The San Francisco call., 1907-02-04
MANNHOFOUGHT
BANDITS DIES
IN WRECK
Crushed by Safe in His Car
When Train Is Derailed
Near Town of Dunnigan
SCORE OF PERSONS
RECEIVES INJURIES
Locomotive and Six Coaches
Thrown From Track While
Running Over Soft Ground

SPECIAL DISPATCH TO THE CALL
REDDING, Feb. 3.-In one of
the worst train wrecks which has
happened in this vicinity in many
years, Express Messenger Charles
F. Charles lost his life and a score
Of passengers and trainmen were
injured and six coaches were
ditched near Dunnigan this morn
ing; the express car telescoped
and the tourist chair car thrown
in the soft mud of a grain field.
That the fatalities were not
greater is evidently due to the
soft condition of the soil in which
the derailed coaches plunged.
Charles. the only man who lost hs
life in the wreck. was the Wells Fargo
messenger who two years ago defend
ed his car when it was attacked by
bandits near Eugene. ore. The rob
bers forced the door, and when Charles
refused to come out threw stick. of
dynamite with a lighted fuse attached
into the car. Charles picked up the
dynamite, put out the fuse and hurled
the bomb out OF the door He had
been in six wrecks and three hold-ups,
and was one of the best-k known and
popular men in the Wells-Fargo serv-
ice.
The train was late this morning and
moving at high rate of speed over
q roadbed softened by rain. Imme-
diately after the cars left the rails
the mail coach crashed into the rear
end Of the express, and the violence
Of the wrenchng hurled the safe in
which the valuables were carried
against the side of the car. pinning
Charles under its weight against the
wall
WORK OF RESCUE BEGUN
The work of rescue was soon under
way. The safe was lifted from the
crushed form Of the dying man. but he
lived only ten minutes after his re-
lease. His only words were: Get
me out Of this"
The wrecked train was the first sec
ton of No. Is. but at Tehama it had
been switched to the west side of the
river and from that point it had been
run at No. 13. The disaster occurred
at $40 o'clock at a point two miles
north of Dunnigan. Yolo County. A
broken rail on a slight embankment
caused six coaches to leave the track.
The locomotive broke from the express
car. left the rails and plowed through the
soft earth for $50 feet before it turned
over on its side. The engineer and
fireman stayed with their engine, but
both escaped injury. The express coach
was demolished. being ttelescoped by the
mail car. The baggage car turned
over in the mire beside the embank-
rnent. The chair car was hurled from
the track and landed on its top in a
grain field beside the smoker, which
lay on its side. The diner left the
rails and swung heavily across the
right of way. while two Pullmans were
derailed, but maintained their upright
positions. Only the fact that the ground
was soft from the heavy rain prevented
q frightful calamity
LIST OF THE INJURED
Among the injured is r. ]. Smith.
who was Charles helper. He was CUT
and bruised on the back, and, it is
feared. injured internally He lived at
1888 Bush street San Francisco.
Tony Miller. a laborer from Weed,
Siskiyou County, was badly scalded on
the right leg by escaping steam.
F.. W. Black. the dining car con-
ductor, was bruised about the head, but
not seriously.
r. Coker, travelling to Texas, escaped
with a badly bruised leg.
Miss F. B. Faulkner, railroad nurse
whose home is at Al Madrid street. San
Francisco. was slightly injured. She
heroicaily refused assistance and gave
her services to the relief of the more
seriously wounded
A scene of wild confusion ensued
fter the catastrophe. Many of the pas
sengers jumped through the windows
of the overturned coaches. while 9TH
ers had to be cut out of the wrecked