Los Angeles herald., 1890-06-24
Eight Men Jump From a
Hand-Car,
Expecting Death From an APP
preaching Train.
Three of the Number Receive Fatal
Injuries.
A Sad Accident on the Southern Pacific
Line-The Engine Merely Touches
the Abandoned Hand-Car.
An unfortunate accident took place on

An unfortunate accident took place on
the Southern Pacific line yesterday,
which will probably result in the death
of three men and the serious injury of
one other. The affair is the sadder to
contemplate for the reason that if the
men who are to give up their lives had
only been able to control their terror
they might now be well and happy.
Freight train No. q was coming down
from San Francisco in two sections. The
second OF these was in charge of Con-
ductor Sturgeon. The first section
passed the old station of Southside be-
tween the new stations of Ravenna and
Russ, twenty miles north of Newhall,
at II AS p. m. Here a gang of eight
bridge carpenters were at work under
Foreman Jack Sullivan. 1t is custom
ary for sections of trains to run about
five minutes apart, and red flag at the
rear OF the first section indicates that
the second is following. Under those
circumstances the track between is sup
posed to be kept clear, or if used by a
gang OF men on hand-car it is the rule
that the approaching section should be
warned by a flag.
Immediately after the first section
had passed the men, the foreman or
dered the handcar to be placed ON the
track, but neglected to signal the train
ment made by Conductor Sturgeon who
was seen by a reporter of this paper last
evening. 1t is evident that the foreman
thought that the handcar could keep
out of the way of the train that was
coming up, for it can hardly be supposed
that he did not notice the signal on the
rear of the train that had just passed.
The eight bridge carpenters climbed
upon the handcar and started it in mo-
tion down the track away from the train
that was coming up. Just as they came
upon a high trestle the engine
OF the second section came sud
denly in sight around curve.
1t was going at very low rate of
speed-not more than six or eight miles
an hour. The moment the hand-car was
noticed the alr-brake was used and the
train stopped just as the pilot came up
and touched the hand-car.
But in the meantime the eight bridge
builders, overcome with terror at the
sight of the engine bearing down upon
them, had some of them jumped and
some fallen off the car down the trestle.
The trestle was built of long piles set in
at an angle of about sixty degrees, inter-
laced with crossbars. Over and over
down this cruel ladder the men tumbled,
and when they reached the ground be-
low three of them had received injuries
which it is thought will prove fatal One
OF them, a man by the name of Murray,
had his back broken. Another, whose
name is Furlong, has his shoulders and
arms broken and is hurt internally.
The injuries of Will Smith, the third,
are principally about the head.
The distance was about fifty feet, and
below there was soft ground. Had they
jumped down upon the latter without
striking the crossbars of the trestle
work, it is not improbable all would
have escaped fatal in uries.
From what the engineer and fireman
saw during the brief instant that the en-
gine was coming down upon the ill-fated
crew, it is believed there were several of
the party who were unwilling to Jump,
and endeavored to stick to the car. 1t
was running at a fair rate of speed down
grade, so that everything was in their
favor, and any man who kept his head
would prefer not to Jump. But
those who were overcome with terror
seized hold of the others and managed
to drag them off, so that all eight went
down in a confused wriggling mass As
the matter terminated, had they stayed
on the car and not excited themselves
in the least they would have escaped in
jury for the pilot of the engine merely
touched it, without throwing it from the
track. and if they had continued to work
they could have easily kept entirely out
of the way.
The injured men were brought to Los
Angeles on the freight train and taken
to the Sisters hospital. AT late hour
it was expected that Murray would die
before morning and that the other two
would not live long. Among those re-
ceiving less severe injuries was the fore
man, Jack Sullivan, whose chest was
considerably bruised and his right arm
broken.