The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-07-06
THAT DEADLY WRECK.
WHAT RAILROAD COMMISSIONER HILL
THINKS ABOUT 1T.
Human Bodies burned 10 Ashes and
Ihsn swept Away by the Rushing
waters -IiIottc IN Refusing 10
ALLOW newspaper Reporters
on The Relief Train.

Yesterday morning Railroad Com
missioner j. G.. Hill returned from
Thaxton 4. where he had been lnvesti-
eating the recent disaster at that point
On the Norfolk and Western Railroad.
Ia conversation with a TINES re-
porter General Hill stated that IN his
opinion the wreck was caused by one
oi those visitations Of Providence which
could not be- foreseen.
am Of opinion that a water-sPout or
some such neayy fall Of water caused
the washOuts.
Washouts. How many were therey
There were three. The one which
caused the wreck of the train was only
seyeuty-fye feet long and twenty 'fve
/ feet deep. IL was lhree-quarters OF "A
mile west Of ThaXton 5. The largest
one was only one mile east. or about
three hundred yards east Of IhaXton s.
| Il was two hundred feet long and sixty
feet deep. Had the tram passed the
/ first one. 10 would have met the next.
/ but the result could not nave been any
more fearful. IL Is impossible for any
one 90 say whether the tram was on the
embankment when It went down. on
+ whether the wa-h-Out had occurred De-
/ fore the train reached IL.
Continuing. General Hill said that
be learned the cram left Roanoke ou
time gong east. with orders o. care.
fully watch out los water. particularly
/ between Buford 3 and Lowry 5 sta
lions. Il was between these stations
that the washOuis happened. Between
/ Roanoke and Buiord s. "a distance 81
twenty miles. the train lost thirty
minutes. showing that it Mas running
slowly. From Bu.ord 5 onward 10 was
down grade. and the train might have
run more rapidly, but that Is 'pecula'
ton.
Mr. James. the track engineer Of The
/ Norfolk and Western Railroad, was on
/ the engine looking out for wafer. ne
was kiiicd. Mi. Cassel, the division
superiulendent. was i'm the baggage
car. The door was open. and he was
/ looking ont no the time OF the accident.
That portion of the embankment had
been used thirty-fOur years, had stood
many rains. and there was no reason 20
believe 90 40 an dangerous. la addition
+ 10 these washOuts. the farmers through
ONT the neighb9rhOOd in Bedford
county lost their cr0psand many farm
/ ing utensils ON account OF the heavy
rams and floods in that section.
There were on the tram seventy pas
.enerrs and eleven employee of the
railroad company. OF the latter ten
were either killed or wounded. The
only one who escaped unhurt was the
+ brakeman 0n lhe rear car.
~What about the scene
When visited the scene YOU
could not find wood enough
10 make door. SD com
plcle had been the wash away aud con-
sumption by fire. Little pieces Oi
| bodies could be- seen. and we're gathered
/ in. and I'M some cases ashes, though
most Of tine burned bodies an the shape
Of ashes bad been washed away.
The dcDris WAS one mass OF twisted
iron. The railroad authorities worked
/ like beavers boo the mud, and dld all
/ that men could do.
do YOU think that Mr. john J. Sic
ycusJn was burned nap IN the wreck,
ANA quite satisfied that he Was on
+ thc train and lost bus life 40 the accI-
dent. I ASA satisfied, though, that no
person WAS burned up alive. They
were 800 dead before any fire reached
+ them.
General $3.50 stated that he had left
/ Caplad John u. Sumpler IN the neigh
: bYinOod. where he would remain for %
number of days investigating. but
really did not believe that anything
could be learned beyond what had al
ready been published IN the new sparers.
F lle believed 10 idiOtic ON the part OF the
railroad that the newspaper reporters
should hayc been refused passage TO the
scene by tine railroad officials.