Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-01-19
a NARROW EeCAPE.
Such was the Wreck at
Lathrop Monday Eve.
THREE LOCOMOTIVES RUINED.
The Same Train Meets With An
other Accident on the Teha-
chipi. Railroad News.

-
other Accident ON the Teha-
chipi. Railroad News.
From facts gathered by the HER
.ALp's represei tative at the scene of
the wrecking of train No. II, from
San Francisco to Los Angeles, at
Lathrop, Monday evening, it was
learned that the passengers had a
most narrow escape from a terrible
death. The train was composed OF
twelve coaches, one baggage, and one
mail and express car combined, and
was drawn by two large and powerful
engines. Three of the coaches we're
Pullman sleepers and the others were
packed with emigrants and passengers
destined for all parts of the country.
It was about 7 AS P. NJ. when the
train ratified up to the company's
yards at Lathrop, being exactly on
time.
Just as the first switch was passed,
there came two shrill whistles from
the locomotive and then a slight
bump, followed by crash, threw
several of the passengers in the
forward car from their seats. When
the HERALD's representative picked
himself up from under the front seat
in his section. he found every man in
the car starting for the door to see
sswhat was the matter" The train
was standing on steep fill, and the
passengers rolled down to the bottom
in the greatest conf sion. The hiss
ing of escaping steam from the
engines made a deafening noise
and caused every one to Won
der that they had not been
killed outright. The accident was en-
tirely the fault of the switch engine
which had backed upon the main
track in switching some empty pas
senger coaches, just at the time when
No. II was due. Engineer Small,
who was in the front engine, could
not see the switch engine until too
late, as there was no light to give him
warning, and he barely saved his life
by jumping. Before leaving his en-
gine, however, he had the courage
and presence OF mind 10 open the au-
tomato air-brakes, and thus prevent
a horrible catastrophe. In jumping
he slightly injured his knee. Engi-
neer Levi, who was in charge of the
switch engine, also saved his life by
jumping, as did Engineer Taylor. Of
the second engine, drawing the
overland. The fremen belong
ing to Small and Levi also
jumped, but the one helping Taylor
did not have time, and had he been
full-grown man, would have been
crushed to death. AS it was, he was
caught between the tender and held
for few seconds, though he after
wards crawled out without assistance
and without scratch.
The spectacle presented by the
three huge engines was terrible to
behold. The switch engine had been
knocked, by the force of the collision,
about twenty yards down the second
side-track, and had its pilot jammed
under the rear platform of the coach
it was moving. The rear of the engine
was lifted clear of the track by the
tender, which had been showed under
it. The rear trucks of the tender were
Knocked off, and were laying
about ten feet from the track.
Steam, cinders and sparks poured
out of the engine with the
greatest force, and blinded everyone
in the neighborhood.
On the main track at the opening
Of the switch were the two engines
which SO lately had pulled the over
land train.
The front one had its pilot and
Bmoke-stack smashed by the collision,
and its cab and rear end was totally
wrecked by the tender, which was
forced by the second engine up
through the cab until it lay on top of
the boiler, while the cab itself was
hanging where the smoke-stack be-
longed.
On top of the rear end of the tender
the second engine lay, with its pilot
and smoke stack smashed to splinters
and its cab and wheels scattered
everywhere. The tender of the Sec
ond engine stood on end against the
baggage-car and was total wreck.
Old railroaders said the acci-
dent was a most wonderful
one, and that it was only the presenc 3
of mind of Engineer Small that saved
the loss of many lives. If the coaches, of
which there were six, which the switch
e CINE was moving, had Teen loaded,
they would not have been thrown out
Of the way, and even though the auto
matte air brakes worked perfectly, the
collision would have been terrible, and
the passenger coaches would have
rolled down the fill, which was about
twelve feet deep. In addition to the
total loss OF the three engines, the
mail car was also slightly injured, and
the mail clerk, Mr.. Griffin, sustained
some bruises, though they we're not
serious enough to interfere with his
work.
After half an hours delay the train
was hauled around the wrecked
engine on a side-track, a freight
engine attached, and the journey re-
sumed. The foregoing accident was
not to be all the trouble of the trip,
however, and second narrow escape
was made. 1t occurred on the steepest
part of the grade near Tehachipi, and
recalled to mind, the heartrending
disaster which occurred on the
Nineteenth OF January, 1882 at the
same spot.
A few moments before eleven
o'clock Tuesday morning, while the
train was winding slowly up the
grade, there came two distinct noises,
as if caused by the breaking Of chains.
A gentleman talking at the time to
the HERALD's representative jumped
to his feet and said, there's some
thing wrong"
At that moment brakeman came
through the car and the same noise
was repeated. The gentleman and
brakeman, followed by the newspaper
man, started for the door, when the