggage master, just as the cars mad
8 the jump. The roof of the car split opei
g throwing both men out, severely bruisinl
Connors While lying on The ground, un
able to renderany assistance, he saw the trail
enveloped in flames, heard the sbrieks o
4 the dying victims and saw them vainly en-
deavocing to struggle from the burning
: ruins Porter, as be and vile occu
pied alone the drawing room o
one of the sleepers. awakened
0y toe crash, they succetutu III sctuIlS Ou
2 without injury, but of the fifteen other oc
D cupants of the car not one is believed t,
3 have escaped. In the meantime the occu
e pants of the coach which kept on dowr
grade succeeded in stopping 1T and savinI
' the lives of some forty occupants of that anC
the smoking car. They Immediately walkeC
back to the scene of the accident but founC
only the sDoldering remains of the trair
and few who had escaped with their live
, lying bruised and bleeding in the darkness
) shivering in the piercing cold night air o
' rendering assistance to each other. Relic
} soon arrived from Tehachapi, four mile
distant, and, as soon as possible, medica
; attendance was sent from Sumner anC
: Bakersfield, aud subsequently, from Lo
Angeles. The search for the dead sool
showed that twenty-one persons had per
ished. Eleven were beyond all re
cognition, only the headless bodie
and charred limbs being found o
the body of Mrs. Downey. 1t was recog
nized by the jewelry. All bodies and frag
ments were gathered up and coffined The