Los Angeles herald., 1908-07-05
Eight KILLED IN
OAKLAND WRECK
ENGINE CRASHES INTO MAR
ROW GAUGE TRAIN
MORE THAN THIRTY INJURED,
MANY SERIOUSLY
Dead and Wounded Are Pinned in
car-one Coach Literally
Smashed Into
Spllnters
BY Associated Press.

BY Associated Press
OAKLAND, July 4.-The narrow
gauge local bound from the Alameda
mole into Oakland crashed into the
Santa Cruz train, No. 81, bound for
the Oakland mole, at 7:10 tonight at
First and Webster streets, killing or
iniuring all of the passengers In the
Santa Cruz trains smoking car.
Eight were killed and over thirty In
jured. %
The collision was on the crossing OF
the narrow gauge and main lines OPP
posite the Webster street bridge. Ine
engine of the Alameda train, which was
hunning with tender ahead, cut INTO
the Santa Cruz train smoking car apout
ten feet from the front. The front eno
was smashed to splinters, the car be-
ing torn from the front truck and the
mass tossed from the main line track
up against the signal tower in Wep-
ster street. .t,.,..L
The wreck of the coach, containing
its dead and screaming wounded, was
hurled on its side, with the Alameda
local tender buried in the wreck9ge
The baggage coach of the santa Cruz
train. which was in front OF the smok'
er. was derailed and half way upset
Both locomotives were deraued.
When the trains struck the smoker
was cut from the coach following
which continued on its course, crash
| ing into the boiler of the Alameda loco
motive Some windows were broken II
this and the first Alameda coach, whicf
was also derailed, otherwise they Wer'
not damaged.
THE passengers in these coaches were
shaken up. but not injured.
Passengers Pinned In Wreck
Practically all those in the smoker
were pinned in the wreck and their
cries for help which followed the ter
rife crash of the trains coming to-
gether brought people rushing from
all sides. Some were able to dig them
selves out of the wreck, but the ma
jority had to be cut out.
Several of the dead were padiy
crushed, The police and fire depart
ments were called out and were soon
at work carrying the wounded and dead
from the wreck.
The crew of the Alameda train was:
William Mark, engineer; G. i. Ferris
fireman: George Colgrove, conductor;
and P. S. Merbeck, brakeman.
In charge of the Santa Cruz train
were: Everett j. Berry, engineer; Herp
Drake, fireman; F. H. Corey conduc-
tor.
SOL LOEB, commercial traveller, San
Francisco.
LESLIE ALBEC, San Francisco.
UNKNOWN MAN, employed by Nut
ting Construction company.
FRANK LAUZON, San francisco.
l.. L. BURTON, contractor.
THREE OTHERS. unidentified.
| Among the injured are: G. r. Brown.
cut about the head; j. F. Lopez, West
berkeley, cut on head and bruised;
10. ]. Ely, cut about the head; John
Ratola. hurt about head, unconscious;
w. ]. Hawkins; Southern Pacific en-
Move. back hurt; A. H. Morrison, San
! Francisco injured about head; Frank
| cram. San Francisco, internal injuries;
r + Hoffman, severely injured John
/ Harris Oakland, shoulder and head IN
| ilred: Mrs. Amundo Manneberg, san
Francisco; Morris Walter, Oakland;
/ Mar Suev Ono, Oakland, injured head
and back; Frank Binse, contusions;
Iohn Vaygola, Louis Pimentel, Eugene
| Valleial West Oakland, bruised on
! shoulders. legs and heads; P. Tanakin.
san Mateo, legs and arms bruised; z.
n rarris fireman, Oakland. internally
injured and leg broken
Has Narrow Escape
Samuel Henderson, merchant of vi
saIia had remarkable escape from
death in the wreck. man sitting d.
rectly in front of him was instantly
killed. When the smoker was cut IN
two by the engine, Henderson was
thrown clear out of the car, but. he
escaped with minor injuries; Hender-
son was on his way to this city TO take
a Santa Fe train for his home IN VI.
salia. He was sitting on the side OF
! the car opposite that struck py tne
engine, and it is probable. that THIS IL
all that saved his life. He gives the
following account of the accident;
1.-THE shock of the impact was SO ter
rifle that l could not see just now the
accident occurred. 1 was opposite the
side of the car struck by the engine
The car was completely wrecked and
was thrown out on the ground. Ihe
man sitting in front of me was IN
stantly killed. Further than that there
had been an accident / knew little ol
the disaster until was pulled out OF
| the wreckage."
Henderson sustained dislocated an
kle, abrasions of the elbow and body
and decorations and contusions OF the
head and face. He is also suffering
from shock.
Gasoline Explosion Fatal