Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1894-07-20
A TRAIN WRECKED.
-Four More Lives Sacrificed in
The Railroad Strike.
BRIDGE CUT IN CALIFORNIA.
The Victims Were Three Regular
Soldiers and the Engineer-Chi-
CagO Roads All Open-Strlke
Declared to be Practically
at an End.

The Southern Pacific company broke the
blockade at Sacramento. Cal, andthe engine
that hauled the first train out lies on its back
in a slough by the side OF a broken priugo
with tree OF the cars that made up the train.
Under tho wreck in the oo2o and slime OF
stagnant water lie the bodies Of the engineer
who held the throttle and three soldiers who
were guarding him.
Three men wero Injured, and ons OF them
will almost surely die. This is Wes.ey Dugan,
also a private in Battery L, of the Fifth Ar
tillery He was on the tender OF the engine,
md WAS thrown to the shore of tho slough.
One of his arms was torn from its sockets
and broken in three places, and his jaw was
broken.
The wreck of the train was accomplished
nv means of loosened rail. Fishplates were
removed. spikes drawn. and bolts taken out.
The rail was left in place and there was moth
ing to show the engineer. who was running
his train slowly and cautiously, that there was
ANYTHING wrong with the track ahead ot him.
When the wheels struck the loose rail it sent
the ponderous engine on TO the ties. Ihe
cars followed. and the whole forward end o.
the train plunged into the muddy water Tie
trestle is a complete wreck. The rails are
bent like a shepherd S crook. and the ties arc
ground to tooth picks. The locomotive turned
n complete somcrsault.
TIL scene Of the wreck is q little over two
miles from Sacramento. It was well selected
for disaster The loosened rail was just at
the end Of tho bridge, and the momentum q
the heavy train could not fail to hurl great
part Of it into destruction.
The effects of the outrage mas been to make
the soldiers desperately bitter against Tie
strikers. Where they would have fired with
reluctance they will now shoot with actual
Measure. Their feeling is shared b. tie
militia. and it is almost certain that tho
lives OF other men will pay for those Of the
three soldiers.
The soldiers have already captured two
strikers who are suspected OF knowing how
the rail came to be misplaced The cavalry
brought the men in, and they were under
guard at the depot for some hours before
they were turned over to tho United States
marshal. President CIeycland's Procame-
ton did not quite place Sacramento under
martial law, 50 that the civil authorities Will
deal with these accused men. Otherwise tho
military court would deal their fate out to
them.
The catastrophe camo entirely without
warning. The soldiers lad cleared the depot
without particle OF trouble, aad except for
some desultory firing At longSranSe between
the militia and the strikers in the early morn
ing. there was no sign OF violence or opposl-
ton. The railroad people were already con
graduating themzelyes on the successful
breaking OF the blockade, and the soldiers
were shaking hands over the bloodlcss cam
paign. when the awful news came. 1t was
discredited at first, but presently Il messenger
arrived from the wreck with note from the
conductor telling OF the horror. wrecking
train. with army surgeons on board, was hur-
red to the scene, but there was little that
they could do They brought the wounded
to the military depot, and replaced their
rough field bandages with more elaborate
dressing. The dispatch OF the cavalry to the
scene, to find. if possible the guilty parties,
followed. and in a very short time these SOL
diers were back with their prisoners.