The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-05-31
THIRTEEN LIVES LOST
Terrible Railroad Accident at oakland,
California.
An Engine and Passenger Coach
Plunge Through an Open
Draw Bridge Into the
San Antonio Creek.

SAN Francisco, May 3O.-One of the
most horrible railroad accidents ever
known in California occurred ut lao
o'clock this afternoon, when local train
connecting at Oakland with the ferry
boats from San Francisco went through
the open draw bridge over San Antonio
creek, at Webster street. Oakland. A
yacht had just passed through the draw
when the train appeared going in the direc-
Of Alameda. The draw bridge keeper en-
deavored to close the bridge, but was too
late, and the engine with the tender and
first car, which was filled with passengers,
plunged into the estuary. Engineer Sam
Dunn and Fireman O'Brien went down
with the engine. The former, when he
saw that the bridge did not close. reversed
the lever but the momentum of the train
was too great to be stopped in time. The
weight of the engine and first car
broke the couplings and left the
other two cars of the train stand
ing on the track. The second car
ran about third of the way across the
bridge and stopped, but the jar was suf-
flcient to break open the front of the car
anC many OF the passengers were thrown
into the water. The first car which had
fallen with the engine to the bottom of the
muddy estuary soon rose and such of the
passengers as had escaped therefrom
were picked up by yachts and small boats
which gathered TO the scene. The train
men and the rest OF the passengers went
to aid the work of rescue and when the
wrecking train arrived from Oakland the
car was drawn into shallow water and
small boats began dragging the creek for
bodies. The top of the passenger coach
was cut open as soon as il was raised
above the water and the work Of removing
the bodies commenced, thirteen being
taken out in quick succession. At the
morRue the bodies were laid out as soon
as received to await Identification and
heartrending scenes were witnessed as
friends came forward to claim their dead.
The list of the identified is as follows:
MARTIN KELLY, Oakland.
A. Il. AUSTIN, San francisco.
Miss FLORENCE AUSTIN.
Mrs. BRYAN O'CoNNER, San Francisco.
j. b. IRWIN, Oakland.
+. X. ROBINSON, San Francisco.
LUNGI MALEsTA, San Francisco.
CAPTAIN JOHN DwYER, Sacramento.
MIR. WILLIAMS, San Francisco.
H. w. AULD, colored, Honolulu.
The TWO MISSES KEENAN,. San Fran
cisco.
A JAPANESE BOY, supposed to he II.
Malerto, San Francisco.
The engineer and fireman both escaped.
first couch as related by those who fort,,-
nately escaped was horrifying in the ex-
treme. K. Il. Finley, of San Fran.
cisco, said: / was on the front seat
facing the engine. just as we approached
the draw bridge it seemed to me that the
draw was open and n fearful accident
was inevitable. just then man jumped
from the engine into tie water and then
came n crash. A horrible crushing of
timber and swapping of heavy iron work
followed. and nj once CONSERVATION pre-
vailed in the car. The next thing knew
the car was i'm water and l found myself
cropping for the door which l fortunately
reached when that end of the car rose out
of the water and qnite n number of peo-
pie escaped in this manner, principally
women and children, The car was about
twe-thirds full when we left the wharf
and should Judge there was at least % TO
30 people in 1t. There was a fearful out
cry when the car began TO fill but this was
almost Immediately hushed i'm one long
final wall of despair.
George L. Hawley, OF Oakland, said:
There were about 40 people including
children In the car. Conductor Rcrath
said the first car was n combination.W When
and had rs much as he could do for a few
minutes to attend 10 the passengers in the
car, some of whom were in state of
frenzy. He then went forward and looked
down on the scene of death. He noticed
mt least half dozen men swim out. but
| notany women or children. He is not
sure about the number of people In the
| coach.
James Dunlap, the bridge tender had
| nothing to say further than that he had
| opened the bridge for yacht and was
| just closing il when the train came along.
Several of the passengers who went
down, but were rescued, sustained pain
| full injuries. The frame Of the car has
thoroughly explored and il is believed
there are no more bodies I'm the wreck.
Conservative estimates this evening place
the number OF people i'm the
car at about thirty and il is believed
| the IL bodies recovered comprises the list
| OF dead. Thousands of people hocked
to the scene of disaster and the streets
leading TO the bridge were crowded by
hurrying men, women and children. The
widest rllmors OF the extent of the loss of
| life were circulated, and many people
went across from San Francisco to look
| for friends. When news Of the disaster
| reached Mountain View cemetery, where
hundreds of Oakland people were dec
| Grating graves, a panic was created and
men, women and children rushed into the
town, leaving Ill their floral tributes be-
hind them.
The engineer and fireman disappeared
right after the accident and have not yet
been found, so their version of the acci.
| dent is not obtainable. The bridgctender
| tonight maintains that he had a red flag
| OF danger up. Trains approach the bridge
around "A curve, and il is possible the
engineer did not see the flag.