Los Angeles herald., 1891-06-18
PORT COSTA TRAGEDY,
MORE OF THE DETAILS OF THE
ACCIDENT.
One of the Passengers Tells the Story.
Surgeons Horrible Death-Dr Dor
sey's Assistance.

The San Francisco Examiner of Tues
day prints very vivid account of the
accident to the Los Angeles express
train on Monday, at Port Costa, from
which is taken the following account
given by G. d. Robinson, who was on
the train
"The accident occurred at one-eighth
OF mile to the east of tie ferry slip at
Port Costa. We were going along at a
moderate rate of speed, as l thought,
and the first thing heard were some
toots of the locomotive whistle to down
brakes. The brakes were applied very
sharply and then there came that famil-
lar thump, but it was not severe enough
to cause any alarm. Some of the pas
sengers got out of the cars and ran up
towards the engine and when 1 got there
L found one of the worst smashups /
ever saw in my life. The tender and
about one-third of the engine was driven
into the mail car to within ten inches Of
the end.
found that we had run into gravel
train OF about fifteen or sixteen cars
standing on the main track. When the
trains collided, the gravel engine, being
lighter than ours, iutted on top of
our engine about fourteen inches,
and the footplates and bolts were
smashed.
''The head brakeman of the gravel
train and the engineer and fireman
jumped when the trains came together,
but the head brakeman was caught and
thrown into the cab in sitting position,
with the cab jammed on his breast,
smashing the life out of HIM. looked
in and saw him lying there. 1t was a
horrible sight. His face was swollen
negro. All the blood in his body seemed
to have. oozed out of his mouth and
nostrils.
S'We got to work as quickly as we
could to release the men imprisoned in
the wreck of the mail car A passenger
named S. Comstock, from Visalia, who
had formerly been woodman, got q
railroad ak and began chopping away
the stanchions at the door from below.
He was big, strapping fellow, and every
put some half-bitches around the
btdnCllOHS, dhO WO ouCOCCoO0 III OlCdi lLS
the way. Then a man covered with
blood began crawling out through the
window. 1t was the engineer of our
train. He was, fortunately, but very
little injured.
''Then another man came out not very
much injured. Comstock kept chopping
away, and we got at Spurgeon, the mail
clerk. He was bruised and scalded
dreadfully, and he lay there helpless
and moaning. 1t took us half an hour
to get him him out. He was wedged in
the door of the mail car in about ten
inches of space, and suffered terrible
pain. On the way down to this city he
died, but not before he sent dying mes
sage to his mother.
LUCKILY there happened to be a lady
doctor, Mrs. Dorsey, on the train and
she at once went to work like a heroine
attending to the wants of the injured un-
til the arrival of the railroad company's
doctor. The conductor of our train also
rendered valuable service in rescuing
the inmates of the mail car at time
when hundreds of people were standing
around entirely bereft of their wits.
cit will not do for the company to as
scribe the accident to the act of God.
The curve is dangerous one as one end
of it cannot be seen from the other end.
In the middle of this curve stands a
watch tower commanding view OF both
ends of the curve, and up to short
cime ago man used to be stationed in
the tower to prevent just such accidents
as this, but rumor has it that the COM
pany discharged him for economical
reasons and the observation window was
boarded up"