St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-05-31
lJNLUCKY Thirteen.
A Bakers Dozen of CaIifoP-
mans Lose Their Lives
Through Negligence.
Carlessness of a Bridge Tend
er Causes an Awful
Calamity.
A Passenger Train Plunges
Through a Draw Into a
Creek.
Fort Worth's Unique Spring
Palace a Mass of Smoking
Ruins.

SAN FRANCISCO, May 30.-One of the
most horrible railway accidents ever
known in California occurred at lao
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 Juniata
had just passed through the draw when
the train appeared going in the direc-
ton OF Alameda. The drawbIidge keep
er endeavored at once to close the
bridge, but it was too late, and the en-
gine with its tender and first car, which
was filled with passengers, plunged
into the river, which was here quite
deep. The 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 mo-
mentum of the engine was too great to
be stopped in time. The weight of the
engine and the first car broke the coup
lings and left the other two cars of the
train standing on the track. The sec
Ond ran about third of the way across
the bridge and stopped, but the jar was
sufficient to break open the front OF the
car, and many of the passengers were
Thrown Into the Water.
The first car, which had followed the
engine to the bottom of the muddy
estuary, soon rose, and such of the pas
sengers as had escaped were picked up
by the yachts and small boats which
gathered 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 boats began
dragging the creek for bodies. The
train was in charge Of Conductor Rerath
and an extra crew, it being a holiday.
The conductor stated that probably
tWedty-fiYe 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 COM
menced, ten bodies being taken out in
quick succession. Engineer Dunn was
not to be found, and 1t was believed he
Derished beneath his engine. The fire.
man. it is thought. escaped by jump
ing. Three women and three girls
were taken from the water alive,
and removed to the receiving
hospital. Another young lady died
soon after being taken from the water.
The news of the accident created in
tense excitement in Oakland and thou
sands of people t1ocked to the mOrgue
and to the scene of the wreck. At the
mOrgue the bodies were laid out as soon
as received, to await identification.
The body of E. P. Robinson, which was
among those taken from the hole cut in
the roof of the car, was among the first
removed, and was taken III charge of
by Coroner EVers. The bodies of six men
and TWO women were brought in soon
after. some of the bodies being at
first left at the receiving hos
pital. where the injured were also
taken. In short time thirteen
bodies lay on the floor and on the marble
slabs of the mOrgue, awaiting identifica-
tiOn. Many hearJrending scenes were
witnessed as the friends came toward to |
claim their dead. The list of the identi-
fed is as follows:
MARTIN KELLY. Oakland, assistant chief |
Whartinger for the state.
a. Il. AUSTIN, Of Austin q Phelps, San |
Francisco.
MISS FLORENCE AUSTIN.
MRS. BRYAN OiCONNOR, widow of the |
deceased member of the firm of O'COnnor. |
Moffatt q Co., San Francisco.
j. B. GOWN, sewing machine agent at |
Oakland.
L. R. ROBINSON, San Francisco.
LUIGI MALESTA. san Francisco.
CBpt. JOHN DWYER. Sacramento.
Mr.. WILLIAMS. San Francisco.
A ycr.1 H. Afrr1Y
The two Misses KEENAN,, San Francisco
The thirteenth body was that of
Japanese boy, who IS supposed to be II. |
Malerta, of San Francisco:
A late dispatch says the engineer and |
fireman were both saved. Thousands |
of people fiocked to the scene of the dis |
aster, and the street leading to the |
bridge with crowded with vehicles and |
hurrying men and women. So great was |
the crowd on the drawbrldge that the |
police had to drive the people off for |
fear the great weight would upset the |
bridge and cause another catastrophe.
The Widest TumOrs OF the extent OF the
loss of life were circulated, and many
people from San Francisco went
across the bay to look for
friends who were supposed to |
be on the train. The news of the dis
aster reached Mountain View cemetery,
where hundreds of Oakland people
were decorating graves. A panic was
created. and men, women and children
rushed into the town, leaving their dead
and dropping bouquets as they ran.
The cars of the narrow guage road
seat about fifty people. and the seats
are very close together. Conservative
estimates place the number of people
in the car at about thirty, thirteen of
whom lost their lives. The water over
which the bridge is built is an estuary
Of San Francisco bay and is commonly
called Oakland creek. A strong cur
rent runs in the stream, which at the
point of the accident is about two hum
dred feet wide and twenty feet deep
Both sides of the creek are
Lined With Shipping
and boatman from the vessels were of
great assistance in rescuing those who
escaped from the car. The drawbridge
is about 100 feet long, and just befre
the trains from San Francisco get on the
bridge they have to come around
sharp curve. and usually travel
1T a high rate of speed. A
passenger train crosses the bridge
every half hour during the day, and
when the bridge is open the keeper is
supposed to signal by hosting red
flag. j. N. Dunlap, the Dridge-tender,
saws the red danger flag was properly
set in the center of the track when the
bridge was swung open for the yacht
Junlata to pass. The boat had just gone
through and the bridge was being
swung back when the train ran OFF. He
suppOseS the engineer did not see the
signal on account Of the curve. The
stories of the engineer and fireman have
not been obtained. as they disappeared |