The western sentinel., 1891-09-03

The railroad horror which occur
red on the Western North Carolina
Railroad Thursday morning at 2:30
O'Clock was caused, it is thought by
the spreading of the rails on the
Bostan Bridge, over Third Creek,
two miles west of Statesville.
At that hour the west-bound pas
senger train, No.9, which had passed
Stctesville on time at 1:52 a. M,
was hurled from the top Of the
bridge, distance of 90 feet, the
engine, tender, baggage and second
class car, the first class coach, the
Pullman sleeping car "Saluda" and
the private car of Superintendent
R. R. Bridgers, all going overheard.
The bridge was swept clear of iron
from end to end. This bridge was
built years ago, and is of solid ma
sonry. 1t is 90 feet high and is
arched for the passage of wagons on
the roadway beneath. as we'll as fer
the waters of the creek. Trains,
generally, do not slack speed on ap
preaching it. The fated train was
running at the late of forty miles an
hour when the pilot of the engine
threw a shadow over its approach.
In the centre of the bridge the rails
began to spread, thought to be from
the ends of ties being rotten-the
engine jumped the track, gave
great bound and fell down into
space. Along with it went every
Oft oil hn,.
with their human loads, crashing up
on,the ground and in the water below.
The engine struck the ground first
and then upon it came one car after
another, with horrible crashes. Ev-
cry car was smashed to pieces, and
the wreskage was heaped 10 con-
fused and disordered pile. And down
under and among it were the torn
and mangled bodies Of the crew and
passengers.
George Bowly, travelling for the
Atlanta Rubber Company, who was
painfully but not seriously injured,
together with Conductor Spaugh,
who was also able to walk but badly
hurt, hastened to Statesville
the alarm and at once hundreds of
people were visiting the wreck. The
work of excavating the dead and dy
ing bodies commenced and when the
first gray streaks of dawn began to
play over the hillsides and on the
ripping stream beneath, twenty-five
dead bodies lay side by side on the
edge of the embankment and the
work of breaking in the cars and
| rescuing remaining bodies, some
| dead some living, was under full
Roadway. A car load of convict la
Dor arrived from Newton and aided
in this work.
1t was an appalling-a ghastly
scene. A special from an eye wit
ness says: "The sight sickened me.
1t was early morning and a mist
filed the valley. The groans of dy-
ing and the injured were heart-rend-
| ing. The sight of the wreck was
horrible. The debris Of the cars
| was piled up ten or twelve feet high
| in the utmost confusion. In the fall
the Pullman car had leaped over all
the others, whirling through the air
and striking the ground in front of
the engine, had been crushed as one
| against stone wall. The sight
| L
hand in pulling out the bodies. We
got out Engineer West in snail
pieces. He was crushed beyond all
recognition. His fireman, Fry, OF
Hickory, was also badly mutilated
From the debris of the passenger
cars, people were brought out man
gled in all sorts of ways. Only two
or three bodies were brought out in
tact.''
By light great crowds of vehicles
were on the ground and the deaC
and wounded carried to Statesville-
the wounded disposed of at the no
tells and private houses. the deat
laid side by side on the floor Of thu
Farmers Tobacco Warehouse in tha
town and the bodies tagged.
THE DEAD.
All the day :long and night tn,
work of clearing the wreck and res
cuing the bodies was continued
Some of the victims were drowned il
the creek and no effort was spare,
to recover the bodies from this wa
! terry grave.
The list of those who perished mum
! Der twenty-seven many of WHOM
: were killed instantly, others dyin
from injuries since tho wreck:
II Engineer VIM. West. Salisbury.
; Fireman Warren Fry, Salisbury.
Baggage Master Hugh K. Linstel
Statesville.
W.. M. Houston, merchant, Green.
boro.
Perry Barnett, Asheville.
Samuel Gorman, Asheville.
Charles Bennett, Hendersonville.
julie Thefer, Travelling Salesman.
w. ]. Fisher, Camppello, s. C.
w. e. Winslow, High Point.
Il Mr.. Davis, Statesville, (one-legge
man,
J. B. Austin, Hickory.
: Lady, unknown, ticket in pocke
reading "Mrs. George McCormic
and Mother" Elmwood to Alexar
der's.
Unknown old lady.
Unknown lady, ring on finger il