The herald., 1894-10-03
TRAIN DISASTER At OAKLAND,
A Smoking Car Jumps Off a
Trestle.
Thirty or Forty Men Went Down
With the Coach.
30 Far rs Known Only One Was Killed
But Many We're Isjursd-Ths
Cause OF the Accident
Not Known.

By the Associated Press.
OAKLAND, Oct. 2.-The smoking car
OF the Oakland train which connects
with the 5 :45 o'clock narrow.gauge boat
for San Francisco, jumped the track
ust south Of the draw bridge at Oak
land this evening, and dashed from the
treHtle. falling about Is feet to the mud
fats. There were 80 to 40 men in the
car. but 90 far as has been learned up
to midnight, only one was killed. Nearly
all the others were more or less injured,
but none Of the injuries will prove fatal,
The results of the accident. as definitely
as can be obtained tonight, are as fol-
lows:
Killed-Thcmas J. Csrley OF 75S Bush
street. chief clerk in the Denver and Rio
Grande office, IA Montgomery street,
San Francisco.
Missing; M. q. Simmons, carriage
painter.
Injured: Captain J. @. Wilson. coal
dealer, cut ON the forehead and about
the head.
Col. W. @. Little OF Broadway, bruised
all over the body, but not dangerously
hurt.
Isham Case, ticket agent at the mar.
row.esuge depot. bruised.
G. w. Hosmer, cut and bruised.
E. M. Herriek, president Of the Pacific
Pine Lumber company, bruised.
The place where the accident occurred
10 hardly the length of car from the
end OF the drawbridge where an engine
and car went down on Decoration day,
May 80, 1890, killing Is persons.
Just how the accident occurred to-
night is not known, and the officials are
keeping the facts about it as secret as
possible.
Apparently there was nothing the
matter with the track, and as it was the
rear car that first left the rails, 1t is be-
lieved that there was something wrong
with the car.
1t was 6:15 when the accident oc.
ourred. Darkness was just setting in
and the only light that WAS supplied by
the railroad for two hours wea q lantern
and locomotive headlight, while rail-
road section men seemed to be search
ing to find what needed repairs.
Brakeman James Case was standing
at the rear end of the smoking car. just
within the door. He was startled at
the frat shocks and dashed out on the
platform just Is the car fell sideways.
At the side OF the track and about q
foot below the level OF the rails. are long
beams Of wood extending out over the
water for five or six feet. The car
struck on those beams and against q
telegraph pole, having snapped the
couplings that connected 10 with the car
ahead, and it bounded over into the
mud and water of the creek, falling on
the side that had faced toward the bay.
Just as the car went down, the brake
man jumped. He landed on the hard
mud whore there was only about elk
inches of water and escaped without in
| jury.
''As near as / can tell, am the only
man that jumped from the rear plat
FORM" said the brakeman, though
others May have jumped from the front
end. l was not hurt ia any way, and
nobody that l saw in the car was in
jured. have no idea how the car hap
pened TO leave the track
Ieham Case, ticket agent for the
Southern Pacific at the narrow gauge
mole, was returning to supper at his
home. He was sitting in seat beside
M. G. Simmons, in the car which fell
from the bridge.
~ felt the rear trucks humping over
the ties just as we passed the switch
about 125 yards from the bridge" said
Mr. Case. "The car swayed and iolted
go that one could hardly keep standing.
pullsd the bell rope with all my might
twice, hoping to stop the train, but
without effect. AS the train approached
the bridge and straightensd out upon
leaving the curve, the spsed rather in
creased than diminished and the
rear car, which we wore in,
jolted harder than ever. I then hurried
to the front door OF the car and got out
upon the platform. As the Ger began to
Glide over sideways prepared to Jump.
As it left the bridge I sp-ang out GO far
ahead Of II 40 / could, and landed in the
creek about Elk feet ahead of where the
'front.' end of the car rested after it fell.
THE water was breast high where I
landsf, padded to the car and helped
to extricate several persona from the
windows. Several email boats came up
and passengers got into them as Inst as
they were helped out of the car windows.
Some waded ashore through the mud
and water. One of the last to be reg
cuod was Captain Wilson. He seemed
to be dazed. asked him to get into q
boat. but he refused, eaying il would
sink. Then I helped him to wade