STORIES FROM THE PAST
30 years ago
“Valley residents respond to tender aid to victims of major railway tragedy near Niland early today.”
The Brawley News of Sept. 29, 1938, had the headline emblazoned on page 1 side by side with news of Adolf Hitler invading Czechoslovakia.
The Niland train wreck that left 11 dead and 139 injured 50 years ago may be remembered by many old timers in the Valley.
The wreck made a great impression on Marvin Lewis, of Lewis Jewelers in Brawley, although he was age 12 at the time of the accident.
“It was one of the great tragedies in the Valley,” said Lewis. “We hadn’t had that happen before.”
Jack Stodelle, general manager of radio station KROP in Brawley, is another who recalls the incident. Although Stodelle, who was also 12 at the time, lived in San Bernardino, the newspapers there were so full of the accident that he made a scrap book of it.
“I think it would make a great documentary,” said Stodelle, a train aficionado who is on the board of directors of the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum in San Diego and the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento.
“It was the era before the airplane took over. There were six to eight trains in each direction (from California) to Chicago and to New Orleans. Usually full.”
Niland then was a railroad town and many of its residents were railroad employees, said Lewis.
At 1:38 a.m., as passengers slept on the eastbound Californian on the Tortuga siding, 11 miles east of Niland, the westbound Argonaut slammed into it at 30 miles an hour.
The force of the impact derailed the Californian and almost demolished its locomotive, as well as the engine and first six cars of the Argonaut.
The third car of the Californian, which had most of the fatalities, was an economy carriage reserved exclusively for women and children traveling alone, said Stodelle.
“It provided a nicer environment than the smoking cars that were blue with smoke and foul language from the men,” he said.
None of the passengers or the crew were from the Valley. But every physician and ambulance and most of the nurses went to Niland to help the victims.
Getting there wasn’t easy, since there were no roads from Niland to the isolated Tortuga siding.
20 years ago
CALIPATRIA — The Calipatria High School volleyball team had its work cut out for it here Monday against Palo Verde as the match went to five games before Calipatria pulled out the victory.
After dropping the first game of the non-league match 16-14, the Hornets (5-6 overall, 1-1 Desert League) won three of the next four games by scores of 15-10, 10-15, 16-14 and 15-10.
“It was funny,” said Calipatria coach Angie Ortiz. “The girls went back and forth. They would go up and then go back down and then they would have to catch back up.
“But I’m really happy with how they’re playing,” she added. “I want them to play a little faster but that will come with time.”
Juanita Hill and Sandra Hurtado led the Hornets with 12 and 16 service points, respectively. Hill contributed 15 kills, matching those of Rebecca Pence, who added six blocks.