Morning journal and courier., 1883-01-22
THE PACIFIC COAST.
California.

A Terrible Railroad AccIdent-Vrecked ed
 Passengers Roasted to Death.
 SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 21.-While making a change of engines early yesterday morning the overland express on the Southern Pacific railroad got away and started back down 8 grade of 12O feet to the mile. The train con sisted of two engines, express mail and bag gage cars, two sleepers, one coach, and 8 smoker. It went down the grade at fright ful speed for about four miles, when the hindermost sleeper jumped the track and went over an embankment 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 passenger coach and the smoking car kept on the down grade, but were stopped without leaving the track two miles further on. The scene following the wreck was terrible one. number of per sons damned in the debris Of the train were roasted to death before the eyes of those who were unable to save them. Eighteen passeE- gers and two sleeping car porters lost their lives, and ten or twelve persons were badly injured.
 Scarcely had the sleeping coaches and box cars fallen in a shattered heap together than they all CGuQnb Il0 alO we're SOOu COuSuI26u. The scene that ensued was a terrible and heartrendering one, for nearly all of the occupants were jammed in the debris and were slowly roasted to death before the eyes of those who had happily escaped, but were unable to afford any or rescue them Cries and shrieks for help were heard, then faint groans of pains, and all was over. The dead, so far as known, are: Mrs. John CasseH, wife of a well known mining man; F. ". Pier son. express messenger; and the DOT ters of the two sleepers, Law renee and Wright, the latter of whom was taken out alive, but died soon afterward. The wife of ex-Gov. Downey, who was on the train with her husband, is among the dead. The following named persons are reported injured: Mrs. Capt. J. K. Brown, Miss Ida Brown, Lee Water house. Mrs. A. l.. Warehouse and two children, John T. Cassell, ex- Governor Thomas Downey, a maid of Mrs. Porter Ashe, James Woodall, F. W. Dough erty, Mrs. P. 0. Hatch and Mrs. R. Hatch. It is a remarkable fact that the wounded are almost without exception only slightly in- jured. A special train was sent to the scene from Los Angeles with physicians and an un- dertaker, who attended to the physical remains of the wreck
 When the sleepers and other cars fell over the embankment they broke loose from the passenger coach and smoker, which, keeping steadily to the rails, ran down the grade for a distance of 2 miles, where they were stopped. None of the passengers in these two cars sustained any injury whatever, though they were naturally much excited by their des- perate passage down the incline. It is prob able when the train was stopped the air brakes were applied, but that on detaching the engine the brakes were relaxed and the hand brakes were left open or were not strong enough to hold the train. The move- ment may have been helped by strong gale which was blowing at the time. Superin- tendent Fillmore says that it is not yet known who is to blame, but that some one has been careless. The matter will be thoroughly in vestigated