The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1890-11-14
DISASTER ON THE RAILS.
California Express Crashes
Through a TrestEe.

passenger train, or the California Ex-
press, went down with the north end
of the long trestle crossing what Is
known as Lake Labish, about half
mile north of the Chemawa Indian
training school, five miles from Salem.
The trestle must have given way as
soon as the engine struck 1t, and the
train and trestle all went down to-
gether.
The engine was overturned and half
buried in the mud. Following this
were the tender, mail, baggage and ex-
press cars, broken and twisted entirely
out of shape.
Then followed the frst-class day
coach, which was saved from gong
over by alighting with the front end ON
an old tree, broken off about even with
the trestle. The seats In the car were
every one broken to splinters and the
partitions were broken into thousands
of pieces.
Then followed the smoker, the
seats in which we're: nearly all
broken. Next was the tourist sleeper
in which were some twenty or thirty
passengers. Of this number only
three We're uninjured. Next was the
Pullman car "Alatia" with seventeen
passengers, and only three escaped
without injury.
The next and last car was the Pull
man "Roseburg," in which were fifteen
passengers, only four of these got off
with slight bruises.
In the smoker and day coach every
seat was occupied, and the proportion
of injured was larger, if possible, than
that of the cars following, as the
wreck was the most disastrous from
the front end, on account of the mail,
express and baggage cars overturnin5.
The only thing that kept the train
from burning was the fact that the
trsstle and track went down almost
perpendicularly with it, and none of
the passenger cars were overturned.
The first news of the disaster that
reached Salem came by an Indian STU
dent of the Chemawa school, who ar
rived a little before 9 o'clock, having
ridden in.
Relief and wrecklng trains were
sent out as soon as possible from Al
bany, Salem and Portland, and the in-
iured cared for as we'll as possible.
Those killed outright were Engineer
John McFadden, Fireman "Fin" Neal,
and all unknown: man, and a tramp
who was riding on the trucks of the ex-
press car, where he was found all
tangled and mangled among the irons.
Fifty persons, were injured,- some
of whom fatally. Among those more
seriously injured are,
Charles Vaughn, Forest Grove, leg
broken; Frank Cleveland and wife,
backs hurt; B. F. Dodd, Victoria, B.
G., broken leg; Captain Eneh,- San
Francisco, both legs broken near the
ankle; Frank Waite, Ellsworth, Kansas,
back sprained' and side mashed, in
juries will probably prove fatal; Clara
Hamlet, Tacoma, arm broken; c. Grie-
bel, drummer, Milwaukee, thigh bro
ken; "Pet" B. Beckley, Oakland, Or,
ribs broken and back injured; Miss
Nettie Starkey, of Portland, perhaps
fatally injured internally; James Nc
Garry, u. S. marshal from Salt Lake
City, Utah, nose broken,, leg probably
broken and badly injured internally;
fears are that he will bleed to death;
w. S. Kreek, Portland, ankle broken
and probably leg, face also bruised and
nose and eye cut; A. Huff, Eugene,
brakeman, back badly hurt, face mash
ed, nose and eye Gu, and ankle broken,
the bones protruding through his shoe;
SHAN Censor, Roseburg, conductor,
leg broken between knee and ankle;
Houghton, Pullman conductor. leg
broken and body bruised;- Gus Strang,
badly cut to the bone over the left eye,
left wrist and left shoulder badly
sprained and swollen;, Mrs. A. N Gill
bert, badly shaken up and it is feared
her injuries are internal, but how Sc
rious could not be learned; Warren
Gilbert, the 13-year-old son of Post
master Gilbert, leg broken and bad
cut under the chin.
According to the statements, made
by the superintendent and others, there