Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1890-06-02
INTO A RIVER
PlIEges an Engine and a Crowded
Coach at Oakland, Cal.
An Open DraWbridge the Cause
Of the Disaster.

The Bridge Tender Says His Warning Was
Set in Time-COnductOr Estimates the
Number in the Car Between Thirty and
Thirty-Five, Most of Whom Lost Their
Lives-StOries of Survivors.
SAN FRANCISCO, June 2.-An accident
fearfully destructive of life occurred
Friday afternoon at the open drawbridge
over San Antonio creek, at Webster
street, Oakland. The yacht Juanita had
just passed the draw, and before the
keeper could close it passenger train
approached ON its way to Alameda.
The engineer saw the open draw and
reversed his engine. But he was too
late and the engine and first car full of
passengers plunged into the water be-
meath. The couplings breaking left the
remainder of the train on the bridge.
The second car, however, ran about a
third of the way over the bridge and
stopped with a conclusion sufficient to
break open its front end and throw
many passengers into the water.
The engine went to the bottom of the
river with the first car, but the latter
rose again and such of the passengers as
escaped drowning while submerged
were picked up by the yachts and boats
that almost Immediately gathered to the
rescue.
There were from thirty to thirty-fve
people in the car and Conductor Rerath
estimated that more than half were
drowned.
Thirteen Bodies Recovered.
Friday night the bodies of thirteen
had been recovered and taken to the
morgue for Identification.
James Dunlap, the bridge tender, says
the red flag of warning was set at the
time, and he supposes the engineer did
not see 1t on account of the curve in the
road.
The conductor saw some half-dozen
people swim away from the car, and
there is the testimony of several who
blindly groped their way out of the
door and windows, by which means it
was believed some of the women and
children in the car escaped.
The Identified Dead,
All the bodies recovered from the
Oakland disaster have been identified,
1t is believed that no more lives were
lost, but parties are still at the wreck
searching the bed of the creek. The
correct list of the victims is as follows
Capt. T. Dwyer, of Sacramento.
F. r. Irwin, of Oakland.
III. s. Austin, of San Francisco.
Florence Austin, of San Francisco.
Katie Kearns, of San Francisco.
Nellie Kearns. of San Francisco.
ii. S. Auld, of Honolulu.
Matthias Williams, of San Francisco.
E. R. Robinson, of San Francisco.
Miss Bryan O'Connor, of San Fran
cisco.
Martin s. Kelly, of San Francisco.
Lingi Maletesta and his son, Allillio,
of San Francisco.
Survivors Stories.
Among the saved from the first car
were Capt. NJ. P. Roberts, his niece,
Mrs. S. H. Roberts, and her two daugh-
ters. The captain and his relatives oc-
cupied seats in the forward car, and
when the accident occurred were the
first to be submerged. The car parted
from the train as it went off the bridge,
and on striking the bottom of the bay
the coupling connecting it with the ten
der broke and that end rose to the sur
face. The first thing the captain real
ized was that he was floating under the
car vSntilators with one of the children,
Effie, clinging to his neck, and Mrs. Rob-
erts and her elder daughter struggling
in the water Realizing his danger, he
called upon them to follow, and plunged
through the car door, which was sub
merged. On coming to the surface he
found boat, to which he and the others
chung until assistance arrived and they
were taken ashore.
Miss Mary Austin. daughter of Henry
S. Austin, of Austin, and Phelps was
saved, but her father and her sister
Florance were drowned. Miss Austin
states that she was sitting on left side of
the car which plunged into the water,
just one seat ahead of those occupied by
her father and sister. When the crash
came she chung to her sister Florence
until the water tore them apart. Every
one seemed to be trying to get on top of
the car, One of the male passengers
broke window with his fist, and Miss
Austin says she succeeded in getting
through somehow. When rescued she
was nearly unconscious,
The report that the engineer and fire.
man went down with the wreck is COM
tradicted by an acquaintance of both
men. who claim to have seen them.
Jonn WlIlAInS, TesluenU OI Alalneud,
says that he talked with the engineer
and fireman in Alameda, mile from
the scene of the accident. They had
told him when the engine had gone over
the end of the trestle, they jumped into
the water and climbed upon the piles to
the wharf. The crowd that had gather
ed were manifestly hostile to the men,
and the engineer says that when
he was climbing upon the wharf
a stranger tried to push him back into
the water. Fearing violence both men
said they had run away. Neither the
engineer nor fireman could be found at
their homes Friday night.