The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-01-28
William Turney Caught in the
Wreck and Pinioned Un-
der the Water.
4 DISASTER AT MIDNIGHT.
Result of an Attempt to Run an Engine
Aboard the Theater Boat From
This City.

A third railroad accident, attended by q
fatality, occurred little after midnight
this morning at the North Pacific Coast
Railway Company's wharf in Sausalito.
An engine and tender plunged into the
! ferry-slip and now lie buried under the
water.
William Turney, the engineer, was
crushed between the two and carried under
the water and drowned.
Fireman Williams escaped alive, but he
was badly injured about the head.
The story of the accident indicates that
bad judgment was the cause.
Three times a week theater boat is run
to San Francisco for the accommodation
of those who live in Marin County and
who desire to return to their homes after
the theaters close. Last night the ferry
boat Sausalito took it's regular load of pas
sengers back to Sausalito.
It always carries across the bay on these
late trips several fiat railroad cars, loaded
with freight, which are run ashore at the
freight wharf after the passengers go
ashore.
Heretofore the engineer has always
backed an empty fiatcar or two down
over the "apron" that connects the wharf
with the ferry-boat. These empty cars
are attached to the loaded freightcars
which are pulled ashore over the apron
by the engine on the pier.
After the passengers were landed-about
1890 o'clock this morning-the deckhands
began preparations for sending the freq ht-
cars ashore. William Turney, the en-
gineer, ran his engine down the wharf,
but there were no flatcars empty that could
| be used for making connection with the
cars on the boat.
! Tnrney, the engineer, examined the
apron, which was newly constructed, and
decided that it was strong enough to hold
up the weight of the engine and the ten
der. He mounted the cab and SLOWLY
backed upon the apron.
When half way across the bridge there
was cracking of tlmbers and the loud re-
! port OF breaking chains. Before the en-
! gine could be moved out of danger the
bridge gave way with loud crash and the
engine and tender plunged downward be-
! tween the end. of the ferry-boat and the
wharf.
To those who witnessed the disaster. the
downward movement of the huge mass of
iron, it seemed an age. While the laborers
and deckhands were gazing in horror upon
the scene Fireman Williams was seen to
| leap from the tender and land on the out
side of the broken timbers.
| Suddenly there was wild cry of an.
| guish heard above the kissing steam.
| Through the mist Engineer Turney was
seen pinioned between the rear end of his
engine and the front end of the tender.
both of which were sinking rapidly below
| the level of the deck and wharf as the
| lower timbers broke under the enormous
weight.
| Before a helping hand could be raised
the engine and the tender sank below the
| levels of the waters in the slip, carrying
| the mangled engineer with them.
| Before the waters closed over his head
| Turney gave faint cry of despair. A
| minute later his sufferings must have
ended.
Several people rushed forward to find
| what had become of Fireman Williams,
who was seen to spring to the outer edge
of the wreckage. They shouted his name,
and second later an answer was heard
| from under the side of the ferry-boat.
Williams had landed in thea water
when he leaped from the tender and was
so fortunate as to be able to swim q few
strokes out of the way of the falling engine
and tender. He swan to a pile in the
| slip close to the side of the ferry-boat and
there clung until help reached him.
| In his flying leap Williams struck some
obstruction that cut his head and face
| badly, but otherwise his injuries were
slight.
| A crowd quickly gathered around the
wharf and peered down into the slip.
| Only the smokestack of the engine and a
part of the tender could be seen by the
| rays of the lanterns.
Efforts were made to recover the body
of the dead engineer, but to no purpose,
for the last seen of him he was held in q
vise-like grip of the engine and tender.
Turney was 35 years of age.
He leaves widow, who Is in verv poor
| health, and one child. The family live IN
San Rafael. Turney was an engineer on
! the North Pacific Coast Railroad for many
years and was regarded as careful man.
He was a member of the Brotherhood of
Locomotive Engineers and of the Ancient
| Order of United Workmen
The passenger train for San Rafael had
| just started away from the pier, and the
few Sausalito people who had arrived on
the theater boat had gone to their homes.
! Only the trainmen and boatmen were
there at the time of the accident, besides
Alfred Brandes, the night watchman at
| the pier.
| Brandes Immediately rang the frebel
and fired his pistol to attract the people of
the town, and in short time a large
crowd had gathered. But there was little
that could be done. for the engine was un-
der water and the engineer was with it.
| Fireman Williams had saved himself by
| swim ming ashore, although he was con-
| siderably bruised and cut up, and when he
struck the water he was nearly stunned.
| Lights were fixed up on the wharf and
? $40 nd on, aktarrnr rAt ada