The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-03-02

He had business at a lumber station in the
mountains known as Snyder's Mills A
narrow gauge runs by heavy grades and
sharp curves into this region. Nopassenger
trains are run on this road. Williams had
intended to go to the mills one day IN the
caboose of freight or lumber train. He
had taken his place in the caboose, when he
learned that there was some doubt about
his being able to get back In time to keep
an important engagement, and he
POSTPONED THE TRIP.
The train was in motion when he came to
this conclusion, but he jumped OFT. While
the train was going up one OF the steepest
grades on this road it broke in two, the
cabooSe and two of the cars separating from
the other cars and at once starting back
down the mountain. The conductor and
brakeman were in the caboose. The speed
of the runaway cars became terrific, and at
last they were thrown from the track.
They plunged down a steep embankment,
and the conductor and brakeman were
crushed TO death in the wreck.
Tuesday of last week Williams was in the
Pocono lumber region, in Monroe county,
Pennsylvania, along the line of the Della
ware and Lackawanna railroad. he was
at mill near POcono Summit at which
place he was to board the caboose of an
East bound stock train. He got to the sta
ton Just in time to see the train passing
out. His disappointment was great, as he
had an arrangement to meet a man on I'M
portant business. An hour or so
later his pleasure at missing
the train was much greater than
his disappointment. The grade
at that place is six miles long and 80 feet to
the mile. The stock-cars were fitted with
air-brakes, but as tho train started down
the mountain the engineer found that they
would not work. The train was composed
of twenty-three cars loaded with cattle, be-
sides the engine and caboose. 1t ran away
down the grade, clearing the fourteen miles
in eleven minutes. Then the head car
jumped the track and all the Others piled
after it in ravine nearly 100 feet deep.
Two or three persons on the train were
killed and 400 head Of cattle were cruched
to
DEATH IN THE RUINS.
Last Thursday Williams tramp called
him to the lumber region of Mexican
county, Pennsylvania. A lumber railroad
known as the West Branch railroad con-
meets the Erie with the lumber mills. No
road in this country encounters such steep
grades or makes such short curves as this
lumber railroad. 1t is confined entirely to
traffic in lumber and freigh3. Williams
had gone up the road to Steckler's mills.
He had intended to return that same after
noon to make n connection for Bradford.
Before the train he was to take came
along he concluded for some reason to
wait until the next day. The train
consisted of five cars loaded
with lumber, one freight car,
the engine and a caboose. In going down
what is called the Hazleton mill grade the
trainmen lost control of the train. 1t dashed
down the mountain at a terrific speed, and
at a sharp curve left the rails. The train
was thrown down a steep embankment, and
in the wreck one passenger, the conductor
and the firemen were killed. There were
several other persons riding in the caboose,
every one of whom was badly hurt, two ia
tally. A man, with whom Williams says
he would have been sitting if be had been
on the train, was one of the fatally injured
passengers.
Besides these three remarkable interposi
tions of fate in his behalf, Williams says
that he escaped from two previous frightful
accidents by similar good fortune.
Some years ago he was at Lackawaxen,
on the Delaware division of the Erie rail
road He was going East and was waiting
for a passenger train, when he discovered
in the engineer of freight train that had
stopped at the station for water, an old
time friend The engineer invited him to
ride as far as Port Jervis Oh his engine, and
Williams consented. Before the engine was
through taking water Williams received a
telegram from contractor he had been
doing some business with, asking him to
remain until the next day as he had left
something out of the contract. Williams
remained The freight train had run to
within four miles of Port Jervis when the
boiler of the locomotive exploded. The
engineer, fireman, hagman and another
person were blown to pieces.
One time after that Williams was riding
on locomotive on the Atlantic and Great
Western railroad. He knew the engineer
and for several miles occupied his seat in
the cab. Finally he vacated it and the
engineer sat down. The change had
scarcely been made when the connecting
rod on that side of the locomotive broke.
The heavy portion next to the cab was
whirled backward, and crashing through
the end of the cab, crushing the engineer to
death instantly.