San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-12-07
THE CITY in MOURNING
FIVE MEN KILLED IN A RAIL-
ROAD WRECK.
A Terrible Collision of Two Freight Trains
On the Southern Pacific Yester-
day Which Was Caused
By 0arelessness..

A mantle of sorrow was spread over
the city, yesterday, when the sad news
of the freight wreck on the Southern
Pacific reached here. 1t was one of
the most disastrous wrecks in the
history of the road, according to men
who have been in the service of this
road for many years. Almost two
entire crews wiped out at one dash
is seldom equalled in the many rail-
road horrors.
Yet this is what happened yesterday
morning about 7:30 O'Clock, about 20
miles east of San Antonio, near Wael-
der. The crew that left San Antonio
Sunday morning about o'clock on an
eastbound freight train, known as
mo. D." consisted of Conductor Lar
ry Gaffney, Engineer w. III. Brown,
Fireman Geo. w. Askins and Brake
men Hugh Smith and G. ID. Lewis.
They received orders to stop at a
"blind siding" at Sandy Fork, about
eight miles this side of Waelder, to
let three sections of westbound
freight train, known as mo. "a"
pass. mo. %" reached Sandy Fork
between and 6 o'clock, took the sid
ing and stopped there about an hour
and half, waiting for the three
Twenty-fours.' The morning was
foggy and while waiting for mo. 24''
the. crew fell asleep.
A whistle meant the coming of the
first section, which passed safely with
Conductor Duke Handley, Brakeman
Jim Barnard and Engineer Tom Fin
negan. A few minutes later second
twenty-four footed and sped safely on
with Conductor w. S. Parish, Brake
man w. H. Hall and Engineer C. b.
Murphy.
The third section had not yet pass
ed and mo. 25' had orders to wait.
The crew had been asleep and be-
lieving that all was clear, backed up
and pulled on the main line. Just as
they were about to pull up hill,
leaving Sandy Fork, the '"Third "a"
came up and the worst happened. The
scene that followed beggars descrip-
ton. The two big engines crashed
into each other as though in madden
ed fury, causing the death of five men
as result of little error.
The engines We're completely wreck
ed, large stretch of track torn up,
cars of freight piled in a heap and
under and around this debris were
the bodies of five men, who had but
few hours before left their wives,
brothers and sisters healthy and I'M
suspecting of what fate had in store
for them. The crew of the Third "a"
consisted of Conductor Charles Heard,
Engineer Tom Cody, Fireman Will
Holt and Brakemen d. w. Heard and
J. w. Morris.
OF this crew Conductor Heard was
the only one that escaped deaths
summons, and Conductor Gaffney
and Brakemen Smith, Lewis and Nor
ris, of the eastbound train escaped
the deadly call.
The dead are:
William Holt, Jr., aged q, fireman;
621 Nolan street.
William III. Brown, aged 80, engi-
neer; All Ord street.
Thomas Cody, aged 40, engineer;
Willow and Van Ness streets.
Geo. w. Askins. aged %, fireman;
OF North Mesquite street.
David W6odson Heard, aged u,
brakeman; $50 North Flores street.
Their bodies We're horribly mangled,
cut and bruised.
OF the dead three were married.
Engineer Brown leaves a wife and
two little children. Engineer Cody
also leaves wife and two children.
Brakeman Dave Heard leaves a young
wife. He was married about month
ago.
1t was young Heard's first trip on
the road. He was given Walter
Morris run, who has lately taken
Conductor English's run. Will Holt
has been firing" for some time and
was to be given an engine at the first
opening.
Immediately after the wreck Con-