Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-29
THIRTY ARE DEAD
100 WERE HURT
Fifteen of the Injured in the COL
ton Wreck Will Prob
ably Die.
COACHES TORN TO PIECES
Train Was Hours Late and Running
Very Fast to Make Up
STATEMENT OF THE ENGINEER
Switching Crew Left the Switch Open,
Leaving a Death Trap for the
Limited to Run Into-Fire-
ment Prevented
Holocaust.
STATEMENT OF THE ENGINEER

Spetlal DlSpatch 10 Inc Star-
Los ANGELES. Cal. March 29-It was
estimated this morning that thirty persons.
many of them Italians, were killed in the
wreck of the Sunset Limited near Cotton
yesterday afternoon. Red Hot Warming
ton. an engineer known all over the coun-
try. was at the throttle. In statement
this morning he said that his train was
seven and a half hours late and he was
running fifty miles an hour to make up
time when his locomotive struck an open
switch. There We're probably 100 injured,
some of them fatally.
The train was almost torn to splinters. 1t
was west bound on the Southern Pacific
and was behind schedule. The engineer
was running under clear-track orders
When the locomotive struck the misplaced
switch it turned over, fourteen cars being
derailed. There was nc Geographic COM
munication with the small siding where the
disaster occurred and man who was
driving near the track carried the news to
Cotton. Relief trains with physicians and
nurses were sent from Cotton and San Ber-
nardino. The injured were in many in
stances pinioned by the wreckage and We're
not liberated for two or three hours.
Fifteen Fatally Injured.
Among those taken to the hospitals at
Cotton. Riverside and San Bernardino at
least fifteen are fatally injured. The
wrecked train was No. 9. running from
New Orleans to San Francisco and Los An
geles. and left New Orleans at 1855 last
Monday bearing a large number of tourists
and coonists.
The killed were all in the day coaches
and smoker. and nearly all were Italian la
borers from New York and New Orleans
route to San Francisco. Only one tour
list. Mr.. Sharpe of Muncie. Ind, Is known
to be among the killed. a large number of
the injured tourists.
A switching crew left the switch open
after placing some cars there and returned
10 the yards at Cotton, leaving the death
trap for the limited. a baggageman was
among the killed.
Fireman Victor Ciapp saw the open switch
and. instead of jumping for his life. leaped
back to the oil tank to shut off the enc
gency valve He worked herolcally and
succeeded in turning the valve. preventing
holocaust. for the fire in the oil drnng
locomotive was instantly extinguished with
the closing of the valve. An instant later
the locomotive was overturned and the fire
man mortally crushed beneath the
tender.
Wreckage Piled High.
The wreckage piled on top of the locomo-
tive and tender. and though many were
scalded by escaping steam. no fire was
started, and the survivors on the train be-
gan the work of rescue. which continued
hour and half before the relief trains
began to arrive.
The firemans heroism probably saved the
lives Of seventy-fve persons pinioned in the
wreckage. The passengers from the Pullman
cars worked hard to aid the Italians in res
cuing their companions.
The Florence Roberts Theatrical Com
pany had a private attached to the
tran. but none Of the company was in
turrd The troupe was on its way from
ST. Louis TO San Francisco. The Italians
who were on the train. arrived in New
York ON March : on the Koenigen Luise.
Engineer Warrington said today that he
saw the open switch. but too late. He set
the emergency brakes. which had scarcely
checked tie speed of the locomotive before
II plunged from the rails. Meantime he
had jumped from the window of his cab
lie was seriously injured.
The locomotive is said to have been the
largest ever built. and was the pride of the
Southern Pacific. 1t vas reduced to SCRAP
iron.
Another Train Wrecked.
OKLAHOMA CITY. Okla. March %
Passenger train No. ! of the Choctaw. Ok
lahoma and Gulf railroad, from Memphis
for Amarillo. drawn by two engines. was
partially dera!lod today at Council. eight
miles west of Oklahoma City. Both en-
gines were badly wrecked and the mail and
baggage cars were turned over, but the
coaches remained on the track. One en-
gineer and an unknown negro were killed.
fireman was fatally injured. porter seri-
ously hurt and seven passengers suffered
bruises.
Investigating the Wreck.
COTTON, Cal, March 29.-Coroner Van
Wye commenced today 10 take preliminary
testimony from the switching crew TO ascer-
tain whether II should be held for re-