The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1898-05-01
LOCAL RAILWAY NEWS
A TWO DAYS SAND STORM ON
THE COLORADO DESERT
TRAIN WRECK AT RAvENNA
Southern Pacific Freight Cars Ditched
and Three Men Injured-Notes
and Personals


In the Biographies the children studied
in the little red schoolhouses twenty odd
years ago there were terrifying descrip-
lions of the sand storms on the Sahara des-
ert which detailed the way venturesome
travellers were liable to be smothered at
any time in banks of the little stone par
ticles which would be carried through the
air in drifting masses like snow and which
were far more deadly in their embrace
than the beautiful.
For two days past the Southern Pacific
has been struggling with just such storm
on the Colorado desert. as most people in
this country believe can only be expert
enced in the African desert. The wind has
kept at a hurricane rate of velocity and
has carried the sand where 1t listed. An
idea of the power of the wind at such times
Is gathered from the fact told yesterday
by Assistant Superintendent Prior at the
Arcade depot, that box car in train be-
tween Indio and Yuma had it's roof blown
clear off and another car was partly de-
molished by the same gust. The trainmen
could only do their work by clinging to
some staunch support with one hand and
fighting for their lives all of the time they
were outside of the shelter of the caboose
The hardest work was to keep the tracks
clear of the constantly drifting sand which
seems to prefer the rails to any other
place for a stopping place. This is due to
the resistance that the rails and ties offer
to its progress, so that If 1t were left alone
it would in a few hours bury the iron way
many feet deep. The section men on all Of
the desert portions of the line have hardly
had time to eat, for they have had to keep
their shovels going constantly. AS result
there has not been minutes delay in the
progress of any train from the sand. Clear
ing the tracks is not such hard work as it
is tedious. All that is necessary Is to
shovel the sand just clear of the rails and
the wind does the rest; but the trouble is
that as fast as one shovelful Is removed a
dozen more are blown into position to take
it's place. Last evening the wind COM
menced to abate somewhat and 1t was EVIL
dent that the weary work Of the army Of
section men employed was at close.
Annoying Freight Wreck
The Southern Pacific company expert
enced most annoying freight wreck yes
terday two miles east Of Ravenna on the
Bakersfield-Los Angeles division.
The wrecked train was the freight which
left this city on Friday night with long
string of cars. In some way, as yet unex-
planned, the wheels of the engine climbed
the rails. and the two locomotives and
eight loaded box cars left the rails and
went into the ditch. excepting one Of the
engines, which found itself squarely across
the rails, effectively blocking the way.
The accident happened between 2 and 3
o'clock in the morning, and 1t was difficult
TO do any work in the dark or to summon
assistance. First, attention naturally wGs
given to the trainmen, of whom three were
found to have suffered injuries. Engineer
Priests engine turned completely up
side down and he was burned badly by the
escaping steam. Fireman Pendleton re-
ceived a somewhat severe scalp wound,
and Conductor Bowles had his face cut
| and his back wrenched. The wounded
men were placed on the northbound train,
which of course had to stop at the block
ade, and were carried back to Saugus,
where they were again transferred to a
special train which had taken the conf
pany's surgeon, DR.. Ainsworth. to the
scene; this brought them back to this
city, where they were placed in the ambu-
lance and taken to the Sisters hospital.
The train which should have arrived
from San Francisco at 1880 yesterday
morning and the one due here at 1:2O in
the afternoon did not get past the block
ade until late last night, following each
other into the city. The northbound train
was also held at the wreck for a long time
and will get into San Francisco very late.
This is the second accident on that di-
vic Of W foh for
in a loss of life, which, however. was only
good luck. The cause in both cases seems
to have been the same tendency of the en-
CINE wheels to climb the rails. Some of the
railroad men think that this is caused by
the excessive wear of the rims of the
wheels owing to the constant series of
curves in the line going through the noun
tains. which have a tendency to cut away
the rim of the wheels to a sharp edge,
making them susceptible to the raising
effect of any defect or inequality in 81
rail. The claim is made that the wheels
on engines used in that portion of the line
should be constantly watched for this
defect and changed as soon as it is found.
However. this is only theory, and may be
upset by experts
Assistant General Freight Agent Cham
been making his first visit to Phoenix,
Ariz. He was astonished at the amount of
increase in freight from that region, which
he found to be remarkably prosperous.
His position with the Santa F'e Pacific
gives him jurisdiction over the freight
business of the Santa Fee, Phoenix and
Prescott road.
The Texas Pacific office will be under the
charge in this city of T. F. Fitzgerald.
General Manager Nevin, it is saiu, is
preparing a general order which notifies all
of the employees of the SanD Fe Pacific
that they can enlist and at the close of
their term of soldering can have their
places in the company's service back
again.
Mrs. E. A. Gill of Tulare county has sued
the Pullman company for $4,000 damafS S
resulting from injuries to her leg while
descending from one of the company's
cars at Barstow. The case has been trans
ferred from the superior court of Tulare
county to the federal circuit court in this
city.