Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-12-23

Two Men Fatally Injured while Asleep
on the Line of the Savannah, Florida

Two Men Fatally Injured while Asleep
on the Line of the Savannah, Florida
and Western Railway on Sunday Morn
ing.
On Sunday morning as passenger
train No. -, of the Savannah,
Florida and Western Railway, in
charge of Conductor a. p. Sanders, with
Engineer Henry Speer, was coming to-
wards Savannah, two men, apparently
asleep, were discovered on the track near
the eighty-second mile post. The train
was running on time and at high speed,
and the engineer grasped the lever and
shut down brakes with only a shadow of
a hope to arrest the motion of the train in
time to save the two men from being
crushed beneath the wheels.
All effort was in vain. The
heads OF the men were resting on the
crossties, and as the train approached
them even the noise OF the swift running
cars failed to awaken them from sleep. A
minute seemed TO be but second to En-
gineer Speer. The engine quickly slack
ened, but could not resist the momen-
tum OF the train, and the locomotive
pilot struck both men in the back part of
the head and Knocked them from the
X.
posed to be Gustav Wachtler, being
caught beneath the wheels, and mashed
almost To a pulp. Wachtler was also
slightly bruised in the face under the
right eye. while the other man was
slightly injured on the left leg. AS soon
as the train stopped both the men were
taken on board in an unconscious cOndi-
ton by the train hands. DIR. Rae, Of
JeSup, happening t. be on the train,
gave the unfortunate men all the atten-
ton that was possible under the circum-
stances. The injuries were, however, re-
| garded as fatal. DR.. Duncan was notified
| by telegraph of the accident, and on the
| arrival of the train at Savannah had the
| sufferers transferred to the Savannah
! Hospital about O'Clock in the afternoon.
| Both men were apparently Germans and
about 81 or % years Of age.
| Neither Of them were conscious or able
| to speak, but DR.. Duncan found in the
! pockets of one of them some photographs
| and letters which may lead to the ldenti-
| tcatiOn of the victims. The letters were
| addressed to Gus Wachtler, who, it ap-
| pears. from a seaman's certificate of dis
| charge found in one of the letters, was
| shipped on the schooner NJ. j. Foley on
June II, 1884, at New York, and was
afterwards discharged at that port
! in Sept. 80 last. The GER
tlhcate shows IhaJ he was native Oh
| Germany and 30 years of age. One of the
| letters was written by Henry W. Miller
| New Bremen, June >, 1884; another by
Emile Jung. New Bremen, Jan. II, 1854
a third letter was written by his sister
| Bertha, No. 81 Everett street, Cincinnati
Ohio, on May u, 1884, and cOunseling him
not to desert his ship, "but tC
! remain and please his two sisters and
not disgrace them" One of the men died
! at the hospital at II :55 O'Clock Sunday
night and the other at 2:55 O'Clock yester.
day morning. Coroner sneftall was
| notified and took charge of the photo
| graphs and letters, and had the remain;
! Of the deceased inferred IN Laurel Grove
Cemetery yesterday afternoon. An in
| quest into the circumstances attending
the death of the parties will be held by tht
J Coroner tomorrow.
The nodies werq buried in the Lanre
| Grove Cemetery as !.unknoRn.A