Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-08-28

Twenty People Killed Ossrieht In the Dis
aster in North Carolina.


of Statesville. n. c.. on fhe Western North Car
DINA road. shovs that it was the most dsas.
trous railroad wreck ever known In North Car
olina- .... ass,
Passenger traiA 10 ., ksown as the fast
mail, which is made up a Sudbury, pulled out
from Charlotte on time q o m.) loaded with
passengers. 1t was composed Of baggage and
mail car. second and first class coaches, Puff
man sleeper and superintendent Bridger's pri-
vate car Daisy. This sleeper, which comes
from Goidsbore', usually contains good num-
! Der Of passengers FROM northern points, and
Wednesday night was no exception. The
run to Statewide was made on time, a
| distance Of twenty-five miles, but inst
after leaving Statesville there is a high
stone bridge spanning Third creek. and down
into this creek plunged the entire train, . dis
lance of at least sixty-fvs fest, vrecking the
! whole train and CARRYING death and destFucti
right, nine we're seriously injured and about
| twenty badly bruised and shaken up. The
| scene at the wreck beggaEs description. The
night dismal. and to add to the horror of
the situation the water in the creek was up 1t
| was only through the most heroic efforts of
| those who had hurried to the scene OF the wreck
that the injured were not drowned. The acct
dent was caused by the spreading of the rails.
| The bridge was rot injured. and trains are run
ming on schedule time. 1he injured had the
4 cSSs "a INV - PAA'"sS oiH AAosSAc'
! TINE KILLED.
The following is list Of killed: VIM West,
engineer Salisbury, N. c.; Warren Fry, fire.
man, Hickory. " c.; n. X. Linster, baggage
master, Statesville, N. c.; W. NJ. Houston,
Greensboro. N. c.; P. Barnett, Asheville. n. c.;
Samuel German, AsheviIle, n. C.; We. Wins
low, Ashevillc, n. c.; Cha& Bennett, Hender-
sonville, n. c.: W. J. Fisher. CAMP s. c. i;
). b. Austin, Hickory, N. C.: I. Brodie. drum
mo- Neuw l.. N Ill Il.
Mrs Pool, Wiilianston, n. G.; julie Thefer,
travelling salesman; Doc. Wells, colored, Pull
man porter; John Davis, Statesville, N. c.; Mr..
Mccormick, Alexandria, Va Dr.. George W.
Sanderlin. state suditor, was on the wrecked
! train. He was painfully injured. Among
others who escaped with injHries more or less
serious are Col Z. B. Cameron, Northampton
county, NC: Otto Ransom Of Norfolk, Va. :;
Worth Elliott Of Hickory, NC; George Bow
lew Of Atlanta; Col O. W. Lawson Of Louis
vile. KY; Miss Lewellan Pool of WILLIAMSON,
N. C.; Mrs. r G. and Miss Ophelia Moore,
Helena, Ark; A. 3. Link and wife, Lexington,
N.Y.; u. n. Estes, IT,, Memphis, Tenn; John
Gage, Asheviiie; X Z. Johnston, Newberry. s.
e. Conductor aS spasgh, sleeg1ns-ear Conductor
Ars Pool was drowned before aid could
| reach her. Three bodies had not been identi-
fed last night One Of these was an old lady.
Another is a lady with ticket in her pocket
which reads: Mrs: George Mccormick a.d
The third was also . lady. Upon her finger is
u ring engraved II. III. w. to ". X r" 1t is
thought that all the bodies have not been taken
out of the debris. which is piled up SO high that
IT Is impossible to make thorough examination.
Crowds have hocked TO the scene all day and
the accident has cast gloom over the entire
community. Not . soul came out of the
sleeper alive.
Miss Ophelia Moore Of Helena, Ark, died
after being taken out OF the wreck.
a GRAPHIC STONY.
The New Orleans Tinass Dswocyw special
from Charlotte gives graphic account of the
disaster. 1t says: The most dreadful railroad
disaster in the history Of this susie is TO be re-
corded today in this story of the total destruc-
ton OF an entire passenger train on the West
ern North Carolina road, an accident in which
engineer. hremen, all the bYxkemen and prob
ably forty passengers we're dashed 70 instant
death-a wreck from the debris of which only
one man, the conductor, emerged able to walk
back to the nearest station and give the news
of the the disaster. The train was the fast
passenger and mail train which left Salisbury
for Ashevile over the Western North Carolina
railroad yesterday morning at O'Clock. The
train was composed OF a baggage car, express
car. mail car, first and second class cars and q
sleeper. Ii met its fearful doom at the high
bridge over Third creek, two miles west of
Watervilie- The schedule Of this train il a very
fast one. Heavy clouds obscured the skies as
IL
ductOrs signal, pulled open the throttle and
moved out Of Salisbury ON the fatal Journey
yesterday morning.
The rain beat down upon the train and the
exhaust coal from the engine ratified upon the
roofs of the ears and accumulated in the little
drifts and the shallow places about the car steps
and on the platforms. The old veteran Engin-
eer West though he had made fast trips on
many another such - night, WIS familiar
with the track ahead, knowing every curve. ev-
tt0 tr.,I
ill and every cut. Two miles west or States
vile Is high stone bridge over Third creek.
THE BRIDGE.
The bridge was built years ago of solid
masonry. IL is ninety feet high and 10 arched
for the passage of wagons on the roadway be-
Reath. rs well ~ for the waters Of the creek 1t
is as safe as n bridge could be-in fact track
on solid ground could be no safer. Trains do
not slack their speed on approaching it. The
Inflated train was running at the rate of forty
miles an hour when the pilot Of the engine
threw u shadow over its approach. In the CEN
ter OF the bridge there was a gap in the gieam-
ing line Of rails. The engine struck the gap,
gave great bound, and fell down into the
space. Along with il went every ear in the
tram. ore after another, with their human
loads. Crashing upon the hard grsand ninety
feet below.
The engine struck the ground first and then
came one car after another with horrible
CIuucueS Livery
| smashed into kintiling wood and the wreekage
was heaped in pile. Down under them we're
| the torn and manSfed bodies Of the crews and
unfortunate passengers
AN APPALLING SCENE.
An eye witness, who appeared at the scene
just at daylight, says. to use his own Words
The scene appalled, me- The great high
: BRUCE apparently remained 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 twas early morn
ing A mist filled the valley. News of the ac-
cflent had scarcely gotten abroad but already
100 willing people from the surrounding farms
were helping to remove the wreekage and draw
out the bodies Of the dead II was terrible
scene. The debris Of the cars was piled noun
tsins high. 10 seensed. In the utmost confusion.
In the fall the Pullman car had leaped over all
| the others, whiriing through the air and strik-
ing the ground with terrible effect avay in
| front OF where the engine lay. 1t was mashed
as ono would crush egg BY throwing it
against " stone wall. The SIGHT was sickening.
Engineer West MAS crushed beyond rceoxnl-
tion. His fireman, Fry of Hickory, was also
badly mutilated.
From the debris OF the passenger ears people
were brought out, mangled in al sorts of WAYS
, only two or three bodies being brought out in
tact. The bodies were ranged In . row On the
hillside and thcy were ready to be sent to States.
vile when left and workmen we're there dig
| ging In the wreck for other bodies. The con.
ductor was badly hurt but he hobbled 10 Statcs-
vile and gave news of the wreck
Three ladies in NE nrst-elass ear were killed.