The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-04-14
" Fatal Tower q"

eally as to throw them back On their
launches. The bystander knew that the
other train was due just then the driver
less familiar with the city, apparently did
not, and was confused, too, by the left
handed track system that prevails on that
line.
Two trains pass each other at that point
every half hour during the day. A line of
cable-cars crosses the track, q horse car line
also runs 10 Seventh street on Broadway,
and all day long steady stream OF foot
passengers and vehicles Of every description
pOurs across the tracks, for Broadway Is
the principal business street In the city, and
Seventh street crosses its busiest point.
Yet there is nothing placed there-not
even man with a white flag 10 warn people
of the impending danger.
In many cities in the East where dam
gerous crossing like that exists great bars
are stretched across the streets, and are
lowered Whenever a train is approaching
and raised as soon as it has passed.
But that sort of an arrangement costs
money, and can hardly be expected from
the Southern Pacific, which has all II can do
now to keep the wolf from the door.
Few people realize what constant men,
ace to life those local trains are in Oakland.
Scarcely week goes by without some accl-
dent resulting in loss Of life or limb.
Witnessed the episode described above finds
the record of about % deaths from this
source. Twenty-Five in a little less than
fourteen months!
On February 10 of that year an unknown
man was run over and killed by the Berke-
ley local at University avenue. The jury
found a verdict Of accidental death, and
attached no blame to the railroad em-
ployes.
On The 18th of the following month Will
wa
local train at the mole. Another verdict of
accidental death.
August / John P. Olmstead jumped off
the Alameda narrOw-guage train at Pacific
station and was struck aud killed by the
train. The jury attached no blame to the
tTalnmen.
August % Freddie Nallinger, aged IA,
was run over and killed by the Seventh
street local at EIbert street
October 5 Francois Olivier was killed by
the Seyenth-street local while crossing the
street. The jury found his death was the
result OF his own carelessness.
The next day an unknown man was seized
with ut, fell off the train and was killed.
There have been several such cases. Two
more are recorded soon after that, one man
dying Of apoplexy. The cars are crowded
with sitting humanity. Ii a passenger is
faint or turns sick in the nauseating atmos-
phere OF the reeking cars not window can
be opened, there is no recourse but TO get
out on the platform, and il the Keeling victim
falls from that perilous position the CON-
pany cannot be held responsible. Does not
every door bear a notice prohibiting passeu-
gers from riding on the platforms? The
juries in these cases attached no blame to
the management
On the 18th Of that same month Manuel
MonOls, a boy, was cut In two by train at
Seventh and Cedar streets while jumping
on and off the train-a peTilous amusement
of Oakland boys which ii seems mpossib bic
to prevent. The jury attached no blame to
the railroad.
Eleven days later, on October %. Thomas
Workman. aged g. was killed at First and
Market streets by the Alameda local. Yer
dict, accidental death.
November s, Henry S. Peters, aged %,
was killed while endeavoring to board the
narrow-gauee train at Twelfth and Webster
streets. The jury found bis death to be the
result Of his own careleSsneSs.
A few days later-on November 15-be-
tween the towers at the mole, John Dem
man, aged 80. was struck by the Seventh
street local and killed. Another verdict Of
accidental death.
The signal-tower at the upper end Of the
pier seems TO mark curiouSly fatal spot.
Fatal tower 2" they call it across the bay.
During the next month. within 90 hours, three
men were killed there by falling from trains.
The first victim was Peter Caper, aged 10,
WHO met his death on December 8. On De-
cember John Johns on, aged %, was found
cead by the track ne ar tower 2, having
fallen from or been struck by the train, and
on December an unknown man, apparently
sailor, met the same fate.
On December 6. also, John NJ. Tobin of
San Francisco fell from the Seyenth-street
local at Henry street, fractuTing his skull.
He died from his injuries.
Just why so many fatalities occur at that
particular place is hard to determine. Per
haps it Is because the trains increase their
speed on the per-perhaps the number of
switches in that vicinity cause the cars to
jolt more severely-the platforms are always
crowded with passengers seeki ing to escape
the foul air within the cars, and from these
the ranks OF victims are recruited.
December % James Timmons died from
injuries received by being thrown from
cart that was struck by the Berkeley train
passing through Oakland.
January %, 1892, Mrs. Annie Smith was
crossing the street when the Seventh-street
local was approaching. She apparently be-
came confused. walked directly in front of
the train, and was killed. Purely acct
dental was the verdict in her case.
On the night of February Ii Louise Silva,
aged 26. and Francisco Jose Bispo were
killed at Posen station by the eastbound
train.
February % an unknown man was found
oead at the pier, run over and mangled by
passing train.
March q j. ID. Milburn was run over and
killed by the Berkeley local at Seventh and
Bay streets. Another verdict of accidental
death.
The verdicts are all right No one sup
poses these deaths to have been anything
else but accidental. but such accidents will
continue to be of fearful frequency so long
Is railway trains drawn by locomotive en-
g'neS are allowed to rush along crowded
business streets In the very heart Of large
city:
These trains ought to be done awav with
altogether, said a well-known city official.
such service Is an outrage in city like
Oakland. The trip to the ferries ought to
be made by electric cars, that would be
quicker. cleaner, less noisy. less dangerous
and in every way better"
A new element of danger has recently
been introduced at West Oakland. which
has resulted in a good many accidents, but
fortunately. no deaths. Some time since
the constant complaint at headquarters Of
trains being late, etc., caused a warning to
be issued to engineers on the Seventh-street
local that unless these complaints ceased
their heads would come off. Since then
there has been an Improvement in this re-
gard, but the gain In time seems TO be made
by rushing the trains, beyond Adeline
street. Trains beyond that station barely
come to a halt before they are started up
again, the luekless passengers being often
only able to get off by making grand
scramble. Sometimes belated one, de-
tanned perhaps by inability to get through
the crowded cars in time, gets left alto
gether. and only succeeds in getting on by
making a jump from the moving train.
loud and deep at West Oakland.
A lady who bad not visited San Francisco
for some time had curious experience al
the San Francisco wharf recently. Arriy-
Ing by the Darrow-gange boat On the San
Francisco 9Ate. she found an entirely new