Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-02-13
The TehacIiapi Disaster = Case OF the
coroner Agaiaat lhe Train OFFICIALS.


The Tehacilapi Disaster Case OF the
Coroner Against ihc Train Officials
BAKERSFIELD. February 12sh.-The case
Of the complaint of j. Il. Mace, Coroner,
charging B. Z. Reid, conductor, and John
Patton, brakeman, with nesligently permit
ting the train TO collide with an embankment,
producing the death Of J. 4. Casssll, Mrs.
John i. Downey, Miss Sauirss end eighteen
others, opened at | P. NJ. in the Justices
Court, with n. r. Wilkinson, District Attor-
ney, j. W. freeman and Judge Wilkinson
for the prosecution, and ?. ID. Wigginton and
Wallace Leach for the defense.
y. 4. Whitmore testified Reside at Sum-
ner sm agent and train MASTER Of the South
ern Pacific Railroad there; January 19sh
dispatched train 10 thence. with conductor
3. +. Reid and rear brakeman John Patton !;
it is the conductors duty at the station to
leave his train on its arrival, go TO the tele-
graph Office and see il any orders have c1me
he attends to the loading and unloading Of
freight and passengers; signals from the plat
form or the grouad to the engineer to start !;
at stations where a register is kept, as at
TehRchapi, he must register the time of the
trains arrival sn1 departure, see also that
the brakemeu are at their posts; arriving at
Tehachapi, the head brakeman detaches the
two engines. helps turn the first on the
table, and acts as switcher the rear brake
man is always on the rear car unless the con.
ductor otherwise orders the conductor takes
or fills vacancy.
To Wigginton-Have been eight years en-
ployed by the Central Pacific Railroad SIS
station agent; learned the general duties on
time.cards, special from the company; am
familiar With the Tehachapi conductors and
brakeInen's rules 1; they are the same as ct all
stations; the conductor attends to his regular
business the brakesman assists the passengers
off and On, though taking them from their
posts. ii so directed; the time.c.rd rules the
custom at all stations.
To the prosecusion-My best recoIections
sre that the train had seven cars and two en-
gines; two brakemen on such o traiu are
amply sufficient for tine Tehachapi grade !:
two handle fourteen heavy freight cars: ct
Tsbachapi, when stopped, one could attend
10 ell The duties, but consider il unsafe for
him 10 go fifty yards away.
To Wig Zinson-Thas train at the station
was in a position that persons going from the
coach to the depot passed three hundred feat
alongside il man leaving the coach for the
depot could touch the train do not know the
distance from the track TO the depot; it is
the duty of the brakeman to carry lighted
lantern az night, TO transmit the conductors
signals TO the eDgins err; the position of rear
brakeman is on the rear car nearing sta
tons he notifies the coach and smoker pas.
sengers, sets the break at the front end of the
COACH holding all the outside truck wheels OF
both ends; this firmly SET Is conceded to be
sufficient to hold train believe the same
practice prevails on heavier grades than Te.
hachspi.
NetSie Collins testified Was on the train
January 19:h; before reaching Tehachapi,
Mr. Patton asked me- was I q passenger for
Tehachapi; said was; he offered to assist
me, and did SO; it was very windy; bis Ian.
tern was blown out; there was no light at the
depot to see; went there, aud was directed to
a hotel; Mr.. Patton Lit his lantern and went
out before did, staying in the Utica about
minute; shortly afterward he returned go.
ing out for the hotel, learned from the con.
ductor that the train had started did not
know Mr. Pat5ons position on the train.
TO Wigginten-KneW him to DO e train
ernploye, having asked me if [ was a papsen-
ger for Tehachapi, half "a hour before the
train stepped, when he profered his assist
ance te the depot; saw him before that Ia
saat 10 front OK me he arose and went to the
year end and returned, citing 10 the same
placs; when thu car stopped, he asked
me to wait few minutes, and went on the
platform don't know what he was doing
believe he was tending TO the brakes went
Out, anu W. EtS GNHal Blu WAIKIKI kSll1 MS
train TO the depot; he wss nearest to the
train; il was cold and disagIeeahls night
his light was blown cut in twenty seconds
lie said he would find some one at the station
to see me to the hotel I; am not a stranger il
Tehach5pi, but was at Stcckton !; had ticket
from Sumner; gave it to conductor Reid.
Z. d. Green sworn: Reside close 50 the
suumit; am q rancher and miner at TIE.
hachapi station, on the night Of the accident,
Mr.. Gates said Governor Downey wanted e.
see me: no one WAS present when l saw him
hitched up my team and went to the wreck
with Reid passed tho train bringing back
the sick and wounded; at the wreck saw thst
the Los Angeles sleeper seemed to have gone
off az the curve, struck thu bank over the
ditch, rolled hack ia and burned the track
was bent suppose i5 threw the others eff
all the cara were nearly burned only
few bodies were apprOacaabie the
re55 were in tbs FIRE; Porter Wright, the
c1l0Ied messenger, MIR. PaTsol, man nsrned
Kerrigan and a discharged soldier who died
during the day, were unburned cav the
burned bodies some were arnless and leg
less some were worse sent seventeen sup
rosed todies on 145 to the station; wrote
the Sane in book, and description of the
wreck the grade where tho train stopped is
light; judge it TO be ab5ut twenty feet to the
mile for short distance descending toward
the wreck know but little about railroading
nsve- put brake on on grade such as that
the train should have brake on il no engine
is attached don't know how many are re-
quirsd; pretty strong east wind was blow
ing that night; don't know if they could
start train with the brakes on know it ia
difficult to start train, but sometimes il
would start by just throwing the brake eff
suppose the cause Of the deaths was that the
a. 81 he 4
don't know il they were killed by contact
with the bank; suppose that could have
killed some.
The testinony o. J. B. Patterson, operator
st Tehachspi, before the Coro,ef's Jury, was
admitted in the present case.
Adjourned until 10 a. NJ. to morrow.
Meeting of tae Railroad Commissioners.
SAN FRANCISCO, February 12sh. = The
Railroad Commissioners INST to-day.
a n. Towne, of the Central Pacific Rail-
road, presented q communication on tie sub.
j9ct Of the construction OF railroads in Cali.
fornis, giving statistics and data concerning
ths construction of the Southern Pacific
Railroad on the Sunset rsute 10 New Orleans,
showing the D esant assessment rolls Of the
districts through which the road passes, and
what tney were il 1870 showing al increase
Of 800 per cent.
br. foWne invited the Commissioners to
make searching inquiries into the workings
Of the railroad, stating thai the acts of both
companies would bs found just to all. Re-
duc.ions hal been made from year to year,
aud millions Of dollars had been saved to
farmers. It was shown from the balance
sheet that ihe aggregate dividends of all
roads, if applied to the capital employed,
would amount 90 bat fraction over two per
cent.
The communication was ordered fled.
Tie balance sheet fled for the year 1882
shows the gross earnings to have been S25,-
Coz 757 II; earnings of the steamer division,
S2,04S, 529; interest on sinking fund. $751;
260 Total, S25, 964 502 Al. Expenditures
Operating expenses. Sl6,G 1873 67 general
expenses, $3.50 645 Y; legal expenses, S2l6,-
751 Al; civil engineering, 81 5I7 ,955; taxes,
S445. COS 60; expenses Of the land depart
meu6, S2,S70.07S interest, So, 443, 413 80
comp ny 3 sinking furd and interest paid to
the United Sta e., 81, 100 000. Total ex-
psuditures, s22, go $40 "a Surplus for tie
year from al sources available for dividends.
So. 2S4 562 IL. TIE lsng OF road reported
is 3, pol miles.
r. j. Harrison read number of papers in
answer to papers submitted by Mr.. Towne.
Harrison holding that Instead of being
benefi the railroad company had been def
rinent to the State for tue last sixteen years.