Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-06-05
INTO THE DRAW.
Fatal Plunge Of an Engine and Car al
Oakland, Cal.

known IN CALIFORNIA Occureu at A'fv
o'clock this afternoon when the local
train connecting at Oakland with the
ferryboats from San Francisco ran
through an open drawbridge over the
San Antonio Creek at Webster street,
Oakland. The yacht Juaniata had Just
passed through the draw when the
train appeared, going in the direction
of Almeda. The drawbridge keeper
endeavored at once to close the bridge,
but IL was too late and the engine with
its tender and first car, which was filled
with passengers, plunged into the river,
which was here quite deep. The en-
gineer Sam Dunn aud Fireman O'Brien
went down with the engine. The en-
gineer when he saw that the bridge did
not close reversed the lever, but the
momentum Of the engine was too great
to be stopped in time. The weight or
the engine and the first car broke the
coupling and left the other two cars OF
the train standing on the track. The
second car ran about q third of the way
across the bridge and stopped, but the
lar was sufficient to break open the
front Of the car and many of the pass
engers were thrown into the water.
The first car which had followed the
engine to the bottom Of the muddy
creek soon rose and such of the passen-
gers as had escaped were picked up by
the yachts and small boats which gath.
cred at the scene. The trainmen and
the rest of the passengers lent their aid
to the work of rescue and when the
wrecking train arrived from Oakland,
the Car was drawn into shallow water
and the small boats began dragging the
creek for bodies. The train was in
charge of Conductor Rerath and an ex-
ira crew, 1t being a holiday. The con-
ductor stated that probably twenty-five
persons had met their death. The top Of
the passenger coach was cut open as
soon as it was raised above the water
and the work of removing the bodies
commenced, ten being taken out in
Quick succession. Engineer Dunn was
not to be found, and 1t was believed he
persisted beneath his engine. The fire.
man, Il is thought, escaped by jump
ing. Three women and three girls were
taken from the water alive and remov-
ed to the receiving hospital. Another
young lady died soon after being taken
from the water. The news of the acci-
dent created intense excitement In Oak
land and thousands of people focked to
the morgue and to the scene or the
wreck. At the morgue the bodies were
laid out as soon as received to await
Identification. The body Of e. 2. Rob-
ison. which was among those taken
from the hole cut In the roof of the car
was among the first removed and was
taken in charge by Coroner Evers. The
| bodies of six men and two women were
brought In soon after some OF the bod
les beingat first left at the receiving
hospital, where the injured were a!st
, taken. In short time thirteen bodiei
Law on the floor an6 on the marble slab
, of the morgue awaiting Identification n
Many heartrending scenes were wit
messed as the friends came forward te
: claim their dead.
Thousands of people flocked to tht
scene of the disaster and the street lead
ling to the bridge was crowded with We
, hicles and hurrying men and women
So dense was the crowd on the draw
> bridge that the police had to drive thi
people off for fear the great weigh
would upset the bridge and caus'
: another catastrophe. The widest ru
mors Of the extent of the loss of lif
were circulated and many people from
I San Francisco went across the bay t.
look for friends who were supposed +
: be ON the train. The news of the dis
r aster reached Mountain View cemetry
where hundreds of people were dec0rat
!, ling graves. A panic was created an
e men. women and children rushed int
town, leaving their dead and droopin
J bouquets as they ran. II
j.. in. Dunlap, the bridge tender, say
= the real danger flag was properly set
\ the center of the track when the hridg
r was swung open for the yacht Juaniti
to pass. The boat had just gone throug
and the bridge was being swung bac
l. when the train ran off. He suppos'
the engineer did not see the signal o
IL account Of the curve. The scene at th
e morgue on Washington street was q te
II rible one. Hundreds of anxious peop
Ii gathered in front of the building an
n struggled to gain admittance to tt
8 building. The building was In chart
ltI OF fSheriff Hale who with large fore
n Eof deputies and policemen kept th
crowd back. The people who lost the
lS lives were nearly allof the better ella
l. and belonged to we'll known San Fral
cisco and Oakland families.
: The experience of the passengers
IT the first coach as related by those VIII
fortunately escaped was horrifying
the extreme. Z. i. Flndley of So
q Francisco, one of the passengers, told
: graphic story rs follows: 1--WE left Il
u city,n he said, ION the las train f
# Almeda on the narrow gauge. ] WI
seated on the 'front.' seat of the first CT
es facing the engine. All went well uni
e lust as we approached the drawbridl
crossing at San Antonio Creek. AS v
n drew near to the bridge itseemed to n
9. the draw was open and that fearfl
=; accident was inevitable. just then
Ill man jumped from the engine into I'll
ii water and then came the crash, o no
rible crushing Of timber and ,snappil
s. of heavy iron work followed and
q once CONSERVATION prevailed in. Il
car. The next thing I knew the C
le was In the water and found myse
% blindlv cropping for the door, which
~ : Fortunately reached and opene
I'd When / found myself on the pls
r. form I gradually worked my way
- climbing and holding on to the fro
TO of the csr.to the roof which I, had ju
i, | reached. when that end of the car re
a out of the water and quite number
q people escaped III this manner, prin
st pally women and children. The {
~ , was about two-thirds full when we Il
10 the wharf and ! should Judge the