The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-06-22
TERRIBLE ACCIDENT.
Falling of Broadway Trestle.
A Train Hurled into the FrightfuI
Chasm.
Five Men Killed by the Disaster.

the ringing of the Court House bell, which
usually indicates the alarm of fire, and on
repairing to the public square it was ascer-
tanned that more horrible catastrophe than
the burning and destruction of property
had taken place, which called forth the
citizens of Anderson. A messenger had
just arrived in town to announce the great
est and most terrible railroad accident ever
witnessed or known in this part of the State,
involving the swift destruction of human
life. He brought the news that Broadway
trestle, on the Anderson Branch, had fallen
in the night previous with the regular pas
senger train, which was known to have
gone upon an extra trip to Bolton, and that
all upon board the train had lost their lives,
with the exception of one person. The
messenger, Mr.. VIM. Holmes, had not been
to the scene of the accident, but his infor-
nation was reliable, and the sad truth was
only too soon realized by the hundreds who
repaired to the disastrous spot to render
assistance If within their power, and to
witness the fearful wreck. In order to make
the narrative of events intelhgible to the,
general reader, we will begin with the occur
rences of the previous day.
The passenger train running between Bel
ton and Walhalla arrived at this place at the
usual hour on friday afternoon, and in ad-
dition to; Che ordinary complement of cars
there was attached to the train a palace car
belonging to Georg w. Williams, Esq, of
Charleston, which was occupied by Mr..
Williams family and friends en- route to
their summer residence in Georgia. The
party numbered thirteen persons altogether,
and it was their intention to proceed on to.
Senece City that afternoon, where the Air
Line train would take up their car and land
them at their destination. On reaching
Anderson, however, the information was
given to Conductor Lafoy that there was
break on the Blue Ridge Railroad, about
seven miles from this place, aud he was in
structed to go up the railroad and ascertain
the extent of the damage. These instruc-
tions werecarried out by taking the engine
to the break, and the damage proved SO
serious that it was unadvisable to proceed
any further in that direction. Returning
with the engine to Anderson little before
dark, Mr.. Lafoy awaited instructions after
making his report to the Superintendent,
Col sDodamead. This; report must have
satisfied the superintendent that Mr.. Will
iams, family could not reach Seneca City by
this route In any reasonable time, and he
sent a message to Mrs. Williams to that
effect, asking whether or not she desired to
be sent to Greenyille that night which was
answered in the affirmative, and Conductor
Lafoy.was instructed to take the family to
Belton, where another train would be ready
to carry them on to Greenyi1le.
In obedience to these instructions, Mr..
Lafoy left with his charge about eight
o'clock. Besides those on board the palace
car, the occupants of the train were as fol-
lows: NV. :Lafoy, conductor; M. ]. Will
son, engineer; jefferson Ktsinger, baggage
master; Allen Johnson, colored, fireman; !;
Henry Thompson, colored, wood d-passer.
The mail agent, Mr.. Thomas Sullivan, was
in the act of getting. on the train, when he
was requested to remain over at Anderson,
and consented to do so. The engine and
the baggage car, together with the palace car
of Mr. Williams, formed the train. On
reaching the trestle over Broadway Greek,
four miles from Anderson, the train was
stopped and an examination made of its
condition, after which the train passed over
safely, and reached Bolton in due time.
Col Dodamead instructed Mr.. Lafoy tore
main over at Belton until morning, but he
was deshous of returning to Anderson that
night and made request to that effect, we
are informed. Col. Dodamead aeceded to
this request, which proved so fatal in its
consequences, and allowed Mr.. Lafoy to
make the return trip, giving him caution
ary message to be careful as to his move
ments.
The fated train left Belton at 9.2O p. m.
The engine and baggage car now constituted
the entire train. Mr.. Wilson and the col
ored men were upon the engine, while
Messrs. Lafoy and Kitsinger were the only
occupants of the baggage car. It is evident
that the train proceeded slowly and careful
ly, from the time which elapsed between
leaving Belton and reaching Broadway, as
afterwards ascertained from the watches of
the engineer and the conductor-the former
indicating 10 o'clock and the latter 1908.
The breaks were put on. the engine and car,
and just as the awful plunge was made, the
breaks were whistled off, according to the
statement of Henry Thompson, the only
one who survived to tell the story of this
terrible accident. The train was only fairly
cleared from the embankments, when the
trestle gave way, and the fearful leap was
made which ended the lives Of faithful and
courageous men, who were devoted to their
calling. The trestle was eighty-one feet
high, measuring from the surface of the
stream at low-water mark to the top of the
railroad track. and into this awful chasm
the fatal plunge was taken! The tender
went down foremost and the engine turned
q complete somersault in making the de-
scent, while the baggage car was wrecked
upon the falling timbers and hurled with
immense force among the debris. The
crash aroused lady living in q short dis
tance of the trestle, and her. cries evoke
other neighbors, who spread the intelligence
from house to house, until almost every
male person in the vicinity was brought to
the disastrous scene within a few hours.
The gloomy darkness of the night would
not permit those who went, however, to
render any assistance to the only survivor,
whose cries of pain and anguish were most
distressing. AS already stated, messenger
was sent to Anderson with the dreadful
news, and hundreds of our citizens hastened
to the wreck. The persons who reached
there earlier were not idle, however. They
had gone to work at the earliest moment
practicable to rescue Henry Thompson from