The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1888-07-19
TUMBLED INTO A TRESTLE.
A Terrible Wreck on the Virginia Midland
Five Killed and Forty Wounded
Death Among the Postal
Clerks.

Midland railroad early this morning.
/ The through Southern train that left
here ut ll.25 o'clock last night went
through trestlc between Orange Court
! House and Barboursville 4 distance Of
fifteen feet, killing five persons out
right and wounding upwards of 40,
some severely.
Among the killed is Cornelius Cox,
of the engineering department Of the
road. The names Of the others have
not vet been received. The train hands
were all more or less hurt, but none
seriously.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, July 12.-The
express train No. 81 left Orange G. H.,
southbound, at .50a. m., Conductor {.
p. Taylor, Engineer Watkins and fire
man Kelly. About two miles south of
Orange is Il trestlc, As feet high, which
was known to be weak, and the Rail-
road company was engaged in filling
it in. The train was moving at speed
of six miles, crossing the trestle under
regular orders. The engine had passed
safely over most Of the trestle when the
smoker, mail, baggage and express cars
went down with great crash, drag
ging down the engine and tender and
two passenger coaches.
Two sleepcrs remained on the trestle.
The engine went down pilot foremost,
thus communicating no fire to the
wreck. All the lights were extinguish-
ed in the fall as soon as the accident
occurred.
The engineer. who was but slightly
injured, walked back to Orange and
telegraphed for assistance. DR.. w. G.
\. Randolph and other physicians left
here on a sprcial train for the wreck.
The dead and some of the wounded
were taken to Orange, while the more
seriously hurt were brought to Char
lottesville and placed in the Cottage
Hospital, hotels and houses Of friends.
AS far as can now be ascertained, five
were killed. G. Cox, of Alexandria, Of
the engineering department Of the
Piedmont Air Line, was instantly
! killed. H. I. Wilmington, Of Green's
boro, North Carolina, postal clerk,
lived ten minutes. H. G.. Brightwell,
postal clerk Of Prospect, Prince Edward
County, Virginia, lived until he reached
the hospital. w. D. Parrott, of Alber-
marie County, postal clerk, badly in
| jured; III. West ant}J. l.. Walthali, Of
Washington, D. c., postal clerks, badly
injured; Louis Jenkins, of Lynchburg,
postal clerk, slightly injured; Potter
field, express agent, seriously injured;
Jennings, Of Lynchburg, a passenger,
internal injuries. Capt. G. P. Taylor, of
Alexandria, who was in the car next to
the smoker when the accident occurred,
was hurt about the head and arms and
one leg was injured. The injured are
estimated ut about twenty-five.
THE TRESTLE WAS ROTTEN.
The accident was due to an advanced
stage of decay of trestle timbers. The
coroner's jury declared that the disas-
ter was due to no other cause. Wreck
ing trains have been at work all day,
and it is believed that all the bodies
have been recovered. The debris will
not be removed and the bridge replaced
under several days. Trains will 90 by
way of Gordonsville to Charlottesville
for the present.
| Another Account.
WASHINGTON, July 20. \. Mich
olson, of Baltimore, one of the survivors
of the accident. has arrived here and
relates his experience as follows:
1T was horrible thing, and it is a
miracle how any one who went down
in that terrible fall escaped. 1t was in
the dead of night, and we had started
across the bridge when it itsuddenly gave
away. The engine had reached the
other side, but it was pulled back by
the falling baggage car and fell on top,
The mail car was knocked out of recog,
milton and the smoker was totally de
molished. I was in the sleeper that
went down. l don't know how I es
capped. When l was awakened, I look
ed out and fvand the car hoisted in the
air, resting on the remains Of cars be
low. The couplings connecting us will
the other sleepers had given away, anG
they remained on the track. We wen
to work as soon as possible, though il
was pitch dark, and did our best t.
rescue the injured. The scene that fol-
lowed was ofindescribable horror. Th,
shrieks and means of the injured, the
shouts of wildly excited passengers anc
the kissing of steam was terrible to hear
The passenger cars were crushed out 0
all shape, while the sleeper was helt
high in the air by the ruins of tn
broken coaches. \ little stream rum
under the trestle and recent rains ha(
swollen it to far beyond its wonted pro
portions. 1t is feared some were pin
ioned below its surface and perished il
its waters"
GAFFNEY FURNISHES a VICTIM.
Especial to the Greenville News
GAFFNEI, S. c., July l2-Informa
ton has just been received here of tn
death of DIR. J. y. Torrance, presiden
of the Cherokee Falls Manufacturin
Company, in the wreck ON the Virgini
Midland Railroad to-day. He was OF
; his return home after visit of som
time North in the interest of his factory
His remains will he bro1uht bara fO