The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1907-03-29
DISASTROUS WRECK OCCURS ON
SOUTHERN PACIFIC.
DUE TO CARELESSNESS
Train Running at High Speed Dashes
into Open Switch Near Cotton
Twenty-six Killed Outright
List VIII. Be Much Greater.

Cotton, CAL, March 28.-One of the
most disastrous wrecks in the his.
tory Of the Southern Pacific occurred
one and half miles east of this town,
shortly after 4 o'clock this afternoon,
when westbound train No 9, from New
Orleans for San Francisco, ran into
an open switch while going at the
rate of 40 miles an hour and 10 Of the
IA coaches were derailed with fright |
full results. Twenty-six people are
known to have been killed and the
final list will total much higher than
this number. The injured number
about 10O many Of whom are seriously
| hurt and will die.
The wrecked coaches were 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 Fran
cisco. They occupied the smoker and
day coach.
The dead were terribly MANNED and
mangled Eighteen Of them were tax
en- to an undertaking establishment at
Cotton by o'clock, and eight addi-
\ tional bodies could be seen underneath
one of the overturned and demolished
| cars. This car could not be raised
i until derrick was brought from Los
Angeles, SO miles away.
The injured were carried to this
city in vehicles of all sorts and the
Cotton hospital was quickly filled to
.its capacity. Many were then taken
to the Presbyterian church and to pri-
vate residences in the vicinity.
But two Americans are known to
) have been killed, although several OF
: those among the injured will un-
doubtedly die within the next few
t hours.
George L. Sharp of Muncie, Ind,
' was instantly killed. The baggage
5 man of the train, whose name had not
been ascertained, was also killed. En-
$ gineer Clarence E. Wormington and
a Fireman Victor c. Rebb, both jumped,
e but failed to get.clear and were caught
in the wreckage. They were both ter
ribly burned and scalded. John Gold
= en-, the train conductor, was in the
Pullman section and escaped injury
Out of about 80 Pullman passengers
there were but two who sustained
/. serious injury. The three Pullman
coaches and the diner, which were or
the rear of the train, did not leave the
track. The occupants Of these cars
were practically unharmed. The Flor
ence Roberts Theatrical company oc
j cupied one coach, which was hurlet
r from the track and both ends of i
10 were crushed in by impact against the
. others. But two members OF Mis-
Roberts company out of a total of 2
= people were injured. Miss Robert
: herself escaped entirely unscathed
70 The escape from death Of the occu
~ pants of this car was remarkable, con
% sidering the manner in which tn
= coach was splintered and torn t
% pieces. The men and women wer
y hurled from one end of the car to tn
- other.
~ There are three tracks where tn
- accident occurred, which is in tn
open country
20 The people Of Cotton We're first t
ne be notified of the catastrophe, an
'n- hundreds hurried to the scene of th
OF wreck. Physicians and nurses wei
ed brought from San Bernardino an
al Cotton, and ministered to the injure'
on The derailment of the train wa
M caused by the crew of switch el
gine leaving a switch open at tn
81 point 1t is said that the engir
mt passed through the switch few M
rd ments before the overland appeare
I'D A switchman named Morrison was
re- the yard. After the switch engiI
had passed on to another track Il
engineer asked the fireman if he ha
re-thrown the switch. The firems
recalled that he neglected to do {
he and the engineer whistled frantical
ian for Morrison to close it. The sign
The was not given in time, as Morrist
zen did not reach the switch before Il
'dy overland had plunged through al
rec been derailed.
9 a The train which was due in Los A
geles at 1880 a. NJ, was nearly
hours behind time. AT the time
J. the disaster it was running at a hi
rate of speed in an attempt to ma
"A up time. There was absolutely
on warning of the impending catast
1ta- phe.
to- The broken wreekage of the d
nnd coaches and smoker, filled with
to bodies of the dead and injured, W.
IMP hurled all over it. Helpless pass
gers, imprisoned in the wrecka