The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-01-06
4 RAILROAD TRAGEDY.
Additional Particulars OF the Accident on
the North CaroIinn Central

y NAlLkOAD IIthGEUl.
Additional Particulars OF the Accident on
the NOrth Caroiinn Central.
Tie Indian Creek trcstc is abou, fifty
five feet high, and crosses deep rayinc,
extending. oyer nearly half u mile Of
waste land. The train WAS composed Of
two passenger coaches, three box cars,
and Il combination car. When il reach
ed The trestle, ~ is customary, the eli.
gineer Slowed up" The engine and
tender had just passed over the structure,
and the driving wheels Of the locomotive
had scarcely cleared it, when crash was
heard by Engineer Hail from the rear.
He at once reversed his brakes and stop.
ped the engine. lie had hardly done SO
when the whole train except his engine
WAS prccipitated through the tresilc work
to the ground, fifty five feet below, and
with it all Of the passengers and road.
men, except the cpgine-driycr and his
assistant. The structure was an old one,
but deemed safe. and SO passed upon by
railr0ad men. 1t was about one hun
dred and fifty feet long. Beneath one
end Of it the water WAS quite deep, but
this was passed over in safety.
Almost as soon rs the cars struck the
ground they caught fire from the over.
turned stoves in them. These stoves
quickly communicated the fire TO the dry
wood work Of the cars, which were soon
in flames. As the wrecked cars were
piled upon one another, the unfortunate
inmates found it impossible to effect
their escape. -Four Of them were fairly
roasted alive in their horrible prisons.
Two men were 81 terribly burned and in-
jurcd MS to produce death.
Goodson, Bloom, Mckenzie and War.
lick were burned up. Smith was not
dead when his pi,eous appeal for help
reached The ears Of the engineer, who
| rushed 10 the spot where Smith was jam
med in among the wrecked cars. AS soon
as the suffering man saw assistance near
at hand, lie bcsought the engineer in the
most hcartrcnding appeals to save his
life. Engineer Hail made the most
heroic attempts to do so. lie set ener-
gctically to work TO cut away the debris
by which Smith was held, in order to re-
ieve him from his fiery prison, but rs all
| of the brakemcn and passengers were
either killed or disabled he could get no
| assistance. At every blow of the engin-
GERS axe the man cried very pitcou-ly
| for him to do his best to save him. Hail
worked with the energy born of dcspcra-
ton, but the flames spread with great
rapidity, and the roor fellow was burned
to death before hi. eyes, and while the
ringing of the axe upon the hard oak
timber sounded in the burning mans
ears. Smitk was Il hnndsom fellow
about % years old, and brave as a lion
Although he was being roasted alive
with the exception of his piteous appeals
he bore his horrible suffcrings with Il
courage rarely witnessed under such ter.
rblc circumstances. He spent Inst Sun.
day H. Charlotte, n. O., with friends.
passengers who was also burned to death
was ahont IS years old. lie leaves d
wife and several children. He was a
native Of Virginia. During the war he
was chief clerk in the Confederate Bu.
reau for the Exchange of Prisoners, and
was we'll known to many of the officers
Of the two armies. Soon after the wal
he was connected with the Richmond
Examiner, under the late II. Rivers Pol.
lard. Mail Agent Bloom and Brakemen
Mckenzie and Warlick were at the bot.
tom Of the wreck, could not be cxtrica.
ted, and were burned up. 1t is probable
that they were either dead or unconscious
before the fire gained any hendway, and
were thus saved the terrible pangs of bc
/ ing roasted alive.
Conductor II. =. johnson was found
half mile from the scene Of the disaster
about half nn hour after it occurred sit,
ting down in the woods on fallen tree
with severe wound in the head, and
partially crazed from the effects of the
blow and the terrible sc re through
which he had Just passed. All the
wounded persons were sent to Lincoln.
ton, where they were kindly cared for
Among those who were passengers OF
officers on the train and saved are s. Fl
Griffin. salesman for Austin, Nicholas &
Co, of New York; Richard Lincbrick
Of Cleveland, n. G.; Engineer Hail and
Fireman Smith. All of the survivor.
except the two last named were moro ol
less injured, some of them quite painful
ly. Johnson, Griffin and Limebrick are
in Lincolnton, the first named ut n pri
vate residence and the others Mt Burton:
Hotel. Five physicians are in atten
dance, and they are receiving every
attention that it is possible to bestow.
The mail and most of the express mat
ter were burned. The express safe wa,
recovered after tho Ere. Al the cars orc
either totally destroyed or utterly wreck,
ed. The railroad authorities are ut a
loss to what to attribute the disaster
Some think the box cars iumned til.
track, and then knocked down the trestle
the coaches following and pilinc up or
top of them. The road on which thi
accident occurred is. only about 80 mile,
in length, running from Charlotte tt
Lincolnton, n small town in Lincolr
County, in The western part Of she State
Superintendent Johnson went to tht
sceno OF the disaster early this morning
Timber and other material have alst
gone forward to repair the damage to th'
trestle-work.