Crawford avalanche., 1891-09-03

One OF the most disastrous railway
wrecks known In the annals of North
Carolina occurred about o'clock a. m.
at Boston Bridge, two miles west OF
Statesville, on the Western North Caro-.
lima Road.
Passenger No 0, known as the fast
mail, was made up at salisbury, aud
pulled out on time Il q. m.), loaded with
passengers. 1t was composed OF bag
gage aud mail car. second and first class
coaches, q Pullman sleeper. and SuIer-
intendent BRIDGES private ar Da sy.
The sleeper, which wasfrom Goldsbor0,
usually contains good number o. pas
sengers from Northern points, and that
night was we'll filed.
The run TO Statesville was made on
time, q distance OF twenty i've miles. but
Just after leaving Statesville there is a
high stone bridge spanning Third Creek,
and down into this creek plunged the
entire train, distance OF at least eighty
five feet. carrying death and destructlon
with IL.
Twenty passengers were killed out
right, nine seriously injured, and abOue
twenty badly bruised and shaken UPS
The night was dismal, and to add to
the horror OF the situation the water I'm
the creek was up 1t was only through
the most heroic efforts Of those who had
hurried TO the scere OF the wreck that
the injured were not drowned.
The accident was caused by the
spreading OF the rails The killed aud
injured were all residents OF the South,
most of them memtcrs OF prominent
families who had been at the seaside.
An witness who appeared at the
scene just at daylight says, TO use his.
own words: "The scene appalled, me.
The great high bridge apparently le-
mained intact, but the rails were torn
up and the edges OF the stone were
knocked of where the falling cars had
come in contact with it, 1t was.
early morning. A mist filed the valley.
News Of the accident had scarcely got
ten abroad, but already 100 willing peo-
pie from the surrounding farms were
helping to remove the wreckage and
draw out the bodies of the dead. 1t was.
a terrible scene. The debris Of the cars
was piled mountain high, it seemed, in
the utmost confusion. In the fall the
Pullman car had leaped over all the 9TH
ers, whiIling through the air and strik
ing the ground with terrible effect, away
in front OF whore the engine lay. 1t.
was mashed as one. would crush an
egg by throwing 1t against stone wall
We got out Engineer West in pieces.
His fireman, Fry, of Hickory, was also
badly mutiated. From the debris of the
passenger cars people were brought out,
mangled In all sorts OF ways, only two
or three bodies being brought out intact
The bodies were ranged In row on the
hillside, and they were ready to be sent.
to Waterviile when i lett, and workmen
were there digging in the wreck for
other bodies. The conductor was badly
hurt but he hobbled to Statesville and
gave news of the wreck
Three ladies in the first class car were
killed, and every passenger In the sleep
ing car met death-not living soul es-
Gaping. The bridge was not materially
injured, and trains were soon running On
regular schedule time
Among those killed was Miss 0pheia.
Moore OF Helena, Ark, and her mother
was seriously injured. The Moores are
prominent in social and literary circles In
the South. Another noted victim
was the Rev. j. M. Skies. gradu-
ate of the Southwestern Presbyterian
University of ClarksviIle. Tenn Or.
Skies had just been assigned to mission-
airy work in China, and was to have left
for that country Sept 20. He was mar
ried. tt48f
1t is believed by some that malicious
persons spread the rails so that the train
would leave the track and dash into the
viaduct. An east-bound train had pass
ed over the yiaduct only an hour and
half previously.
The Western North Carolina Railroad
extends from Salisbury to Point Rock,
and is owned and operated by the Richs
mond and Danville.