The herald., 1898-03-01
'NEWSOF THE RAILWAYS
A LUCKY TRAIN COLLISION ON
THE SANTA FE
TWO ENGINES ARE SMASHED
The Southern Pacific to Make Another
Cut or in the Main Line at Ex-
eter-Notes and Personals

r,here seems to be some sort OF hooooe
which makes things unpleasant just no"
for the management Of the santa Fe-Fa-
c,fic for controversies and accidents follow
each other with rapidity. In the past iew
months more lives and property have been
destroyed on this road than mas Deen .ie
case in many previous years. fortunately
the last accident was not OF serious ma
ture. and only served to give the passeh-
gers to a severe shaking and to scaio tne
chef Of the dining car on the nml.so with
lot Of hot coffee he was preparing.
ted eastbound Santa Fe train, which iert
hero Sunday morning with the westpouno
regular overland. due in this city that even,
ing. The two trains were to nave passeu
at lava. a sidetrack station, east OF the
Needles The engineer Of the Limited nao
orders to take the switch al TINS point
but for some inexplicable reason did NOT 40
so, but kept on the main track AT soou
rate of speed. The overland engineer on
the contrary, though he had the right OF
way, from caution, slowed down as ne
approached the switch where the otner
train should have been, ana as conse-
uuence the two locomotives came together
without the force that would nave peen
the case II the overland's engineer nad
acted with less care than he did II was no,
vet dark when the meeting took place, ana
both engineers had time to further slow
down their machines and to jump for
safety. The result was the smashing OF
two engines and general snaking-up Oh
the passengers, the Chef as stated being
the only one to receive any injuries, pot
of hot coffee being spilled over him.
Other engines were sent out from the
Needles and the two broken machines were
b,,,1ed - ho ehonS The trains proceeded
after delay Of four hours
SOUTHERN PACIFIC NEW LINE
The Southern Pacific intends, 1t is evil
dent, to have as short and straight line
between this city and San Francisco as 1t
Is possible to build. All Of Its efforts now
are being based on the reduction of grades
and curves and the abandonment OF the
tortuous bits Of track that were once con-
sidered necessary, particularly In the
mountains.
The company is now engaged in building
a short line from Visalia to Exeter. which.
while it appears on its face to be OF no
particular consequence. at the same time 1t
will enable the company to materially
shorten the route for at least one of its
trains between the north and this city
and to give commercial travellers choice
of visiting a number OF interior points, Tor
the new portion of line referred to will then
line. One Of the trains between San Fran
cisco and this city will then go by way
of Bakersfield, Exeter, Porterville Visalia
and Hanford. leaving the line between
Fresno and Exeter to be taken care of by
a local train
NOTES
Mrs. H. E. Huntington, wife of H. E.
Huntington of the Southern Pacific COM
pany. arrived here yesterday. She is with
her family. and will go on to Arizona to-
day for short stay for her health.
c. j. Ives, the president of the Burling-
ton, Cedar Rapids and Northern railway,
arrived here yesterday from the east on
his way to Portland. He will go north to-
day.
L. ]. Parks, the ASSISTANT general pas
senger and freight agent of the Southern
Pacific at Houston. Texas, arrived here
last evening In his special car Houston"
He is on a honeymoon tour and Is today at
Mount Lowe.
Chief Clerk Walker of the general super
office of the Santa Fe-Pacific,
is again at his desk. after an Illness Of
several days. He is not thoroughly re-
stored to health, but the press Of work
is so great that he pluckily returned.
There are large tracts Of coal lands near
Meyersdale, Pa, on the Baltimore and
Ohio railroad, which capitalists are be-
ginning to develop. A new road about
five miles long, has been pushed into this
region and will soon be ready for opera
ton. 1t is one of a number of small lines
that are being built by outside parties to
develop hitherto inaccessible tracts of
both coal and timber lands in Pennsyl-
vania and West Virginia.