The copper era. (Clifton, Graham County, Ariz.) 1899-1911, 1906-08-30
Wreck on the Southwestern.

What might have been one of the
most disastrous wrecks in the history
of railroading in Arizona, and pre-
vented from being so by the GOODNESS
of Engineer j. r. Shannon, occurred
one morning last week a mile and a
quarter from Osborne. The tender
of engine No. I jumped the track, de-
railing the whole train. The cafe
car, which was next to the engine,
was rolled down the embankment and
lay on its side, parallel to the rail
road tracks. The most wonderful
part of the accident was that no one
was even seriously hurt.
The train pulled out of Bisbee in
charge of Conductor Tom Purcell,
and proceeded on its way to Ell Paso.
Engineer Shannon was afraid that
the recent rains might have loosened
the embankment, and was very eau
tious about his speed. Instead of
opening the throttle when he reached
the level country below the foothills,
as is customary in order to save time,
Shannon decided that little lost
time would not matter, and was rum
ming about eighteen miles an hour.
About five hundred yards past the
place where the new spur which runs
into Warren joins the old line.
Shannon saw the tender, which was
leading the engine, jump the track,
and Immediately shut off the steam
and threw on the brakes. The turn
ing of the tender threw the wheels
of the engine and the coaches from
the rails. The momentum which the
train had gathered sent it humping
along, and splinter9d every tie it
crossed. With his engine humping
on the ties and threatening at any
minute to tumble down the embank-
ment and crush him, Shannon had
the courage and presence of mind to
stand at his post, and by his prompt
action bring the train to a stop in
less than fifty feet.
Just as the train came to a stop
the cafe car, which was next to the
engine, toppled over, and the weight
of the car almost rolled the engine
into the ditch. Fortunately, as it
developed, the coupling broke, and
the cafe car rolled down the embank-
ment on to its side in a position
parallel to the railroad tracks. The
front trucks of the day coach, which
was following the cafe car, hung
over the embankment, but the car
remained upright. The baggage
coach, which was on the rear, re-
manned upright on the ties.
AS soon as the train stopped the
members of the train crew displayed
great presence of mind and imme-
diately started to work to get the
passengers out of the cafe car. In
this coach at the time that the acct
dent occurred were Mr.. John Cogan,
Mr.. and Mrs. P. A. Raymond, James
Wynne, the cook, and Roscoe John
son, the porter.
The three passengers were at
breakfast, and when the car turned
on it's side, they were thrown to the
under side of the car, and the furni-
ture piled on top of them, pinning
them beneath it. The porter was in
the smoking apartment, and when
the car turned over alighted on his
feet. He Immediately broke pane
of glass and crawled out of the car.
| The cook, who is the most seriously
injured person in the accident, was
in the kitchen cooking when the car
turned, and pinned him beneath the
stove. The hot ashes soon started a
fire, and in very short time Wynne
would have been burned to death if
Messenger E. c. Clymer had not
thought of him and went to his as
sistance. Wynne had broken win
dow in order to get air, and Clymer
did not loose any time in pulling him
through the window to safety.
Brakeman James Priest and the
other members of the crew soon re-
leased Mr.. and Mrs. Raymond and
Mr.. Cogan from the wreck.
The people in the day coach were
shaken up, but the only one who
needed medical attention was a man
by the name of Mosely.