Historic Pinole: Fatality, Injuries in Train Derailment

This week's Historic Pinole recalls a serious train derailment just outside of Pinole. It might seem odd the article mentions what we know today as small and sleepy Port Costa as a point of geographical reference.

At the time of the article, Port Costa had for years been an important point of commerce. It exported grain from the Central Valley and other goods to other parts of the country and to Europe. The world's two largest train ferries traversed the Carquinez Strait between Port Costa and Benicia. In 1908, the deep-water port would have been well-known to Bay Area readers.

The article first appeared in the May 21, 1908, edition of The San Francisco Call newspaper. We present it with the original punctuation and spelling.

OREGON EXPRESS WRECKED 1 DEAD

Train Derailed at Pinole and Express Messenger Crushed Beneath Car

Four Badly Hurt and Many Bruised; Engine Turns Turtle

While running at high speed the second section of the Oregon express of the Southern Pacific jumped the track one mile below Pinole at 9:30 last night, killing Express Messenger Cummings and seriously injuring Engineer Ward, Fireman Cody and two assistant messengers. The accident occurred on one of the numerous turns on the bay shore between the Oakland pier and Port Costa. The exact cause of the disaster has not yet been determined, but it. is believed that a defective rail threw the train from the track.

Ward, the engineer, had the train under perfect control as he skirted the shore northbound. Suddenly the locomotive lurched, heaved to the side and then left the track. Skidding along the ties for several hundred yards It swerved to the right and rolled over the bank,  The baggage and express cars followed. Three passenger coaches left the rails and - although none of the occupants was dangerously injured, all were more or loss seriously bruised. Aid was immediately dispatched from Oakland and arrangements made to convey the passengers back to this city.

Messenger Cummlngs was crushed under his car and killed almost Instantly. With him in the'ear at the time were Assistant Messengers Burlingham and W. W. Rodehorer. Burlingham was severely crushed and Rodehorer sustained a fracture of the ankle.

The injuries received by Fireman Cody and Engineer  Ward are particularly serious and it is doubtful is either recover. Ward remained in his cab and was mangled in the fall over the bank. Cody stayed with him and was found only a few feet away.

The passengers at once began the work of rescue and did everything possible for the injured men until aid arrived from Oakland.

This article comes from the California Digital Newspaper Collection, Center for Bibliographic Studies and Research, University of California, Riverside https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cdnc. The collection has digitzed more than 400,000 images from newspapers in the 19th and 20th centuries. Images dated between 1846 and 1922 are in the public domain and not subject to copyright.