Tahachapi, CA Terrible Railroad Accident, Jan 1883

THE RAILROAD DISASTER

LATER ACCOUNTS OF THE CALIFORNIA RAILWAY WRECK.

The Air-Brakes Taken Off and The Brakemen Away From Their Posts -- Twenty-One Lives Lost.

San Francisco, Jan. 21 -- A dispatch from Tehichipa concerning the accident to the southern express train near there yesterday confirms the death of MRS. DOWNEY and says ex-Gov. DOWNEY is badly hurt, but will recover. Only a few passengers left here on the train. A dispatch from Los Angeles says: "It is now ascertained that at the time when the train broke loose and ran down the grade the air-brakes had been taken off and the men who tended the hand-brakes were away from their posts, one attending to switching the engine and the other relighting his extinguished lamp. The train gathered headway quickly, and was soon dashing down the grade at the rate of a mile a minute. At a sharp curve of the road the coach and smoker, which were ahead, broke the coupling and separated from the rest of the train, making the turn safely. The sleepers and the mail, express, and baggage cars were dashed against a high bank and then thrown back, rolling down an embankment. The lamps and stoves at once set fire to the wreck, which was instantly in a blaze. HARRY CONNORS, news agent, who was sleeping in the baggage car, was awakened by the movement of the car and aroused JAMES WOODHULL, baggage-master, just as the cars made the jump. The roof of the car was split open and both men were thrown out and severely bruised. CONNORS, while lying on the ground unable to render any assistance, saw the train enveloped in flames and heard the shrieks of dying victims, and saw them vainly endeavoring to struggle from the burning ruins. PORTER ASHE and wife, who occupied a drawing room of one of the sleepers, were awakened by the crash. They succeeded in getting out without injury, but of 16 other occupants of the car not one is believed to have escaped. In the meantime, the occupants of the coach which kept on the down grade succeeded in stopping it, thereby saving the lives of about 40 occupants of that and the smoking car. They immediately walked back to the scene of the accident, but found only the smoldering remains of the train and the few who had escaped with their lives lying bruised and bleeding in the darkness, shivering in the piercing cold night air, or rendering assistance to each other. Relief soon arrived from Tehichipa, four miles distant, and as soon as possible medical attendance was sent from Sumner and Bakersfield, and subsequently from Los Angeles.
A search for the dead showed that 21 persons had perished. Eleven were beyond all recognition, only headless bodies and charred limbs being found. Of the body of MRS. DOWNEY only the head and bust remained, which were recognized by her jewelry. All the bodies and fragments of bodies were placed in coffins. The wounded were removed to the baggage car, and on the arrival of the relief train from Los Angeles were sent to that city. Of the dead ______ WRIGHT, colored, porter of one of the sleepers, was crushed; Express Messenger CHARLES PIERSON had his head shattered, and the following five were burned, but not beyond recognition; MISS MAMIE E. QUIRRES, MRS. H. O. OLIVER, MRS. DOWNEY, M. WETHERED, and MRS. JAMES CASSELL. Two men, names unknown, but supposed to be discharged soldiers, were found dead, but not burned. One other body, of a large man, badly charred, was found, and is supposed to be that of COL. LARRABEE, ex-Congressman from Wisconsin. Ex-Gov. DOWNEY says MR. LARRABEE was on the train and has been missing since the accident. The remaining 11 bodies are still unidentified. The list of wounded is not changed from the previous report. An inquest is in progress, but as yet no news has been received as to its findings. No one but the railroad and county officers are admitted to the inquest.
A dispatch from Fresno says: DR. CARSON, a young physician of this place, who took the train on Friday night which was wrecked at Tehichipa, is supposed to be among the unidentified dead.
A Los Angeles dispatch says no news has yet been received of the result of the Coroner's inquest into the cause of the railroad disaster. Rumors are afloat of the finding of more bodies, but there is nothing definite. The body supposed to be that of MRS. DOWNEY, on examination to-day, proved to be that of some other person. The bodies of CHARLES K. PIERSON, express messanger; MRS. M. E. SQUIRES, and LAWRENCE, the sleeping car porter, were sent to Oakland, and that of C. H. LARABEE to San Francisco by express this evening. JAMES R. DWYER, of DWYER, SKAIFE & ROBERTSON, of San Francisco, who was supposed to have been on the wrecked train arrived here safely on Friday. PORTER ASHE exhibited a great deal of cool heroism at the burning of the cars. After drawing his wife and her maid through the window of the sleeper, he rescued ex-Gov. DOWNEY from between broken timbers, thus saving his life.

The New York Times New York 1883-01-22
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Researched and Transcribed by Stu Beitler. Thank you, Stu!