The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-03-29
MANY MEET DEATH
IN COTTON WRECK
Twenty-Six Are Killed When
Fast Train Runs Into
Open Switch.
THREE MEN ARE ARRESTED
SUNSET EXPRESS MEETS DISAS-
TER IN CALIFORNIA.

SUNSET EXPRESS MEETS DISAS-
TER IN CALIFORNIA.
Cotton. Cal. March 2S.-One of the most
disastrous wrecks in the history Of the
Southern Pacific occurred one and a half
miles east Of this town. shortly after
o'clock this afternoon, when westbound
train 40. O. from New Orleans for San
Francisco. ran into an open switch while
going at the rate of forty miles an hour,
and ten OF the fourteen coaches were de
:ai1sd with frightful results Twenty-siX
persons are known 10 have been killed and
The final list viii probably show more
than this number The injured number
leo many Of whom viii die.
The wrecked coaches were hurled in ev-
cry direction. Four of tlfem were smash
81 To fragments. Most of the dead were
Italians from New York and New Orleans
going 90 san Francisco. They occupied
The smoker and day coach.
Some Of the dead were terribly mangled.
Eighteen of them were taken TO an under
taking establishment at Cotton at s o'clock
and eight additional bodies were then I'M
darueqth one of the overturned and de-
mOlished cars. This car could not be
raised until a derrick was brought from
dos Angeles sixty miles away
Hospital Filled.
The injured were carried 10 Cotton and
the Cotton hospital was quickly filled to
SIS capacity. Many were then taken to
the Presbyterian church and to private
houses in the vicinity.
only two Americans are known to have
been killed although several of those
among the injured will probably die in the
next few hours. George L. Sharpe. Of
Muucie. ind. aud W. \. SHE. mail clerk
were instantly killed. Engineer Clarence
T. Womiugton and Fireman Victor Crebb
both jumped but failed to get clear and
were caught i'm the wreck. They were
10th terribly burned and scalded. John
Golden. the train conductor, was in the
Pullman section of the train and escaped
injury.
Florence Roberts Escapes.
or about thirty Pullman passengers only
two received serious injury. The three
Pullman coaches and the diner, which
leave she track. The occupants Of these
cars We're practically unframed. The
Florence Roberts Theatrical company &C
OIled one coach. which was hurled from
the track and both ends of il crushed BY
Impact against the others. only two mem
Lers of Miss Riberts company of twen-
fy-tW0 persons were injured. Miss Rob /
erts herself escaped unscathcd The I
escape from death of the occupants of 4
this car was remarkable, considering the 1
manner in which the coach was splintered 7!
hurled from one end of the car to thg /
other.
There we're three tracks where the acct
dent occurred, which is in the open cOun- /
Try.
The people Of Cotton were first to be /
notified of the catastrophe. Hundreds of /
people hurried to the scene. Physicians /
AMI nurses were brought from San Ber- /
naTdiuO and Cotton and ministered to the 4
injured.
Open Switch to Blame.
The derailment of the train was caused (
by the crew Of a switch engine leaving a /
switch open at this point 1t is said that 1
the engine passed through the switch q /
few moments before the Overland appear /
e. switChman named Morrison was in /
the yard. After the switch engine had /
passed ON to another track. the engineer
asked the fireman if he had re-thrOwn
the switch The fireman recalled that he
had neglected to do so and the engineer
vhstled frantiCdlly for Morrison to close
H. The signal was not given in time, as
Morrison did notrTeach the switch before
the Overland had plunged through and
been derailed.
Three Arrests Made.
L. r. AIvord. w. X. Davis and J. G.
Guesenmcyer. members Of the switching
crew who are accused of leaving the
switch open and causing the wreck were
tonight taken into custody and held IN
sl00 bail by Coroner Van Wye
The train. which was due IN Los An
Eeles al 30 a. m. was almost twelve
hours late. At the time OF the disaster
Il was trying 10 make Up time. There
was absolutely no warning The engineer
saw the signal of the open switch when
only few rods distant from II ana hau
10 time To reverse the throttle or SET the
brakes. He called to his fireman 10 jump
and they both leaped wildly from opposite
sides of the engine. The engine left the
Track. turned over on its side ana proved
a great distance along the right-of-Way.
The broken w-eckace of the day cOacheS
and smoker. filled with the BODIES OF tnt
dead and injured Were hurled all over H.
Helpless passengers. Imprisoned III the
Ereckage. called frantlcallY ior heip
Fortunately the train did not take Ilfe.
Passengers who had escaped at once set
about the work Of rescue Dozens were
pulled and lifted from the WreckaSe ana
laid beside the track until vehicles ar
rived 10 convey them to the hospltals-
Many OF the Italians were dlsmemDereG
and impaled upon pieces of the wrecked
cars.
The wrecked train is the regular Sunset
. kpreSs. leaving New orleans dSIlH. ~
let New Orleans at 11:59 a m. MohuASs
Coroner Van Wye was at the scene "i
The wreck an hour after Il occurred ana
took charge Of the dead me coroner
sRore in a number OF special oItlce 49, ~
prevent pillage They patrolled the track
and prevented the crowd Of seYera! nun
ored. which quickly assembled. from IL
sIfering with the work of rescue
al Of the dead are men, Win lIle ~ !
ssption of two Italian women. Sharpe !
Who was instantly killed. was on his way
70 Los Angeles to join his wife
Many Of the injured We're passengers III !
ulee tourist sieepers which was almost ,
tatrely demolished in the crash These, ,
VIZ the baggage and express cars form |
e. an unacceptable mass or wreckaSe. !
Two at the Cotton hospital viii die.
\. R. Wilthers of Sacramento Cal I
Iannot live, his arm is torn off and one ]
eye destroyed.
List of Injured.
Thomas Davis, Tucson. leg crushed. {
julius Earetch. CobO Kretch, Coropolls,
a limbs cut. badly bruised
cora Starkey, Bowie. Tex. foot broken
bruised
J. II. Faiconer. Roseville. Cal, leg bro !
Ten
Two children Of Falconer. aged and ?. I
et and bruised G
Rest Of relatives in Falconer party Of T
ight, uninjured !
Mfunhars ~. E-r,.---oa 1ool,arfe com I >