Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-03-29
WRECK KILLS MANY
Probably Twenty-six Killed in
Smash-Up on Southern Pa
citic in California
MAJORITY OF DEAD ITALIANS
Ton Coaches spIintered-PuIlman Pas
sensers Escape Serious Injury-only
Two Americans Among the Killed =
Open Switch Causes Terrible Disaster
at Cotton.
at Cotton.

of the disastrous wreck of the west
bound Southern Pacific Sunset ex-
press. in East Cotton late yesterday
afternoon, twenty three dead bodies
lie today in a local undertaking es-
adjustment. eight terribly injured are
in the Cotton hospital, and more than
fifty others. whose hurts are less Sc
rous, have been taken to Los Angeles.
The dead are:
Albert w. SHE, mail clerk, Los An
geles.
George K. Sharpe, of Sacramento.
Twenty-one Italians, including one
woman, on their way to San Francisco.
Cotton, Cal, March 29.-At least
twenty-.,ix persons were killed and 100
injured yesterday afternoon when west
bound train No 8, on the Southern Pa
cific, ran into an open switch while
travelling, at speed of forty miles an
hour 1T is believed that the list or
casualties may be much greater. Many
of the injured are not expected to live.
Ten of the fourteen coaches which
made UP the train We're derailed.
The wrecked coaches We're hurled in
every direction Four of them were
smashed into splinters. Most of the
dead were Italians from New York and
New Orleans, going to San Francisco.
They occupied the smoker and day
coach.
THN h
mangleGl. Eighteen of them were TAX
en- to an undertaking establishment al
Cotton by o'clock, and eight add
tional bodies could be seen underneath
one of the overturned and demolishe
cars.
This car could not be raised until a
derrick was brought from Los Angeles
sixty miles away.
The injured were carried to this cl'y
in vehicles of all sorts, and the Cotton
hospital quickly was filled to its ca
pacity. Many then were taken to the
Presbyterian hospital, and to private
residences in the vicinity.
But two Americans are known e
have been killed, altho several are
seriously injured.
SG6OTS6 II. SoAdl -, VI AM uAASASp AAANA'' ''S'S
instantly killed. The other American
killed was the baggageman of the
train. whose name has not been ascer-
tanned.
Engineer Clarence E. Wormington
and Fireman Victor Crebb both jumped
but failed to get clear, and were caugf
in the wreckage. Both were terribly
burned and scalded. John Golden, the
train conductor, was in the Pullman
section of the train and escaped IN
jury.
Out Of about eighty Pullman passerl-
gers there were but two who sus-
tanned serious injury. The three Pull
man coaches and the diner, which were
on the rear of the train. did not leave
the track. The occupants of these cars
were practically unframed.
The Florence Roberts Theatrical
company occupied one coach, which
was hurled. from the track and both
ends of it crushed in by impact against
the others. But two members of the
company out of a total of twenty-five
people were injured Miss Robert her
self escaped entirely unhurt. The esi-
cape from death of the occupants of
this cal. was remarkable, considering
the manner in which thel coach IVES
splinter'ed and torn to pieces. The men
and women were hurled from one end
of the car to the other
There are three tracks where the ac-
cident occurred, which is in the open
country The people of Cotton were
first to be notified of the catastrophe.
Hundreds hurried to the scene of the
wreck. Physicians and nurses were
brought from San Bernardino and COL
ton and ministered to the injured.
The wrecked train left New Orleans
at 1916 a. m. on Monday for San Fran
cisco.
Williams.