Evening journal., 1890-05-31
THROUGH AN OPEN DRAW
The Carelessness Of an Oakland
Bridge Tender
LEADS TO TERRIBLE DISASTER.

A Car Load of Passengers, Mainly Women
and Children, PIunges Into = Creek.
Twenty Bodies Have Been and ~
Many More Are Missing
OAKLAND. Cal May 8l-The carelessness
Of bridge keeper yesterday on the narrow
guage railroad led to the fatal plunge Of an
engine and one car into creek aud ter
rible loss Of life Twenty bodies have been
recovered and az many more are missing,
! The narrow guage train connected with the
l:45 y. IN. train from San Francisco, and IN
the three cars were about 150 passengers.
As the train neared the Webster street
drawbridge the passengers, who looked
out Of the window, were amazed to see the
draw open. The train came round the sharp
curve at high speed before the engineer
could materially slacken the speed The
yacht Juniata had just passed through and
the bridge keeper inada desperate efforl
TO close the draw, but without success
Luckily the weight Of the engine and the
| first coach broke the train in two and the
rest Of it was saved.
The engineer was Sam Dunn, the fireman
| Charles O'Brien and the conductor Ed
Rerath or this trio Rerath escaped
| through being In the hind part OF the
| train. II is rumored that Dunn and
| OBrien jumped and swan to safety, but II
| is not believed, as neither have yet been
| seen.
Crawied from the Windows.
When the coach fell through It went
| completely under water but a number OF
| passengers crawled through the windows
and escaped. The majority OF the pas
sengers in the coach were women aud chill.
/ dren From the broken half OF the train
/ the passengers swarmed out woman shrek
i ing and men half frantic, although there
was no occasion for their fears rs the cal
was securely wedged ia by the woodwork
at the approach TO the bridge The caI
which had followed the engine 10 the bot
tom Of the muddy estuary soon rose and
such OF the passengers as had escaped
therefrom We're picked up by yachts and
small boats which gathered at the scene
When those We're all picked up, the boats
gathered about the car where thirty or forty
women aud children lay suffocating be
meath the water. They could do little on
nothing, as II took several minutes 20 teal
open the roof of the coach.
Removing the Dead.
The top OF the coach was finally cut open
and the work Of removing the bodies com.
| menced, ten hodies being taken out in
quick succession. Conductor Rerath waa
seen directly after the accident and said
| In all probability twenty-five women and
children have perishedm y
Three Nomen and three girls were taken
from the water alive and removed TO the
hospital. Another young lady died soon
after being taken from the water News
| Of the accident created intense excitement
4 "a.
nocked to the morgue and to the scene OF
the wreck The body Of 4. p Robinson,
which was among those taken from the
hole cut In the roof OF the ear, was among
the first removed. The bodies OF six men
and two women were broughtin soon after
some of the bodies being al first left in the
! receiving hospital where the injured were
also taken, In ashort time thirteen bodies
lay on the floor and on marble slabs await
ing identification. The list Of identified is
as follows:
The Identified Dead.
) Martin Kelly, of Oakland, assistant chief
whariinRer for the state
A. H. Austin, Of Austin & Phelps, San
Francisco.
Miss Florence Austin.
Mrs. Bryan O'Conner, Of San Francisco.
j. b. Irwin, sewing machine agent, Of
Oakland
n r. Robinson, Of San Francisco.
Luigi Maelesta, Of San Francisco.
Capt John Dwyer. OF Sacramento.
Mr. Williams, OF San Francisco.
H. w. Anld (colored), OF Honolulu.
Two Misses keenan,. OF San Francisco.
H. Malerta, Japanese boy, Of San Fran
cisco.
A Survivors story.
The experience OF the passengers ia the
first coach as related by those who fortu-
! nately escaped was horrifying Ia the ex-
treme. r. r. Finley, Of San Francisco.
one Of the passengers, told graphic story
OF the disaster. II was seated on the front
seat Of the first car facing the engine All
went well until just as we approached the
draw bridge crossing at San Antonio creek.
AS we drew near to the bridge it seemed to
me the draw WAS open, that fearful acci-
dent was inevitable. just then a man
jumped from the engine into the water,
and then came the crash A horrible
crushing Of timber and swapping or heavy
iron work followed this
'tAt once CONSERVATION prevailed in the
car. The next thing knew the car was in
the water, and l found myself blindly
cropping for the door. which fortunately
reached and opened. When | fonnd my
self on the platform l gradually worked
front OF the car TO the roof, which | had
{ just reached when that end of the car rose
out Of the water, and quite a number Of
people escaped In this manner, principally
! women and children. The car was about
! two-thirds full when we left the wharf and
| should judge there were at least twenty
five or thirty people in il. Then there Was
I | a fearful Outcry when the car began TO I'LL.
. but this almost Immediately hushed in one
/ long final wall Of despair / was very
l. fortunate in escaping with slight injury to
my shoulder and several cuts on my head
Refused Admlttance, He shot HimselE
y wfLKEsBARRE, Pa, May ~. James
= Shaughnesy aged % years, who has been
in Jail since January last for abusing his
I wife was released few days ago. Nester-
J day he went to his home and was refused
\ admittance He stepped ont on the side
!, walk. drew a revolver, and shot himself in
Z the abdomen He will die.
Veterans had Craftsmanship.
NEW YORK. May sl.-While some vet
erans of Garfield post were shooting at q
4 target IN the rear Of the saloon at ,69l
Second avenue yesterday a stray shot
struck and probably fatally wounded Miss
l