The San Francisco call., 1896-01-26
Engineer Stanley of the Narrow
Gauge Receives Fatal
Injuries.
PASSENGERS SLIGHTLY BRUISED
One Locomotive and Several Coaches
Demolished and Derailed by
the Contact.

SAN JOSE, CAL, Jan. 25.-A disas-
trous collision occurred between passenger
trains on the broad and narrow gauge
railroads at the crossing in Santa Clara
this afternoon about o'clock, by which
one man was fatally Injured, several per-
sons badly hurt ana two cars and an engine
wrecked.
The narrow-gauge passenger train going
north and the Del Monte limited broad
gauge coming south are due at this cross
ing about the same time, but watchman
stands at the crossing and signals all
trains On this occasion, according TO the
signals, the broad-gauge train had the
right of way and was coming toward San
Jose at a good rate of speed, when the
narr0w-gauge train crashed into it, land
ing baggage and passenger coach upon
their sides at a point about twenty-five
feet from where the collision occurred and
completely overturning and demolishing
the narrow-gauge engine.
One of the coaches was the smoker of the
Del Monte limited from San Francisco and
was filled with passengers. BY miraculous
chance only two persons were seriously
hurt. James Stanley, the engineer of the
engine of the narrowgauge road, was
caught beneath the timbers of his cab and
the reverse lever of his engine as the loco
motive turned over. His left leg was
crushed and broken and his right leg badly
bruised. His injuries, it is thought, will
prove fatal. Cory ingalls,, who resides
near Gilroy, was in the smoking-car, hich
was overturned, but he crawled out of
window and started to leave the wreck
hon ha oil in fai
that he had been seriously injured inter
nally. Ed Morris, the peanut butcher"
was badly cut about the face, but his
wounds are not serious. Fred WetzeI, the
fireman on the overturned engine. escaped
unhurt by jumping when he saw that
collision was unavoidable.
The narrow-gauge engine, which was
moving slowly, first struck the front of the
baggage-car, but only scraped along the
side of this car, lifting it slightly until the
opening between the smoker and the bag
gage-car was reached; then the full force
of the rapidly moving broad-gauge train
was brought against the end of its smoker,
which was sufficient to overturn the col
liding engine. The passengers in the mar
row-gauge coaches barely felt the force of
the colliding shock, but the passengers of
the broad-gauge train received an unpleas-
ant shaking up and many of them mar
rowly escaped being crushed to death by
actual contact with the engine. Fortu-
nately the couplings joining the over
turned cars with the other coaches
snapped, which prevented the occupants
of the rear coaches and the engine of the
broad gauge from receiving very serious
damage.
Stanley's injuries were dressed in Santa
Clara and he was taken to his home in Oak
land this afternoon. The passengers on the
colliding trains were transferred to trains
made up in this city and carried to their
destinations. BY means of transfers, those
going north were enabled to ride to the
scene of the blockading wreck, and by
walking short distance to take another
train and continue their journey. In this
way passenger traffic was not seriously in
terfered with by the smash up.
Among those injured are: Henry Lux,
left arm badly bruised; Jacob Vice of Gill
roy, right leg bruised; - Davis, leg in
iured. Many of those in the smoking car
were almost turned upside down, and sew
eral saved themselves from injury by grab
bing the arms to the seats and holding
firm, while the coach, filled with men,
turned over.
Stanley the injured engineer, is so years
of age, and is the Oldest employe on the mar
row-gauge line, having been running one
OF its engines for over twenty years-ever
since the road was built. This was his
first accident and "Stanley's luck" has
heretofore been proverbial among railroad
men. Stanley gave remarkable show of
nerve while pinned beneath his engine,
coolly giving ADVICE to the men at work as
to how best to release him. After nearly
an hours work he was finally dragged out,
and then for the first time he uttered
piercing scream, but nerved himself i'm
mediately.
When asked about the accident Stanley
said the fiagman give him the signal to go
ahead When he saw the other train an
preaching he shut off steam and reversed
the engine.
Ernest Kohlhall the fagman, is a one
armed railroader who has been employed
at the crossing for several years. He was
very reticent concerning the cause of the
accident and would say only that he had
signaIed the train, as was his usual Gus
tom. This means that he signaled for the
broad gauge train to go ahead, and Stan
ley mistook the signal. The set signal
speaks for itself, as after the accident it
was across the narrow-gauge track, signi-
fying that all trains on that line should
stop until it was removed. The narrow
gauge train could not have been moving at
any great rate of speed, as the passengers
aboard state they received only slight
jar.
From the amount of damage done, bow
ever, it would appear that the broad-gauge
train was going at rapid rate of speed at
the time of the collision. Stanley's engine
was a sad wreck. Its smokestack and
front were torn away, the cab was broken
off and the whole machine was no more
than battered boiler.
The baggage-car on the other line had
one of its sides badly splintered. One cor
ner of the smoker was torn out. Both
cars were lifted from their trucks. One of
them struck telegraph pole and broke it
off short and the car lodged against tree.