Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1888-03-23
DhcuEn -
r..-,..v ~ DEATH.
A FAST MAIL TRAIN GOES
THROUGH A TREsTLE.
C"enty-Five People Killed and as
Others Reported Injured.

dispatch from Charleston, S. c., March
IL, says: At $40 o'clock this morning, a
portion Of the southbound fast mail train
crashed through the trestle, just after cross
ing Hurricane river, IS miles sonth
of Savannah, on the Savannah,
Florida & Western railway. As far as
learned, 10 persons were killed and SO in.
jured. OF the killed nine were white and
eight were colOred. OF the wounded 10 are
ladies', 20 white male passengers, and six
children. The spot is one mile east Of Black
shear, Pierce county, Ga. The road there
crosses Hurricane river, and beyond it is a
long stretch of trestle work. The train left
Savannah at 7.0l o'clock, standard time. 1t
was composed of an engine, a combination
baggage and smoking car, one passenger
coach, two Pullman sleeping cars and the pri-
vate car of President Wilbur of the Lohigh
Valley railroad. The engine passed over
safely, but the rest of the train broke
through and iell ID feet TO the ground below.
Before reaching the bridge the trains always
slow up, and it is supposed the train was
running at too high speed. The combi-
nation coach is reported to be the first one
which struck tho ground. On it fell the
passenger coach, the sleepers and the special
car, in which private party was travel
ling.
The sceno at the moment after the wreck
was heart-rending. The lower coaches were
smashed well nigh to pieces Fortunate
were those passengers to whom death came
instantly. Every coach was filed, and
hardly a passenger escaped without some
injury. When the wreck was partly cleared
away, the disaster, serious as it was,
| wax 'rs horrible than it was feared.
! .sl
Physicians anu citizens hurried
from Blackshear to the scene OF ne wrocS
as soon as the engineer, who ran on TO the
village, reported the disaster. Messages
nlediately wired to Waycross and Jesup
for .pbyslcians. A wrecking train was made
up in the yard right away, and Supt. Flem-
ing, with DR.. William Duncan, the road
| physician, and large force of men, started
for the scene. An hour later another train
was made up. 1t carried out physicians and
an additional force of men and collins.
A dispatch from Blacks hear says that the
ladies of that town were at the wreck, and
did noble work attending to the injured
About 400 feet of trestle work was carried
away.
| This is the first severe accident the Savan-
nah, Florida d Western road has had. Just
how it occurred has not yet been learned
| A representative of the Jacksonville Times
Union, sent from Jacksonville, arrived at
Waycr0ss, near the scene of the accident at
7.3O o'clock tonight, and found the town wild
with excitement. The number of dead ag-
grcgates %, about equally divided as to col
or. Nineteen persons were killed instantly
at the wreck, and six died at Waycross in
the afternoon. The wounded are being
cared for in Waycross and Blackshear. Sow
eral mnre are expected to die. General Fer
rdO of Tammany hall had his left hand Sc
verely injured, and suffered a conclusion Of
the right side. His wife is severely injured
on the left side, and is suffering consid-
erably