The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1890-06-06
INTO AN OPEN DRAW
a PASSENGER TRAIN FAEIsS INTO
THE RIVER.

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PAssENGER TRAIN FAELs INTO
THE RIVER
Many Lives Lost In . Frishtsal Raiiroad
nesr's Carelessness.
San Francisco Cali dispatch: In .
frightful railroad accident twenty.nfne
train connecting at Oakland with the
ferryboats from San Francisco ran
through an open drawbridge over San
Antonio Creek ut Webster street, Oak
land. The yacht Juanita had just
passed through the draw when the
train appeared. going In the direction
OF Alameda. The drawbridge keeper
endeavored at nee to close the bridge.
but 1t was too late, and the engine with
the tender and the first car, which was
filled with passengers, plunged into the
creek, which was here quite deep.
Engineer Sam Dunn, when he saw
that the bridge did not close, reversed
the lever, but the momentum OF the
CINE was too great to allow him to stop
the train 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 cur ran about o third Of the way
across the. bridge and stopped. but tho
jar was sufficient to break open the
front of the car, and many Of the pas
sengers were thrown into the water.
The first car, which had followed the
engine to the bottom of the muddy es-
tuary, soon rose. and such of the passen.
gers as had escaped were picked up by
the yachts and small boats which gath
cred ut tho scene. The trainmen and
the rest of the passengers set to work to
help the %rescuers, and when the wreck
ing train arrived from Oakland the Cur
was drawn into shallow water and small
boats began dragging the creek for the
bodies of the victims.
The top of the passenger coach was
cut open as soon as 1t was raised above
the water and the work of removing the
bodies commenced, ten being taken out
in quick succession. Three one and
three girls were taken from the water
alive and removed to the receiving hos
pital. Another young lady died loon
after being taken from the water.
The news of the accident created In.
tense excitement In Oakland and thOus-
ands Of people flocked to the morgue and
to the scene of the wreck. At the
L tuOA y uC JULIUS WOIO tdiU OuO a. SOOu dS
received to await Identification.
The body of Z. r. Robinson, which
was among those taken from the hole
cut in the roof of the car, was among
4 the first removed, and was taken charge
of by Coroner Evers. The bodies of six
men and two women were brought in
soon after, some of the bodies being ut
first left at the receiving hospital,
where the injured were also taken. In
q short time thirteen bodies lay on the
floor and on the marble slabs of the
morgue awaiting Identification. and
h~eartrending Genes were witnessed as
friends came forward to claim their
dead. The list of the identified is Us
follows:
MARTIN KELLY. Oakland. AssistantChie
Wharfnger for the State.
A. H. AUSTIN of Austin & Phelps, San
Francisco.
MISS FLORENCE AUSTIN.
MRS. BRYAN O'CONNOR, widow of the de-
ceased member OF the firm of O'Connor. Moi
fatt & Co, San Francisco.
j. II. IRWIN, sewing muchine agent, Oak.
land.
F. II. ROBINSON. Sun Francisco.
LUIGI MALTESTA, San Francisco.
Capt. JOHN DWYER. SACRAMENTO.
MIR. WILLIAMS, Sur Francisco.
T H W ,A ADt MIs ssSls'e R'iiE ElsSHlS|u Sam Fran
cisco.
II: MALTERA. San Francisco.
The experience OF the passengers in
the first coach, as related by those who
fortunately escaped, was horrible in tho
extreme. +. +. Finley. of San Fran
graphic story of tho disaster. eve
left tho city, he said, con the
1:25 train for Alameda on the narrow
gmage. ! was seated OH the front seat
of tile first car, facing the engine. All
went we'll until just as we approached.
the drawbridge crossing San Antonio
creek. AS we drew near to tho
bridge itsecmed to me the draw was
open and that q fearful accident was
inevitable. just then Il man jumped
from the engine into the water, and
then came a crash. A horrible crush
ing of timber and swapping of heavy
iron-work followed; and ut once con-
%sternation prevailed in the car. Tie
next thing l knew l found myself blindly
cropping for the door, which ! fortu-
natcly found and opened. When I
found myself OH the platform gradually
worked my way by climbing and hold
ing on to the front of the car to the
roof, which l had just reached when
that end of the car rose out of
the water, and quite anumbcr of people
escaped in this manner, principally
women and children. The car was about
tw0-thirds full when we left the wharf,
and I should Judge there were ut least
fifty people In 1t. There was O fearful
Ontcry when the car began to fill, but
this was almost Immediately hushed in
II long final wall OF despair" s.
James Dunlap. who was tending tho
hrid1o NJ the time nj tho ocnfionk cotd.