Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1901-11-29
FATAL RAILROAD ACCIDENT
Robert Mack Killed on the
lone Road.
Engine and Two Cars Leave the
Track-Engineer Mead and Fire
man Divine Injured

| The worst accident that has happen
ed on the Amador Branch railroad for
a long time occurred last Monday
afternoon. The wrecked train consist
ed of an engine and several freight cars
The train was making the down trip
from lone to Gait, and the accident &C.
CURED about midway between Carbon
dale and Clay station, within the
boundaries of Sacramento county. The
traffic has increased heavily on this
road of late, and this fact, and also the
Inauguration of the double train SER
| vice owing to the increased traffic, is
thought to have had something to do
with the disaster. The line was for
merly laid with iron rails, but for con-
siderable distance the iron rails have
of late years been discarded, and re-
placed with steel. The train was 60
ing at speed of about 20 miles an
hour. James Mead was the engineer,
James Devine, fireman, Harry Peck,
brakeman, and Robert Mack helper.
At the point indicated the rails spread,
causing the engine and forward cars to
leave the track. Every effort was
made by applying the brakes to stop
the train before it reached low trestle
a short distance ahead. But the mo-
mentum carried the engine onto
the trestle, from which it toppled over,
carrying two freight cars with it.
The men, says the Stockton Independ-
emit, went over with the engine, but
were soon rescued from their perilous
position. Fortunately the fall was not
great enough to break the engine to
such an extent that it would cause the
scalding steam to escape and burn the
men. Deviue seemed to be in very
bad way. Mack was found to have an
arm and leg broken and Mead was but
slightly injured.
Devine had his foot caught, and it
was in the effort to extricate his fellow
worker that the engineer had his hands
scalded. The passengers also rendered
all the assistance iu their power.
A man was sent to the nearest sta
ton to telegraph for assistance. A
wrecking train was sent out from Sac
ramentO and made all haste in reaching
the scene of the wreck. 1t was
thought that Devine was fatally in
jured. A carriage was secured and he
was driven to lone, distance of about
twelve miles. Later it was learned
that his injuries were but slight. En-
gineer Mead was severely scalded about
the hands by the escaping steam.
The wrecking train on arriving at
the scene of the accident took Mack
aboard and ran back to Gait. An en-
CINE and coach was ordered from Lodi
to carry Mack to Sacramento, where
he arrived at an early hour Tuesday
morning. He died in the railroad hos
pital shortly after s O'Clock the same
morning.
Young Mack; who was about
eighteen years of ago, was son
of the well-known teacher of this
county, George F. Mack, formerly
county superintendent of schools.
His father, who was attendin
the teachers institute at Amador City,
left the institute Immediately on hear
ing of the accident, and drove toward
Sacramento. The news of his sons
death reached his on the way.
Miss Devine, daughter of the injure ed
fireman, who was also in attendance at
the teachers institute, also left imme-
diately, and proceeded to her home in
lone.
The Independent of Nov. 81, gives
the following version of the disaster:
When the engine had bumped along
the ties and reached the trestle, the
engine, tender and one empty oil car
went off the embankment.
The engine rolled down into the cut
and the tender, filled with coal, rode
along and went on top of the engine,
finally landing directly over the loco
motive. The train broke in two Just
as the engine went off the trestle, and
the oil car made dive for the hole in
the ground on the other side of the
trestle and landed in the big ditch. The
other cars remained on the ties, but
went humping along the track for some
distance before the air brakes got to
work to check the speed, and then the
break was made by which the train
was divided.
When the engine went down over the
trestle, the fireman and engineer stuck
to their places and went down under
the big mass of iron in the cab, which
fortunately was not smashed, and made
them safe protection. The tender
went on over the engine and dumped
its load of coal on top of the engineer
and fireman, who were in the engine
cab. AS soon as possible the men were
helped out Of their small quarters and
| were able to move about at their con-
venience.
Young Mack was on the engine as it
went off the rail and, when he saw the
trestle ahead, he jumped, and went
through the frame work. When picked
up he was carried into the caboose and
cared for until surgeons arrived on a
| handcar from Iona Ono of hie friandc