Bryan morning eagle. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1898-1909, 1907-05-14
TH|RTY.TW0 ARE KILLED
Dreadful Calamity Overlook an
Excursion Train.
DETAILS TRULY TERRIBLE
While shriners Were Speeding Along
and Many Enjoying Their MONDAY
Meal an Awful Accident Without Any
Warning Takes Place.

Santa Barbara, Cal, May f3.-Whilf
hurrying northward over the coast linz
of the Southern Pacific railway home
ward bound. after week OF fraterni1
ing and fiesta In Los Angeles, u"
Shriners OF Ismalia temple OF Bufta
and Rajah temple of Reading. wiz
their families and friends, were hurlca
into the midst OF death when theli
special train. running fifty miles a.
hour. struck defective switch at Hon
da. lonely station on the sand wastes
OF the Pacific beach, derailine the
train. smashing the coaches into film
ders. killing thirty.two almost instantly
and injuring more than score OF 9th
ers. The bodies OF twenty-five lie IL
the morgues at Santa Barbara. ano
seven more are ut San Luis Obispo.
The injured. many OF whom are terri.
bly, hurt. and will probably die. are in
two sanitariums ard at San Luis
Obispo.
The wreck occurred exactly at e:3S
o'clock. one hour and forty-ilve minute
after the conclave visitors. forming
merry party. had spent all OF SATURDAY
morning sightseeing In Santa Barbara
The statement that the train was max
ing terrific speed when II struck the
defective track Is borne out by the
fact that II covered the sixty-one mile,
OF curves and crooked track between
here and Honda In exactly 100 minutes
There was no warning OF the In
pending calamity. The special pluuf
ed upon the defective switch, and n
an instant the big locomotive. baggagc
car. diner and Pullman coupled with u.
were hurled together In n huge heap
OF wreckage. The engine shot for
ward on the broken track. tearing "
the rails and ties and twisting the huge
iron spans into fish hooks. The bag
gage car half buried itself In the sand
on the right side OF the locomotive
II was smashed almost TO kindlinG
wood
The dining car. in which were thir-
ty-two persons eating their MONDAY
meal. leaped into the air and was
thrown directly on top OF the demol-
ished locomotive. Nearly every per.
son In this coach was instantly killed
Scores were scaldej by steam escap-
ing from disconnected pipes In the
kitchen of the diner
The terror ana turmoil Of the scene
was indescrlbable. Many OF those who
escaped instant death by the first I'm
pact were crushed by the rear coaches
hurled upon the wreckage. Others
pinioned in the debris. were roasted
alive. The ~reckage caught fire from
the Goals Of the engine. but was ex.
tinguishcd In a few minutes by n
passengers who escaped injury.
Engineer Frank Champlaine was
pitched with HIS cab twenty-five feet
beyond the engine. and got up and
ran three-quarters OF mile. seeking
help. before he discovered that his arm
was broken and that he was severely
scalded. 4 man standing behind his
wife In the baggage car was hurled
through a huge rent IN the roof an
alighted in soft sand and and almosi
uninjured. The woman was force
through the floors and wreckers had
TO lift tons OF baggage TO get her body
out.
But the unfortunatcs. who occupied
every seat In the dining car. We're
caught in a veritable death trap. Only
two OF the nine OF the diners crew are
numbered among the dead The re-
mainder. though cooped up IN the mar
row kitchen and pantry. sustained bal
cuts and bruises.
A last call for luncheon had just
sounded few minutes before the dis
aster.
Rajah temple OF Reading occupied
the last car on the train. and It's mem.
bers were the last ones 10 go into the
dining car. The car was filled almost
entirely with Reading people when tho
wreck occurred. An instant after the
smash. those who were not rendered
insensible or otherwise incapacitated
! by the compact. jumped from the train
( 10 render aid. but the gruesome scene
which met them prevented many o.
them unfit for work.
Frightened women. peering through
the windows Of unchanged sleepers.
tainted when they saw the bodies Of
/ their friends strewn along the road.
side. blood from their wounds stain.
ing the sand drifts all about. Men who
, tolled hard at the task Of rescue col
I lapsed completely. many OF them be-
J fore the work was finished.
Mrs. John w. Cutler OF Binghamp-
ton. whose husband Is also among the
killed. was in the baggage car at the
time OF the crash. where she had gone
20 rearrange her trunk. Her body wa
driven literally through the floor. and
the wrecked car had 10 be lacked "
before Il could be released. Mrs. Free
Crummond OF Binghampton was witt
her. and also went down under tor
Of baggage and broken timbers. whe;
rescuers burrowed their way 90 where
the two women lay the living one
reached out and grasped the feet Of
one OF the men and shouted: "I'll not
let you 20 until you get me out"
Then a gust Of scaldsng steam CT.
veloped her and she was terribly burn
- che ~as rescped alive however
When Miss Cora Young Of Cleveland
was taken from the shattered diner sh
was still alive. but frishtfuily injured
i H. .~sl~. 49, ~ 49,