Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-01-07
The Terrible Railroad Accident in Geor-
Qia-Bailroad Train in a Flood


The Columbus. la, Times. of Saturday, contains
the frat particulars that have reached US OF the
| catastrophe to the passenger train from Columbus
| TO Macon. The accident occurred about o'clock
! In the morning. The Times says:
! The two trains. the one from Columbus and the
other 10 Macon. had passed nj the station, and the
former was passing overa bridge at Randalrs
creek, IL miles from this city, when the culyerts
gave way, precipitating the whole train into the
swollen, angry stream below. 1t was quite dark,
and the rain was falling ia torrents. The engine
immediately sank TO the bottom, and one was
thrown upon it in the stream.
The is sud to have been appalling. The
ns 4scngers, half awakened from sleep, found
themselves enclosed within the narrow limits OF
n q. r, struggling for their lives 1t is not known
WHEELER there was window up in the car or
not can the passengers who were saved or
rescued give any account OF their manner Of cs-
cape The stream sufficiently deep to hide
the car lad it sunk, and the height of the bridge
from the wa or $50 feet ordinarily was great
rs t. u @ car to turn in the swollen tor
rent Thee were about % persons, including en-
gnecr, firemen and brakesmen. upon the train
Of this number, IA are known to have found wa
lery gray
II is ~ pposcd that some of the ladies have not
vet been U,ered
The pa senoer ear loated down the stream and
coming j., col i.on with the wagon road bridge,
some 50 Yards below. the latter wns forced to give
way, ana Doth car anu bridge noated-about one
mile below ;he scene of the disaster.
DR.. ph Iii ,,s. Of Putnam county, saved his life
Ivy clinging u tree, half n mile below the
bridge. While thus hanging to the tree, he res
cucd negro boy floating near him from an un-
timely d''atb-
A no ;ro man belonging to Mr. Mustian of
this city. nj 80 saved the life Of Mr. Grammel
tsuppose name 1.-THE railroad agent at How
ards sta toI. One Of MIR. Grammells ribs was
broken.
Mr.. nel--the Conductor-had his nose bro
ken by the fall Of the car, though saving his
li.c.
The b Id IS of the lost cannot be brought now
la the Is, rs the creeks arc swollen and
the b,id yes impaired by the recent rains to
render he running of the trains dangerous expe-
rnent- of the number saved all are more less
injured. The ladies were all lost.
The ames of the dead have been published
The ira which had just passed the unfortunate
train nj indcd To above, also, ran into cnlvert
fonr fee deep. about mile and half from CO.
lnmhus. with fatal consequences. The Times
saws:
The train was moving slowly at the time, but
the ncntum sufficient to urge the forward
part Of the engine up on the bank, while the him
der par was in the water in the rear of this
was the tender, n n nea, ly perpendicular position,
and SO close to the engine to confinc between
the two the bodies of two fremen, one n white
man 10y the name Of Walker, and the other
gro WI %. we understand, ia the property Of Mr..
John l.. Mustnin, President of the road In this
sitnatit N they either crushed or scaded to
death. The accident occurred about 81 o'clock
Every effort was made by the hands and passen-
gers extricate the sufferers, but without success
Mr.. W alker was probably killed by the shock, as
he new spoke afterwards The negro, however,
nscious for half an hour, us it seemed To us
that, or so long a time his screams thrilled his
symp, .thizing but impotcnt hearers. The eng
neer, Mr. George Smith, was thrown from the en-
CINE distance Of ten feet. and either by the fall
or the blow which caused it, had the bone of the
under jaw broken