San Mateo, California
Train Wreck
May
22, 1907
Autoist Is Killed By A San Jose Train
The train that leaves San Jose for San Francisco
at 4:10 p. m. killed A.
H. WHITNEY, a mile south of San Mateo
about five o'clock last evening. The victim was
crossing the track in an automobile which was
struck by the train. He was terribly mangled his
head being severed.
AUTO ON FIRE
An account of the accident is given in the
following dispatch from San Mateo:
A. H. WHITMAN [sic],
superintendent of the Leslie salt works, was
struck by a railroad train and killed instantly
at 5 o'clock last evening, a mile south of San
Mateo while trying to cross the track in his
automobile. His head was severed from the body
and the auto was thrown on the pilot of the
locomotive, where it caught fire and continued
to burn until the train was brought to a stop
just below the city limits.
WHITNEY was on his way from San Mateo to the
salt works and approached the railroad crossing
in his runabout as a southbound freight train
appeared. Whitney stopped at the crossing while
the train passed.
He had not noticed the northbound San Jose
local, which was coming at a high rate of speed.
STARTED TO CROSS
As soon as the freight had passed he started to
cross and just as he reached the second track
the oncoming locomotive struck the automobile
and hurled Whitney from his seat. The wheels of
the engine and coaches passed over his body,
mangling the trunk and severing the head.
The runabout was tossed back on the engine,
exploded and caught fire. The train sped on with
the flaming car until the engineer succeeded in
stopping the train at the outskirts of the city.
SECOND TRAGEDY IN FAMILY
A. H. WHITNEY
was a brother of
ARTHUR WHITNEY, owner of the Leslie
salt works. He was well known both in San Mateo
and San Francisco. The body will be taken to the
old family home at Petaluma. A brother of
WHITNEY met with a violent death some years ago.
He fell through a skylight as the result of a
misstep.
WHITNEY leaves four sisters,
MRS. CHARLES WHEATON and
MRS. LEWIS SPEAR of Alameda,
MRS FREDERICK HERWITT of Napa and
MRS. GEORGE MORROW of Oakland.
The Evening News, San Jose, CA 23 May 1907
Transcribed by Linda
Houston. Thanks, Linda!
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