Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-05-31
PLUNGED THROUGH A DRAW.
Twenty-Five Persons Drowned at Oak
land, Cal.

Oue OF tue mOst nOrrlDle railway acclQenE
ever known in California occurred at lao
O'Clock yesterday afternoon. when the local
train connecting at Oakland with the ferry
boats from San Francisco ran through an open
draw bridge over the San Antonio creek at
Webster street, Oakland. The yacht Jusnita
had just passed through the draw when the
train appeared going in the direction of
Alameda. The draw-bridge keeper endeavored
at once to close the bridge, but il was too late
and the engine, with its tender and first car
which was filed 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 momentum of the engine
was too great to be stopped In time. The weight
OF the engine and the first car broke the
couplings and left the other two cars of the
train standing on the track.
The second car ran about third of the yay
across the bridge and stopped but the Jar was
sufhelent to break open the front OF the car
and many 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 passengers as had
escaped we're picked up by the yachts and
other boats which gathered at the scene The
trainmen and the rest of the passengers lent
their aid to the work Of rescuing and when the
into shallow water, and the boats began drag
glng the creek for bodies. The train was in
charge of Conductor Rerath and an extra crew,
1t being holiday. The conductor stated that
probably twenty-five persons had met their
death. The top OF the passenger coach was
cut opon soon as il was raised above tho
water and the work of removing the bodies
commenced, ten beng taken out in quick sue
cession.
Engineer Dunn was not to be found and it
ha xrao hnna m
fireman, it is thought, escaped by jumping
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 intense excitement In Oak
land and thousands of people hocked to the
morgue and to the scene of the wreck At the
morgue the bodies were laid out as soon as re-
celved to await Identification. The body of T.
+. Robinson, which was among those taken
from the hole cut in the roof of the car. was
among the first removed and was taken in
charge by Coroner Evers. The bodies of six
men ana 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 await
ing Identification. Many heartrending scenes
were witnessed as the friends came forward to
claim their dead. The list of the identified is
as follows: Martin Kelly of Oakland assistant
chief wharfnger for the state; A. Ii. Austin of
Austin Phelps of San Francisco; Miss Flor
ence Austini Mrs. Bryan OConnor widow of
the deceased member of O'Connor, Moffatt &
Co.. San Francisco; ]. r. Ewing sewing ma
chine agent at Oakland f. II. Robinson, San
Francisco; Luigi Malesta, San Francisco; Capt
John Dryer, Sacramento; Mr.. Williams San
Francisco; ii. w. Aud (colored), Honolulu:
the two Misses KEENAN, of San Francisco The
thirteenth body was that of japanese boy
suDnOspd he Of
A late dispatch says the engineer and fireman
were both saved