Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1902-12-26
TWENTY ARE KILLED
TERRIFIC COLLISION OF PASSEN.
GER TRAINS ON THE SOUTH.
ERN PACIFIC ROAD.
Many Of the Victims Meet instant
Death and Others Die Later Of In
juries Sustained in the Disaster.
Engine Of One Train Piouqhs It's
Way Through the Rear Coaches of 4
Train Preceding 1t.

Martinez, CAL, Dec. 22.-As a result
of a rear-end collision between the
Stockton flyer and the "owl" train on
the Southern Pacific at Byron Satur-
day night, twenty deaths have already
been recorded. Most of the pas
to be taken to their homes were taken
to the Southern Pacific hospital at
San Francisco during the day and on
the way to that place five victims
died. Twenty-Five Of the injured
reached the hospital, where it was an
nounced that R. Post of Foweler, Cal,
and Lee Sou, Chinaman of San Fran
cisco, would probably succumb. OF
the twenty-five patients only three
were permitted to receive visitors, so
seriously were they suffering.
The names of the dead so far OBJ
tainable are:
Elizabeth N. Smith, Clarence D.
Oluffs, Miss Birdie Elliott, Mabel
Vesir, George Sessions, Charles
Owens, Miss Meyers, Robert Renick,
Ten Irwin, w. F. Temple, Tung Tia
Gong, Richard Post, Mini MagoWa.
It was a rear-end collision, the en-
CINE of the local blowing it's way into
the last coaches of the *.owl," which
was filled with Fresno people. The
passengers who escaped death were
hurled to the forepart of the coach
and crushed in the mass of debris,
and their su1ferings and danger were
intensified hunG-edfold by the clouds
of scalding steam that poured out
upon them from the shattered boiler
Of the Stockton engine.
Injured Receive Aid Quickly.
After the "owl" left Molite it was
noted there was leak in the aue of
the boiler. This increased to such an
extent that it was decided to stop at
Byron and take on freight engine
for relief. The train known as the
Stockton local was following half a
mile behind and flagman was sent
back down the track to give warning
Of the presence of the owl" It is
said that the Stockton train, in charge
of Engineer Mcguire and Fireman
Joyce got the warning signal in due
time and gave the usual responsive
whistle blasts. Why. the incoming
train was not checked, however, has
not been thus far explained, the men
who could give the facts being num-
bered with the badly injured. On
came the train with apparently scarce
ly any diminution of speed and the
Fresno coach was completely tele-
scoped. So forcibly did the local
meet the rear end of the "owl" that
the second car, the dining car, was
smashed in and the three cooks were
seriously hurt The penned-up pas
sengers were spared from fire, be-
cause the oil burners were extin-
guished when the crash came. Relief
quickly came to the passengers who
were penned in the wreckage, axes
and saws being brought into play and
passengers and train crews lending
every aid. Messengers were sent to
Byron and Hot Springs, a short dis
lance away, and DR.. Bird of the
springs, with DR.. J. D. Davidson of
Fresno, who was guest, came quickly
to the station. A trained nurse &C.
companied them and first aid was at
once given to the mangled. bruised
and crushed sufferers who were lying
near the track, Every effort was
made to alleviate their sufferings and
those who were unable to proceed on
their journey were taken to the
Springs hotel or to the church in
Byron, which was temporarily con-
verified into hospital.