Los Angeles herald., 1907-06-18
Trains Comet Together
in Outskirts Of
Los Angeles
None Seriously Injured
When Engines Meet
in Yards
Crew of switcher Gets In Way of In
ward Bound Passenger on Salt
Lake Line and Crash
Follows

III d fieGd-oH collision between Salt
Lake local No. Is, running between
Los Angeles and San Bernardino, and
freight engine No. 1886, which was do
ing switching work one-half mile east
of Hobart yesterday afternoon at 1:20
o'clock, twenty three passengers were
severely bruised and cut, while several
others were slightly injured.
The freight engine had been switched
to the main track but few minutes
before the collision occurred. The
passe. GER train was running at
moderate rate of speed. Engineer Ed
Lynch saw the freight engine when a
short distance away and did all In his
power to stop his own train. But for
the slow speed of the passenger and the
fact that the freight engine was at a
standstill the accident might have been
attended by serious result.
According to statements made by
members of the train crews, the freight
engine had been doing work switching
during the greater part of the morning.
About / o'clock orders were taken by
Conductor Frank Christopher and Engi-
neer Hill to make up freight train
for the east and for the following two
hours the engine was engaged making
up this train.
Collision Is Inevitable
The last car had been switched on
the side track and Engineer Hill
moved his engine to the main line for
the purpose of switching onto another
side track and replacing several cars
which had been shifted.
Hills engine had barely passed the
switch when the whistle Of the oncom-
ing passenger train sounded a short
distance ahead. The view of the track
was hidden by a number of box cars
which stood on a parallel track, but
Hill understood what had happened,
sounded his whistle and placed his
hand on the reverse lever. At that
minute the passenger train hove IN
sight, less than fifteen yards away.
Engineer Lynch of the passenger
train saw the freight engine at this
moment. He applied the air brakes at
emergency notch and shouted to his
fireman, Frank Smith of Los Angeles,
to Jump, and at the same moment
sprang from the cab to the ground.
Smith did not jump from the cab. He
was slightly injured in the collision
which followed his face and arms be-
ing bruised by being thrown against
the boiler.
Passengers in the day coach and the
smoker were the only ones injured.
Most of these persons were thrown
from their seats into the aisles by the
collision and nearly all of them were
able to go to their homes unattended.
Dads Luck Holds Good
None of the cars was derailed by
the accident, the tender of the pas
senger engine being the only part of
the train thrown from the tracks.
the run. 'Dad" Horner, the regular
engineer. laid off yesterday for the
9rst time in five years. He has been
railroading for twenty-five years and
during all that time has never been
in an accident. When he laid off Lynch
was instructed to take the train out.
Lynch is a freight engineer. but is
known as q careful and reliable man.
When informed of the accident Horner
said. 'rWell, I guess luck is still with
At the main offices of the Salt Lake
road in the Pacific Electric building
II was said that an investigation was
already under way and that II 1t was
found any of the employees were TO
hJame ror the accident they would be
Roth engines were slightly damaged
and If was necessary to take them to
the shops for repairs The pilot of
the freight engine was crushed, but
otherwise this locomotive was not dam
aged. s A..
Physicians who were on board the
passenger train administered ald 70
those who were injured, and carriages
were sent to the scene of the wreck
by the railroad company. BY the time
they arrived most of the injured had
been taken to Hobart and come to Los
Angeles on street cars.
Salt Lake railway officials spared no
trouble and expense in caring for those
who were injured in the ACCIDENT: no
rnvsterv was made of the affair Rail-
way men we're uniformly courteous in
answering all questions regarding the
accident. Their polite treatment OF
the public was generally commended.