The morning call., 1892-07-21
A DASTARDLY ACT.
Another Attempt to Wreck a
Southern Pacific Train.
Some Unknown Men Place a Heavy Piece of
Timber Across the Railroad Track
Near Ocean View.

Another attempt at traIn-wrecking was
made by some unknown miscreants on the
evening OF the 18th inst. when a large piece
oil timber was placed on the railroad track
near the old Ocsan House road, between the
Industrial School and the station at Ocean
View, on the San Jose branch of the South
ern Pacific Railroad Company.
The regular San Jose freight, which
leaves this city at "a p. NJ. every evening,
narrowly escaped being thrown off the
track. which was only avoided by the vigil
anee OF the engineer, who managed to stop
the heavy train within a few feet of the
dangerous obstruction.
The train left the depot at Fourth and
Townsend streets at the usual hour. but
fortunately was run on very slow time,
owing 10 the frequency with which accidents
have occurred at the crossings of late
Near the place where the timber had
been placed on the track the grade is steer.
fact which the train-wreckers were evil
IDENTIFY aware of and which led them to
select II as suitable place for the attempt.
thinking the train could not be stopped in
time.
The obstruction consisted of a heavy piece
OF oak timber about feet long and from |
to 2 teet In thickness. 1t was placed di-
rectlY across the track about 40 yards above
the road crossing and carefully balanced by
by being steadied with smaller pieces of
wood used as wedges underneath, and which
would have prevented the pilot of the en-
glne from throwing it aside.
Dank several feet in height rises on
Doth sides OF the road and the track for
several hundred feet is Obscured in dark
ness ana 1T is difficult to distinguish any OBJ
ject at night.
1t Is owing to this fact that the heavy
freight train. consisting of about 30 cars was
"A a. 6asf
the cross road. TO prevent accident. In the
Hash OF the headlight Immediately aheai, the
engineer saw what looked like the body of
man stretched directly across the track
ne alrDrakes were Immediately put on and
the train stopped in time to prevent the col
llsion, when she train hands removed the
heavy TIN Der from the track and after a par
tal search for the wreckers in the immedi-
ate vicinity, continued on their way to San
Jose.
There IS no clew to the miscreants who
committed the outrage, although both the
police and railroad detectives have been
working on the case for the past week and
thoroughly searched the neighbOrhOod for
suspicious characters. but no one has yet
been arrested. 1t Is generally supposed
that the wreckers were not well acquainted
with the run OF trains on the road and that
II was their intention TO wreck one of the
passenger trains and rifle the baggage and
pockets OF the passengers during the excite
ment following the accident, but that they
struck the freight by mistake.
Ocean View has been the scene of several
attempts at train-~recking. On June %
last the open-spring switch just below the
station was opened, a full account of which
was published exclusively In TIE CALL at
the time.
On that occasion the lever-rod bolts on
the switch were smashed and the track
swung out, several fshplates being jammed
into the angles between the track and the
switch 10 keep 1t out Of place. The matter
was discovered by the station agent at
Ocean View just In time TO prevent the de-
raiiment OF the San Jose express, which
dashed by shortly afterward Detective
Byrnes and Sargent Bennett later arrested
James Roe and man giving the name OF
Jack Hallisey on suspicion OF having COM
mtted the deed and they are still confined
in the City Prison.
Chas. Henderson. station agent at Ocean
View, stated that he thinks the recent at
tempt to derail the train was the work of
tramps, quite a number of whom have been
seen IN the locality recently. He thinks
that some OF their number attempted to
steal q ride and when thrown off the train
by the crew thought to get even by wreck
lug the next one.
The police and railroad officials refuse to
discuss the matter. saying that they have
been instructed 10 keep it quiet until the
men are caught.