The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-06-15

one. In answer to the question as to the
cause Of the disaster and the manner in
which it had occurred, he said : 81
don't know how am alive to tell about
my escape, and even now nearly every
body is disagreed as to
WHAT CAUSED TIE CRASH.
The fact is that those who got off with
their lives were too much concerned in
thinking Of other things, and those who
were entirely saved found too much
work in helping the helpless to waste
any useless time in investigating the
causes Of the wreck. All 1 know is
that was sitting in the sccond-class car
| near the end next to the first-class pas
scnger coach. Ahead Of me were the
mai car and the baggage car. The only
occupants Of the car in which | was
| were two persons, colored man and a
colored boy, whose names l have for
gotten. l remember distinctly that we
had entered upon the trcstlc, and were
running, should judge, at the rate of
between twenty-five and
THIRTY MILES AN HOUR.
don't know how far we had gone on
the trcstle, possibly half mile. when
| the crash came. 1t is, Of course, impos-
sible to describe ones sensation under
tho friyhtful circumstances, but | am
sure that every one on the car who
knows anything about impending dan
ger must have felt prcmonition that
there was something wrong just an in
stant or so before we were sent whirl-
ing through the air to the ground below.
The first intimation | received Of the
coming disaster was the omir Gus sound
Of the brakes being instantancously and
forcibly put down. At such a place, on
such a trcstlc so elevated above the
ground, or rather above the water be-
low, | felt that the danger, if danger
it was, would be nothing less than a
fatal one. therefore almost insensibly
threw myself forward and clung tightly
to the forward seat. and at the same in
roar Of the train the noise Of the cars
ahead. which were
PLUNGING DOWN THE TIEsTLE.
just then, glancing through the for
ward door, | saw the next car pitch from
the rails and vanish from sight. knew
then that our time had come. Quicker
than thought the front end Of our car
dirped down and | then thought that all
was over, could distinctly hear the
crashing of timber under the car rs we
went down. only knew this that the
fearful wrenching which the car expc-
ricnccd rs we left the rails lifted me
Fl ON my seat, regardless of all the
strength Of agony and despair that was
eXcrting, and shot me forcibly down to-
wards the front end Of the car. l re-
member ut one time the car was nearly
perpcndicular, and having been cut loose
from my support fell almost by the
force OF gravity along tic whole line Of
seats to the bottom. | have numbrrlrss
bruises which do not feel just now, on
account of the greater pain Of
my principal wounds, and 1
am confident that struck every seat on
my way down to the forward door. In
fact my remembrance is that the wound
on my head was caused by striking the
sharp edge Of one Of the seats MS was
being hurlev, as l then thought, into
eternity. Strange to say, after reaching
the bottom Of the car, | experienced but
little injury. reached the last possible
place, the end Of the car, just as it struck
the ground. Through the windows | saw
the water, dashed into foam, rise high
above the car, but all Of sudden it sub
sided, and the fear of drowning. which
was my first sensation on seeing the
water, disappeared. Then for an instant
all was still. l was dazed and didn't
know what to do or to think. Both the
colorcd persons were out of sight, possi-
bly, under the seats. thought at first
that the car was the safest place, but |
changed my mind and dragged myself
through one of the windows. 1t was
only then that found that I was ser-
ously hurt. The wound on INV head
had bled profuscly and was half blind
ed by
| THE STREAM OF BLOOD