Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-07-15
Sounding Of Whistle by
Boys Precipitates Bad
Wreck in the West.
ELECTRIC TRAIN HITS
REAR OF ONE AHEAD
Passengers Literally Cut to
Pieces When Coach is
V Telescoped.

Los Angeles, Cal, July IA TO
''horse play" by youths who played
with the train whistle, Is attributed
the loss Of about twelve lives and the
inturing OF some fifty persons near
here late last night. Two Pacific
electric trains collided, telescoping
two cars and wrecklng another at
Vineyard station, near the city limits
Three trains loaded with excursionists
to the beach at Venice, sixteen miles
from Los Angeles, had stopped AZ a
curve, where a switch Is turned. Tne
last train began moving forward while
the two foremost trains remained at
stAndstill.
Carroll Bartholomae, the conductor
Of the last car on the center train,
jumped to the track with his light to
flag down" the approaching train.
Some youths on his car, say passen'
gers who escaped death, pulled the
whistle In Jest. This, 1t was explained
by railroad men, was misinterpreted
by the motorman of the moving train
90 the signal to 60 ahead.
Coach is 1eIescoped.
With a crash of breaking glass and
timbers and the cries Of passengers,
the motor car OF the last train drove
into the rear of the center train. The
youths who had played with the
whistle were srushed In the debris. Ine
colliding cars were telescoped.: Inc
second car of the stationary train was
almost demolished. The motorrnan of
thu moving train, hearing the whistle.
shad 11sen .fil1l sp4ed. The curve had
prevented his seeing the standing
Ears of the next train. The third train
vas not affected. The three trains
were said to have been running at
three minute intervals.
Most Of the killed were cut IN pieces:
The Identification was slow. Speclal
trains rushed the injured to Los
Angeles hospitals and the dead to
morgues here.
Passengers on the rear car of the
standing train filled the seats and
stood in the aisles when the crash
came. The seats were shuffled as
deck OF cards Those who stood swere
crushed against each other In the far
end OF the car. The lights went out.
Mother Grips Child.
Arthur Hill, sailor from the tor
pedo boat Paul Jones. carried out
eixht bodies, including woman grip
ping an infants body in her arms.
Mother and child were dead. Mrs. w.
s. Stewart OF Los Angeles dragged
out the PROSTATE body OF her husband,
who had been stunned. The Christian
Endeavor delegates were on the train.
The headquarters OF the Toronto dele
cation Of 125 announced late last
night that none of the Canadian visit.
ors were in the wreck. Practically all
those killed and injured were residents
OF Los Angeles and suburbs.
Beoln investigation.
Investigation was begun today to
fix the blame. The curve In the tracks
Of the Venice Short Line at that place
partially is held responsible for the
failure of the motorman to see the
stationary cars with which his train
collided.
The motorman was missing today.
His body was not found in the debris
Although it was thought certain he
had been killed.
Carol Bartholimi, conductor Of the
last car of the stationary train, said
today he made an effort to flag
down. the approaching cars, but that
the motorman failed to observe his
signals.
Stories OF the accident related by
the passengers on the two trains diff
fer SO widely that much difficulty will
be experienced by the roads officials
and the coroner's jury. The crash came
80 suddenly that only those on the
rear car Of the standing train had any
warning.