Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1907-04-02
OVER score DIE IN
California WRECK
EXPRESS TRAIN, RUNNING OVER
40 MILES AN HOUR, STRIKES
OPEN SWITCH.
TWENTY-THREE DEAD;
EIGHT BADLY INJURED

Two Immigrant Cars Filled with
italians Literally Crushed to Kin
dIIng-cause of Awful Disaster
Not Yet Determined.
Cotton, Cal, March 30.-As re-
suit of the disastrous wreck of the
west-bound Southern Pacific Sunset
express in the east Cotton yards late
Thursday afternoon, % dead bodies lie
in a local undertaking establishment,
eight terribly injured are in the
Cotton hospital, and more than SO
others, whose injuries are less serious,
have been taken to Los Angeles on
special trains. The dead were all
passengers on the wrecked train with
one exception.
Following is list of the dead: AL
bert w. SHE, mail clerk, Los An
geles; George L. Sharpe, Muncie,
ind; F. l. Walters, Sacramento,
Southern Pacific fireman, who was
a passenger on the train. Twenty
Italians of New York and New Or
leans, on their way to San Francisco.
One Italian woman was killed.
Of the seriously injured, those now
In the Cotton hospital are in the
worst condition One of them is sure
to die, and several of them may not
survive
Cause Not Yet Determined.
The exact cause of the wreck will
not be determined until the coroner's
inquest is concluded. The train was
running fully 40 miles an hour at
the time it struck the open switch.
The Southern Pacific was blocked at
The point of the crash until Friday
night. Ten of the IA coaches of the
train were derailed and three of them
were smashed completely. The Ital-
fans, who numbered nearly 100, were
In two old immigrant cars and these
cars were literally crushed into
kindling wood The passengers in
the Pullman cars escaped uninjured
Early Friday morning Coroner Van
Wye commenced to take preliminary
testimony from the switching crew to
ascertain whether they should be held
for responsibility for the wreck of the
Southern Pacific overland train near
Cotton Thursday.
Switch Foreman Alvord testified that
when he came to work in the morning
he saw that the first section of the
Sunset express, known as No. g. was
chalked up on the board as eight hours
late. When he returned from his lunch
M inc no hna AVID 4
silent as to No. 8 and as the eight
hours limit had expired he concluded
the overland had gone through during
his absence. This error was not discov-
cred by him until he heard his en-
gineer whistling frantic signal at the
switch to the overland to stop. The
overland was then half across the
Santa Ana bridge. 1t was impossible
to get back and close the switch be-
cause the fated train had reached it.
Operator Held Responsible.
In this statement Alvord is corrob-
Grated by his switchmen. He evident
ly means to be understood as placing
the responsibility, or part of it, on the
operator, whose duty it was to keep
the time board checked as a guide to
the switchmen. The coroner later
stated that under the rules of the COM
pany the switch foreman seems to
have good defense; that their first
order in the morning was that the
overland train would arrive at 1:45
o'clock, eight hours late, when, in fact,
Il was ten hours behind; that the oper-
ator should have notified the switching
crew, who were far removed from all
te1egraphic communication and fur
thermore, he stated that the rules pro-
hibit trains over ten minutes late en-
tering the yards without having their
train under complete control, and the
yard limits at Cotton are over mile
east of where the accident occurred.
The death of George Sharpe of Mum
Gle, Ind, whose life was instantly
crushed out, was particularly pathetic.
Sharpe was on his way to this city
to meet his wife, from whom he had
became estranged three years ago.
He formerly resided here, but when
he and his wife separated he return
ed to Indiana. Recently he notified
friends here that he was coming to
Los Angeles to see his wife and Sc
cure a reconciliation. Sharpe did
not know that she had secured a di-
vorce from him more than a year ago
and had remarked.
Two Die in Oklahoma Wreck.
Oklahoma City, Okla, March 30
Choctaw, Oklahoma & Gulf passenger
train No 1, from Memphis for Amar-
lilo, and drawn by two engines, was
partially derailed at Council, eight
miles west of Oklahoma City, Friday.
Both engines were badly wrecked and
the mail and baggage cars turned
over, but the other cars remained on
the track. The dead: John Nc
earthly, engineer of Shawnee, Okla:
unknown negro, stealing ride on blind
baggage; John Overton, fireman, and
James Walker, porter, were serious.
ly hurt. Seven passengers were
bruised.
Armstrong Resigns Position.
New York, March 30.-Robert B.