Los Angeles herald., 1905-03-17
PASSENGER TELLS OF
EXPERIENCES WHILE
ON STALLED TRAINS

ON y HELED ! IlHlNN
William Hamilton Cline, genera
manager for Innes and his band. witt
his wife, came through from San Fran
cisco yesterday afternoon on the frs
train over the coast line since las
week. Mr.. Cline left San Francisco OIL
Monday afternoon. 1t took him thre'
days and nights to make the journey
usually requiring but fourteen hours
During the last twenty-four hours HI
was on board the whole train loat
lived on cheese and crackers and a few
had hard boiled eggs. The train wa:
then marooned at Burbank, only ter
miles from here, but for all the good
it did, he says, it might have been in
South Africa.
II have been knocking. about over
the United States from ocean to ocean,
said Mr.. Cline, but 1 never struck
anything quite like this. 1 am not
familiar with the general run of rail-
road managements on the coast. but
culiar incidents happened in this case
some things that would never have
been permitted in the east.
I'VE left San Francisco Monday
evening. 1 now hear that the trains
out on both Saturday and Sunday
We're then held up at Santa Barbara
OF this we were not told at the time
The, papers contained nothing alone
this lire. Early Tuesday morning we
were informed, as we reached Santa
Barbara, that we would not leave
there until afternoon We found four
trains there ahead of us, and it looked
gloomy. We went about sightseeing
and at the Potter, about noon, we were
told that we would not leave until
night.
Suffering in Day Cars
THAT evening we went to bed in the
sleepers, expecting to be here by morn
ing. but when daylight came we were
still in the same old station, and it
was raining hard. The diner. FORUM
ately, was in operation. While those
in Pullmans were in comfort, there was
much suffering in the day coaches.
Many women and children were in act
raj want. SThe passengers with more
ans made up purses, and then the
iSiroad company, as is required by
your law began feeding those who had
been there twenty-four hours. This
was expensive, and it only partially
lessened the burden, as they had no
where to sleep. Wednesday afternoon
the trains, it was announced. would
start for this city, and for hours we
hugged our cars and waited. The cars
were formed into five sections. and one
by one, we left there. Some officials
were on No. 2 and they had our diner
taken away and attached to their train
| barely had time to finish my luncheon
before it was cut off; my wife had to
run for it, and I was carried half a
mile before I could leave and reioin
her. That's the last we ever saw of that
diner and the last meal we had until
we reached Los Angeles.
stalled at Burbank
Well, we pulled out, crawled over
track that would make a grapevine
seem straight, and finally reached Ven
tura. After few minutes there. we
erept along and after dark reached
Burbank. There, we were Informed
we would have to wait, as the first sec.
tion's engine had gone into the ditch
The only wonder was that we all were
not there; the track was simply fright
full. The two sections behind us were
left at Ventura, the land slid Just after
we passed 1t.
Burbank is promising place-but
1t is all promise. There was no earth
ly show for morsel of food, the rain
was falling in torrents, there was nc
steam I'm the cars, it was cold and
raw and we were very much lacking
In creature comforts We I'm the
sleepers again counted ourselves lucky
and did what we could for the poor
people in the day coaches, some. OF
whom had been in them since last
Saturday, without a chance TO sleeI
and almost nothing to eat. One mar
aboard got off at little station anc
purchased box Of crackers, which he
passed around. The buffet held out
and crackers and beer made our din.
ner last night. We had about two
crackers apiece, and we were con
sidered the lucky ones. My wife and
/ were among the very few who had
obtained luncheon; most of the Pull
man people had delayed lunching, and
50 got none, as the officials stole the
car. 1t was cold and disagreeable, and