Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-01-23
The Southern Pacific Horror

SAN Francisco, Jan. Tehachipai
dispatch: The coroner's jury found
verdict on the train disaster case, that the
victims came to their death by the neglect
of Conductor Reed and Brakeman Patten.
The verdict has not yet been approved by
the coroner. Two bodies were identified
as those of Thos. Keegan and Ferdinand
Gramfort, discharged soldiers of the Sixth
cavalry.
John F. Cassell, one of the sleeping car
passengers, arrived in this city yesterday.
He reports: 'I think it must have been a
woke up. l realized we were in danger,
but how I could not tell. We were rushing
along the Imountain side at frightful We
locity and inIa few seconds a crash came.
Over we went and thousand splinters
and pieces of debris completely blinded
US. AS quickly as possible
I was on my feet working to make an exit
through the masses under which we were
buried to save myself and the other oc-
cupants of the train, when l found myself
hemmed in by masses of wreckage. My
wife, think, was killed by the first shock,
as her hands were cold when 1 touched
them, and my calls remained unanswered.
cleared passageway along the log
chains for some seventeen feet TILL l
reached a place near where Miss
Squires was imprisoned. I heard her
scream for succor; she told me she was un-
injured, but merely unable to get out of
the window. The flames began breaking
through where 1 was working, and I was
driven back to where knew no hope for
escape existed, and retreated merely to
avoid fiery death. went back to my
wife for the fourth time, and now could
only grasp her hair. Again and again
1 called to her for one sign of
life, but all to no purpose.
Classes and flames now drove me from her
side, and as last resort I buried myself
in the debris when hope had left me. The
men working from the outside suddenly
accidentally came upon me and drew half
of my body out, but there became lodged,
our combined efforts proving unavailing
to free me from the debris Finally l sue
ceeded in dropping through the hole made
for me by my rescuers. I was the only one
who made the light of day from under that
heap of ruins.'
BAKERSFIELD, Jan. 22.-The coroner who
went up to the scene of the railroad dis
aster Thursday forenoon returned to-day.
He arrived on the ground at 2 p. m. A
large crowd was there, and they had al
ready pretty thoroughly Investigated the
ash heaps which represented the train.
The human remains we're disposed
in seventeen heaps, each one
of which was supposed to represent human
beings Some of them probably did, but
most of them we're bits of calcined bones
that have represented several. He
thinks the destruction of human
life greater than supposed
The leader of the two sleepers in the
downward flight from which no one es-
capped is believed to have been pretty we'll
| filled, and it would have accommodated
| fifty-four persons. In it were placed way
passengers, and many such always get on.
Some coin and jewelry were turned over to
mis- keeping.
SAN Francisco, Jan. 22.-Porter Ashe, or
the train wreckediat Tepachapi, telegraph:
as follows: Ny wife, maid and myself were
occupying the drawing room of the sleeper
I've were awakened by the swaying of the
cars going about seventy miles an hour
| daQ Just praceu ourselves Wh9n the craST
came. The maid was buried IN the debris
my wife and 1 falling on topof her. The ca
Immediately took fire. Was forced tc
take timber and burning boards off The
maid piece by piece. The car became en-
veloped in smoke by the breaking of th'
windows at the top of the car. 1 succeeded
in rescuing my wife and maid, pushing
them through the window. We wer
climbing off the car, nearly suffocatet
by smoke, when l heard the maiC
calling for help and beseeeh'ng US not t
leave her. I reached down through the
broken window and succeeded in gettin;
hold of Gov. Downey's hand and pulled
him out nearly istrangled. While helpinj
the maid to the ground wife stepped on
window and fell through into the car again
The car by this time was burning rapidly