Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1915-07-08
Steel Coaches
Save Many Lives

More than one railroader is not
sleeping well while awaiting the re-
port Of the findings of the board of
railroad officials and local men who
have been investigating every detail
of the wreck which occurred near the
water tank in the local yards early
Tuesday morning when a special
trainload of Fourth of July excur-
sionists returning to their homes in
the valley from the celebration at
Yreka crashed into two engines
which were going from side track
to the main line to get lined up for
taking out the special and No. II
which was in the yards. Both the
light engines and the special were
travelling at high rate of speed and
the resulting collision crushed the
tender of one engine, the front ends
of the other two and telescoped the
vestiblue Of the front steel coach.
Only the fact that the coaches were
of seel saved the lives of many of the
passengers, as undoubtedly wooden
coaches would have been splintered.
All of the passengers were thrown
violently from their seats and some
pitched the entire length of the car.
Fortunately no one was killed, sew
eral broken bones and wrenched mus
cles being the worst OF the injuries
received.
The board of inquiry, which con-
vened under the direction Of Thomas
X. Campbell Of the state railroad /
commission to investigate and place /
the blame for the wreck, finished /
their findings last evening and the /
officials returned to Dunsmuir on No. !
Is.
A full report of the findings of the /
board will be published as soon as
the board has received a statement
from Engineer Bowers, who is in
Roseburg.
The railroad men are rumored to
have placed the damage to cars and
engines at $4,000. No doubt claims
for injuries from passengers will far
exceed this amount.
OF the injured, twenty-four we're
taken to the local Sanitarium Tues
day morning, most of whom have
been removed to their homes. Loyal
Taylor, fireman on the special which
crashed into the engines at the en-
tarnee to the yards, was the only I
seriously injured employe and was
taken to the general hospital at San
Francisco Tuesday evening. He is
suffering from a broken thigh and
may possibly be internally injured.
Many Of the passengers were more t
shaken and scared than hurt. ;
Numerous conjectures may be l
heard regarding the cause of the i
wreck and placing the blame. but t
nothing official has been given out a
,r will be until the board publishes I
heir report. v
A partial list of the injured is as {
ollows:
Mrs. ]. R. Harper, Jacksonville,
ut on forehead; C. NJ. Collins, Table
Rock, slight injuries; Mr., and Mrs.
IcAdams, Grants Pass, former
thigh, the latter bruised;
Carl Obenchain, Central Point,
prained leg; A. w. Lewis, strained
eek; E. w. Mcbride, bruises; John y
edwards, cut lip and broken rib r
lrs. j. Hubich, T. K. Jerome, slight; q
,harles Leroy, E. G. Hart, Arthur n
aawley and Mrs. Rawley, bruises; e
Irs. Gus Samuels, F. D. limerick, II
ruised legs and arms; Earl Hyde, 1
ut forehead; Mrs. Mary Block, leg p
INJURED; Claude Miles, twisted knee;
Trs. Lottie Samuels, bruises, all of u
Iedford W
Injured railway employees were: ie
Walter Long, engineer, scalp e
'ound; Alex Livingston, engineer, cl
ack wrenched, both of Ashland IL
oyal Taylor, fireman, Dunsmuir, hip n
roken and severe internal injuries; q
. NJ. Bowers, Roseburg, engineer,
ollar bone fractured; A. S. Rosen- r
aum, agent at Medford, dislocated ]
loulder