The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-08-23
this trestle, as its tremendous and ungov-
ernable speed would have made it almost
impossible for it to have kept the track.
JUMPED AND SAVED HIS LIFE.

hA Ell AMI "a Ell HIS LIE
A carpenter who had been al work in the
snowsheds, and whose name could not be
learned, is supposed TO have been with the
flying train after it started, but he realized
his position and jumped in time to save his
life. He escaped with but slight injury.
A FEARFUL JUMP.
TRUCKEE, Aug. 22.-When the seventeen
cars aud caboose began backing down the
WounIain, Conductor Frank L. Kingsley
was tagging in the rear of tile train, and
seeing the cars moving, climbed on top and
began setting up the brakes. shed car
Ienter, named Jacob Schaab, was riding
IN the caboose, and noticing that the
train was backing down with great
velocity, went on the rear platform and
saw that the engines were uncoupled
and the train was running away. half
mile west OF Summit, while the train was
going at speed of forty miles an hour,
Schaa6 jumped, and two hours later
was found unconscious by a track
walker. Train No. 25 reached Cascade
Siding and started TO sidetrack for
No. 1. In the meantime the run
away was tearing down the steep grade
with constantly increasing speed, the
frantic efforts OF the heroic conductor hav-
ing no perceptble effect in checking her.
The track-walker at Summit Valley, three
miles from Summit, thought two ears passed
him and says he only heard a roaring
sound and saw the dust.
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY MILES AN HOUR.
The engineers OF No. %, who were on the
side track at Cascade, say the flying train
shot past them at the rate of $50 miles an
hour. Only the rear car and cabOOse of
No. % remained on the main track when
the crash came. There was a mighty
roar as of prolonged peal of
thunder, and in the twinkling of
an eye, 302 feet of the new snowsheds, and
as many feet of railroad track, the tele-
ill.,,
into broken, confused, lndescribable mass,
the portions of which extended far down
the steep bank toward the Yuba River.
AN OPERATORS ESCAPE.
Telegraph Operator j. B. Dorsey was
asleep in the rear of the station, and aw0ke
10 find his house being thrown fifty feet
down the bank. A caboose was directly
under his bedroom aud four freight-carS
were huddled together in the front of the
Office. There was clear space just large
enough to hold him and his bed right in the
midst of the horrible debris. Climbing out
Of q rear window he found himself
unhurt except that he was trite bruised
and had two toes crushed. He soon spread
the alarm among the 200 carpenters and
brdge-bulders who are stationed within
fifty yards of the spot, and who had come
rushing out to see what caused the crash.
The engineers of No, 23 had no idea that
their train had been struck, the velocity of
torn away the cabOose and one car and
knocked the hind end out of a third, and
yet there had not been the slightest jar at
the head Of the train. 1t cut like sharp
knife.
At Summit the telegraph operator, James
Fitzgerald, had been notified that the train
had broken loose, and while the men were
telling him the fire gong changed out
sharply. The breaking and crossing of the
wires at Cascade thus gave the alarm by
causing the gong to strike. Fitzgerald
found that every wire west was down and
forthwith telegraphed by way OF Chicago
and New Orleans that an accident must
have occurred at CASCADE Station, for at no
other point we're all the wires inside of the
shed.
SEARCHING FOR THE VICTIMS.
At the wreck immediate search was
made for the men who were known to be
under the debris. The wreckage was piled
twenty feet high. Cars were crushed to
fragments, trucks, axles, wheels and steel
rails were twisted and broken like pipe
stems. The strong shed timbers were
ground into splinters and freight of every
conceivable description was mingled
through the entire mass.
At 8 O'Clock the body of Vic E. Veara
was found. He was far down the bank,
and had dreadful cash in the back of his
neck, and severe cuts on the head. Veara
was rear brakeman, and was standing on
the ground ready to turn the switch, when,
like a flash of lightning, the runaway
struck him. He was about 26 years old.
and has sister living at Napa.
Soon afterward the body OF Oliver Beaver
was discovered. His face was scarcely
marred, but his arms, legs and entire body
were crushed and maDgled out OF all sen-
blance. He was almost naked, and fairly
crushed to pieces. He was about % years
old, and had relatives at West Point,
Calayeras County. and an uncle at Penryn.
STRONG MEN wEPT.
At so'clock the body of Frank T. Kingsley
was discovered. His head was torn entirely
off, only the skin of the face remaining.
He was about 90 years old, and leaves a
child in Massachusetts. lie was one of the
most trusted and popular men on the road,
and when il was known that he had yolun-
tarIly taken that wild ride to death in order
to Try to save his comrades, hundreds of
men shed tears over his lfeless remains.
II was nearly 10 o'clock before the man
gled corpse of William Connolly was found.
George Hurley was the regular conductor
of No. %, but half an hour before leav-
ing Rocklyn he. was, taken suddenly
place. 1t is thought Connolly and Beaver
were in the caboOse at the moment their
train was struck. Connelly's head was
fearfully crushed, and his body and limbs
were shOckngly mutilated. He was an eX-
perienced railroader and highly esteemed.
tiYes at Newcastle.
Trainmasters Agler and Hayes, with
wrecking crews, started for the scene OF
the wreck as soon as the news reached
Truekee, and with the assistance of q. q.
COmstock, bridge inspector, and of the
bridge and carpenter crews, cleared the
wreck by 2:30 o'clock this afternoon. The
new steel bridge is being erected at Cas-
cade only few rods below the wreck and
the steam plle-driver was brought into
play in removing the awful mass Of timbers
and iron. 1t was the worst wreck which
has occurred on the mountains in twenty
years. Rails, ties and track-layers we're
brought from Truckee and a new track
laid, so that the trains began to pass at 4 80
o'clock.
THE INQUEST POSTPONED.
Assistant Superintendent Burkhalter,
with Special Officer Ben True, j. Fulton,
Deputy Coroner of Placer County, and the
Sacramento wrecking train, arrived at 800
o'clock. A Coroner's jury was impaneled,
but as the important witnesses had gone tO
Truckee the inquest was postponed until
Tomorrow at Auburn.
Special Officer F. I. Burke was at the
wreck at o'clock, and took charge of the
packages of freight. More was saved than
would be expected. Schaab and the bodies
of the four dead men were taken to Sacra-
mento. Schaab will probably recover.
though badly hurt about the head, body,
legs and sides. He has family living at
Omaha.
1t was seven miles from Summit to
Cascade, and it is wonderful that run
away train could have made the distance
ana remained on the track. In half min
ute more No. % would have been safely
side-tracked and the eighteen cars of No.
10 would have dashed on into the east
bound passenger train. l.. D. Ladd, Kings
ley's rear brakeman, had been accidentally
left at Emigrant Gap. else there would have
probably been another victim.
ANOTHER WILD TRAIN,