Los Angeles herald., 1905-12-09
T0WERMAN SAVES
SCORE OF LIVES
ONE MAN SACRIFICED THAT
MANY MAY LIVE
Derailing Switch Throws Santa Fe
Passenger Train Into Ditch and
Prevents CoIlision-Flreman
Killed; Engineer Dying
Special to The IIernld.

Special to The Herald.
RIVERSIDE, Dec S.-A frightful ac-
cident attended by terrible loss of life
was averted today when the towerman
stationed at Riverside junction. in
tower No. 10, made a quick decision
and threw a derailing switch Just In
time to prevent Santa Fe train No. i
from crashing through a crowded SUI
burban motor train on the Southern
Pacific tracks.
The life of Walter Cave, fireman on
the derailed train, was sacrificed that
many might live. Cave stuck to his
post after the engineer, whose care
lessness, according to witnesses, was
the cause of the awful tragedy, had
deserted his engine.
Engineer Barney McArdale of San
Bernardino was probably fatally hurt.
None of the passengers on either train
suffered the slightest injury.
The locomotive and baggage car of
the Santa F'e train were overturned.
The wrecked coach rests on it's side
In the ditch, while the locomotive is
upside down and mass of twisted
and broken scrap iron. The position
of the overturned engine shows plain
ly what must have been the fate of
the engineer had he not jumped when
he did
The derailing switch is placed in the
track for just the purpose which it
served today, to avert great disasters.
There was but one passenger on the
derailed Santa Fe train and the soli-
tary traveller suffered no harm from
the accident. Had the Santa Fe train
crashed through the crowded Southern
Pacific motor the loss of life might
have reached two score
When the Santa Fe train approached
the crossing the Southern Pacific mo-
tor, which has the right of way, was
standing at the station directly across
the track.
Witnesses to the tragedy saw the
! track is fairly straight at that point
and they do not understand why the
engineer apparently disregarded the
semaphore signal which was set
against him.
Fireman Crushed to Death
Passengers sitting in the Southern
Pacific coach across the Santa Fe
track saw the train approaching the
crossing for more than a mile. They
say they plainly saw Engineer McCar-
dale put his head out of the window
more than once. AS the train failed
to slow down the passengers in the
Southern Pacific train were thrown
into wild panic, attempting to get
out of the apparently doomed cars.
Just before the engine struck the de-
railer Engineer McCardale, seeing that
he had made a fatal mistake, jumped
and was thrown a considerable distance.
Fireman Cave climbed onto the top of
the water tank, but for some unac-
countable reason failed to jump, though
he had plenty of time to do so, and
when the engine turned turtle" he
was caught under the tank and crush
ed to death, his body being fright
fully mutilated.
superintendent J. r. Hitchcock and
the wrecking crew of the Santa Fe
went out from this city a short time
after the wreck and began the work
Of clearing up the wreck. The none
tary loss will probably be $4,000 or
more.
The dead fireman is a native of San
Bernardino. having been employed by
the Santa Fe as a fireman about three
years and being "a years of age.
Engineer McCardale is also q resi-
dent of this city, but had been running
an engine on this division but a few
months. He is a single man. He was
removed to the Santa Fe hospital in
Los Angeles this afternoon.