The record-union., 1891-11-06

jeff. visited his place while searching for
a lost horse. He staid over night, and
during q conversation expressed consid-
erable feeling against the railroad. He
threatened some day it would 'tcome
down; that he had been a brakeman
once, but quit. Witness told him that
train-wrecking was bad.
w. w. Dickie was one of the brakemen
who was among Conductor Goding's
"deadhead' crew in the caboose of the
wrecked train. He was asleep when the
wreck occurred. He dressed himself as
quickly as possible and seizing a lantern
ran down towhere the overturned sleeper
lay in the ditch. Brakeman Morrill, got
there about the same time. After Morrill,
broke open the door witness followed
him in. He heard Morrill, say to some
body-he did not know who-"How in
h did you get here so soon ?' Witness
was not acquainted with al Roberts.
Phil Douglas, Master Car Repairer of
the Southern Pacific Company, testified
wreck about 9 o'clock on the morning of
the 18th. Hedescribed the condition of the
track when he saw it, and then told why
1t was that the engine and some of the
cars remained on the track while others
went off. The pony truck of the engine
works on king bolt and swings on
curve and this, with the weight on the
lower rail. would
CARRY THE ENGINE
Back on the track again. The length of
cars had great deal TO do with the mat
ter, too. Mr.. Douglas said it was his par
ucular business to hunt up the cause of
wrecks. In this case it was clear that
somebody had loosened the raul. 1t was
physical impossibility, he said, for this
wreck to have been an accident. He'was
satisfied that the wreckers removed the
outside angle-plate and wedged it beneath
the loosened rail, but while it was his
theory that the inside one was removed,
too, he would not be sure Of this.
j. w. Hoy, employed in the railroad
repair shop at Sacramento, was the next
witness. He testified that he was a pas
senger on the wrecked train. He did not
notice any unusual noise, but he knew
by the vibration that some of the train
was off the track. The car he was in did
not leave the track. Heleft the car after
1t stopped and saw the other cars off the
track. The sleeper was in the ditch, and
he heard somebody call up from there to
bring an AK and some help. Witness did
not go down to the car, but went up the
track behind Section Foreman Cashin
and Brakeman Mcbride, and saw the
condition OF the track almost as soon as
they did. He was satisfied that the track
had been tampered with.
AN IMPOSSIBLE ACCIDENT.
Assistant Division Superintendent
Thomas X. Jones of Sacramento testified
that he arrived at the scene Of the wreck
several hours after it happened. He was
told that the track had not been touched
since the wreck, and was satisfied that it
was the work Of train wreckers. 1t was
impossible for the nuts to have looSened,
the bolts to have slipped out, and the
angle plate to have been gotten Oft and
under the rail purely by accident.
Mr.. Jones read from the time-sheet for
October, showing that the first section of
the overland, No. 4, passed over the point
wnere the wreck occurred about twenty
five minutes ahead Of the second section,
which was wrecked. Train No. 2, East
bound, passed over the same place shortly
before midnight.
/, Roadmaster Ahern was recalled by the
prosecution, to give some expert testi-
mony regarding broken rails. They
were always broken through some defect
in the steel. There was no break at the
COltax wreck. There was very little fric-
ton on the outer rail of a four-degree
curve, such as that where the wreck oc-
Cured. The outer rail would not be
worn out in ten years. The same rails
were now in the track on this curve that
were tampered with by the wreckers.
VIII Smith, a special officer for the
Southern Pacific Company and Deputy
United States Marshal, was called as a
witness and testified briefly as to the
measurements he took at the scene of the
wreck.
The court then adjourned till Friday, at
y a, NJ.