CENTRAL PACIFIC RAILROAD

Leased Roads & Branches.

Accident Report

Statement of each Casualty within the State of California resulting in Injuries to Persons, and the extent thereof, from January 1st to December 31st, 1878.

Date 1878	Name	Whether Passenger, Employee, or Otherwise	Place of Accident	Cause of Accident	Extent of Injury
October 19	Miss H. Plato	Passenger	Oakland	Finger caught by car door	Finger severely injured
October 19	Miss Rowell	Passenger	Oakland	Jumping off train	Ankle sprained
October 20	William Bradley	Employee	Livermore	Fell from turn-table	Leg slightly bruised
October 20	L. Becker	Trespasser	Sacramento	Struck by engine	Fatally injured
October 20	James Roth	Trespasser	Lancaster	Fellow off brake beam	Fatally injured
October 23	George H. Dille	Employee	Brentwood	Getting on train	Fatally injured
October 24	Unknown man	Passenger	McConnell's	Jumped off train	Slightly injured
October 26	T. A. Cogan	Employee	Cannon	Jumping from engine	Ankle sprained
October 27	Chinaman	Passenger	Oakland	Jumped from train	Foot severely crashed
October 28	J. Hutchinson	Employee	Knights Landing	Coupling cars	Two fingers amputated
October 29	F. A. Taylor	Employee	Stockton	Fell from car	Wrist sprained
November 1	H. P. Johnson	Employee	Dunnigan	Coupling cars	Finger slightly injured
November 2	J. A. La Barge	Employee	Woodland	Coupling cars	Back slightly bruised
November 2	Chinaman	Employee	Oakland	Struck by train	Arm amputated
November 7	Aug. Fahrbach	Trespasser	Oakland	Jumping on train	Leg amputated
November 7	Frank Cary	Passenger	Oakland	Fell off train	Severely bruised
November 8	E. J. Turner	Employee	Galt	Coupling cars	Head slightly bruised
November 8	C. H. Cameron	Employee	Tulare	Coupling cars	Side slightly bruised
November 11	George Rowland	Employee	Stockton	Switching collision	Slightly bruised
November 12	Chinaman	Employee	Avon	Struck by train	Instantly killed
November 12	Chinaman	Employee	Avon	Struck by train	Seriously injured
November 15	F. V. Marvin	Employee	Oakdale	Coupling cars	Thumb bruised slightly
November 22	Chinaman	Trespasser	Roseville	Run over by train	Instantly killed
November 22	Unknown man	Trespasser	Highlands	Run over by train	Instantly killed
November 22	D. F. Hadley	Trespasser	Oakland	Run over by train	Instantly killed
November 22	Mrs. J. F. Forster	Passenger	Alameda	Fell from train	Slightly injured
November 29	Indian, buck	Trespasser	Truckee	Found dead-run over	Instantly killed
November 29	James Campbell	Employee	Oakland	Struck by train	Instantly killed
December 2	H. P. Whitcher	Passenger	Rocklin	Finger caught in car door	Finger cut off
December 2	L. N. Hanson	Employee	South Vallejo	Examining car wheels	Fingers crushed
December 6	Chinaman	Employee	Oakland	Struck by train	Head slightly cut
December 11	Edward Otis	Employee	Oakland	Coupling cars	Hand bruised
December 11	Mrs. John Thiesen	Passenger	Oakland	Jumped off train	Head slightly injured
December 18	M. Osborn	Passenger	Carquinez	Overtaking collision of trains	Severely injured
December 18	William F. Dow	Passenger	Carquinez	Overtaking collision of trains	Slightly bruised
December 18	F. D. Billings	Employee	Carquinez	Overtaking collision of trains	Slightly bruised
December 18	Pat. Halpin	Employee	Carquinez	Overtaking collision of trains	Slightly bruised
December 18	John Tiemaine	Employee	Carquinez	Overtaking collision of trains	Slightly bruised
December 18	Mike Griffin	Employee	Carquinez	Overtaking collision of trains	Slightly bruised
December 20	W. B. Cutler	Trespasser	Marysville	Fell from train	Fatally injured
December 21	T. E. Conley	Employee	Cross Creek	Coupling cars	Finger slightly bruised
December 23	H. C. Hubbard	Employee	Cross Creek	Struck by brake wheel	Arm severely bruised
December 25	John C. Brown	Employee	Oakland	Jumping off train	Shoulder slightly bruised
December 28	James O. Welch	Employee	Yuba	Struck against car of ties	Leg broken
December 31	William Jauncy	Employee	South Vallejo	Coupling cars	Leg severely bruised

Source: Biennial Report of the Commissioner of Transportation of the State of California, The Years ending December 31, 1877 and 1878. Sacramento: State Office, F. P. Thompson, Superintendent State Printing, 1879. Pages 321-326.

Transcribed by Nancy Pratt Melton.

PACIFIC COAST RAILROAD COMPANY

STATEMENT EACH ACCIDENT IN CALIFORNIA

James Tierny, foreman, got run over by engine No. 3, at Hight Street, on August 20th, 1878. He tried to get on the engine while in motion, slipped and fell under between the engine and tank; forward truck wheels passed over his foot about the instep, and mashed it. Foot had to be amputated.

On June 29th 1878, when train No. 4, engine No. 7, J. H. Davis, conductor, and J. W. Standley, engineer, going south, between Alviso and Agnew’s, struck and killed a man. The whistle was blown and bell rung. He stepped away from the track about 14 feet, but when the engine was about 50 feet from train he started to cross the track. He had not reached the center of the track before the engine struck him. The engine was immediately stopped and reversed to where he laid. He was taken up dead, and brought to Santa Clara. Name unknown. Suppose he was insane.

Source: Biennial Report of the Commissioner of Transportation of the State of California, The Years ending December 31, 1877 and 1878. Sacramento: State Office, F. P. Thompson, Superintendent State Printing, 1879. Page 464.

Transcribed by Nancy Pratt Melton.

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© 2005 Nancy Pratt Melton

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