One Killed And Six Hurt In Tunnel
Fatal Accident Near Susanville on Fernley-Lassen Branch
Men Trapped In Tunnel
Engineer J. J. Painter Victim of Early Morning Accident
September 17, 1913
One engineer was killed, two seriously injured and four Austrian laborers were slightly hurt in a cave-in of a railroad tunnel on the Walker extension of the Fernley-Lassen branch, 6 1/2 miles west of here at 8:30 this morning.
J. J. Painter, engineer in charge of concrete work, was crushed under five tons of rock and died in a few minutes.
M. Arbuckle, assistant engineer, received a sprained back.
The four Austrians suffered slight cuts and bruised from flying rock.
Engineer Painters body is held here awaiting advice from Los Angeles where he has relatives. Robinson and Arbuckle were removed in a special train to the Southern Pacific Hospital in San Francisco.
The fall of rock is attributed to a blast set off a few minutes before the tragedy. The engineers were inspecting the place when without warning rock fell from the roof of the tunnel.
Engineer Painter was completely buried. His chest crushed in and both legs broken and head and arms were cut and bruised. He died from hemorrhage a short time after the weight was removed.
Arbuckle and Robinson managed to jump out of the way of the greatest danger.
Long Tunnel
The tunnel, is known as tunnel number one and is 850 feet long. The bore had been completed, but the bracing and concrete lining was not finished. The firm of Francovich & Bican of Reno has the sub-contract working under Maney Brothers, general contractors.
A coroner’s jury inquired into the death of Engineer Painter and returned a verdict of accidental death attaching no blame to anyone.
Engineer Painter was 30 years old an unmarried. He had been employed as engineer for the Southern Pacific Company five years and before that had been employed by the Denver & Rio Grande.
