Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1907-05-15
BLOODY WORK OF THE RAILROADS
81 KILLED IN CALIFORNIA; IN TEXAS,
AND 20 INJURED IN MEXICO.

Santa Barbara, CAL, May 12.--Twenty-
nine dead, score injured, tonight COM
prise the casualties of the wreck at
Honda yesterday of the Ismailia special
train of New York and Pennsylvania
mobiles of the Mystic Shrine, who were
returning home from the annual meeting
of the Imperial Council of the Ancient
Arabic Order of the Mobiles of the Mystic
Shriners at Los Angeles.
The train, carrying l45 Shrirers and
friends, from Tsmailia Temple, Buffalo;
Rajah Temple, Reading, Pa, and neigh
boring cities, was rushing northward, so
miles an hour, on the Southern Pacific
Coast Line, when the locomotive struck
defective switch at the sand-swept sea
coast siding of Honda, near the waters
of the Pacific ocean, along which the
railroad runs for 100 miles north of
Santa Barbara. The locomotive turned
somersault into the yielding sands.
| The cara. swirled through the air and
landed on the fiery mass of wrecked
steel. The coaches were crushed to
debris and took fire. The flames were
soon extinguished by uninjnred persons
from the two rear coaches. AS Honda is
isolated it was not till late tc. day that
definite information could be collected.
The bodies of 25 victims now lie in Santa
Obispo The injured, many of whom
are terribly hurt, and some of whom may
die, are in two sanitariums at San Luis
Obispo.
The wreck occurred at 2.35 O'Clock, an
hour and 40 minutes after the conolave
visitors, forming merry party, had left
Santa Barbara, where they had spent all
the morning sightseeing. The state
ment that the train was making terrific
speed when it struck the defective track
is borne out by the fact that it covered
the 81 miles of crooked track from Santa
Barbara to Honda in 100 minutes. The
locomotive in leaving the rails tore up
the track, twisting the huge steel rails
into fish hooks. The baggage car half
side of the locomotive. 1t was smashed
almost to kindling wood.
The dining car, in which were 80 per-
sons eating luncheon, leaped into the air
and fell directly on the demolished loco
motive. Nearly every person in the din
ing car was instantly killed. Scores
were scalded by steam escaping from dis
connected pipes. The rear coaches
rushed on the first wreckage, jamming it
Oh those who might otherwise have es-
capped. Several, pinioned in the debris,
were roasted alive.
Thirty.Two Killed.
Los Angeles, May 13.-Tho thirty sec
ond death as a result of the Southern
brakeman B. Beckford succumbed.
There were 145 shriners from Buffalo,
N. Y, and Reading, Pa, on the train
1t is believed that defective switch
caused the wreck. Conductor Jones
tapped the telegraph wire to st. Louis
Obisno and flashed the news Of the
wreck, it was learned to- day.
20 Injured In Mexico Wreck.
Monterey, Mexico, May 12.-Running
at the rate of about 35 miles an hour, the
uthbound passenger train on the Mexi-
can Central City left the track 6 miles
north of Barmejille station. Two Pull
mans and the first, second and third
class coaches went over an embankment
ten feet deep, injuring 20 persons.
After the wreck relief train was
made up at Torreon and started for the
scene. j. w. Anson, assistant superin-
tendent of the Pullman Company, Or
dered two Pulimans to the scene for use
as temporary hospitals for the injured.
The injured were transferred to the re-
lief train and brought to Torreon.
From property standpoint, it is one
of the most serious wrecks the Central
has had for years.
Five Killed in New Mexico Wreck.
El Paso, Texas, May IA westbound
passenger train on the Southern Pacific,
which left here this afternoon, was
wrecked near Lordsburg, New Mexico.
Five persons are said to have. been killed
and many injured.