The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1891-1893, 1891-08-30

cannot say II 1t was safe or not. |
The Dispatch reporter says:
Prominent lawyers representing !
the railroad are attending the in
vestigation and object to any en-
ployee, of the company testifying in
the case.
AN OFFICIAL STATEMENT.
The following statement was
sent to the Richmond Dispatch:
STATEsyILLE, n. c.,
August %, 1891.
j. H. Drake, Richmond, Ta.:
Your wire to-day received. The
wreck was caused by the removal Of
rail near the east end Of the bridge.
Seventeen passengers and five en-
ployees- railroad and Pullman
cover the dead. Thenty-six wound
ed, none of whom, in my opinion,
will die.
Signed W. H. GREEN,
General Manager.
Richmond and Danville Railroad.
| have already given the opinion
OF Sheriff Allison and Mr.. Frank
Page, who think the track was tam
pered with, and of others who think
not.
The coroner's jury is composed
Of Messrs. P. G. Carlton, John
Stephany, j. Z. Damprecht, Geo.
F. Shepherd, III. G. Williams and
j. S. Ramsey. They are excellent
citizens, and they are giving the
matter ther best attention and max
ing the fullest investigation.
| hope they will be able to throw
some light on the cause of the
wreck.
In heard some complaint that the
railroad authorities ordered the con-
victs to quit work taking out the
bodies and go TO work repairing the
track, and some people say this was
to put the track in the position to
prove their theory of tamperin9
with the track. The railroad men
say that they ought to be praised
for this-that they removed the con-
victs because there were more peo,
pie at work trying to save people
than could work, and that the
Statesville people could work more
intelligently than the convicts. They
say that it was important TO have
trains run through at once.
, The high character Of the rail
road officials forbids any one t'
place confidence in the notion fha
, attempts were made to make evi
dence. I believe that the railroad
were actuated solely in rebuilding
= the track hastily, by desire to al
. low DO delay in business, and tha
= this suspicion does them great il
- justice.
h There is an open question her
n as to the speed at which the trai
>, was running when the accident o.
q cured. The conductor, who
o very reliable, thinks the speed We
. thirty miles an hour. Some of til
a. passengers say they never went S
h fast and the speed must have bee
% ffty-fve miles an hour. 1t is sal
o. that the accident might be accounte
20 for if the train was making til
h speed on the ground that it wou
- Jump the track more easily if thel
20 was any obstruction on the tracl
Third creek, at this place is
ly narrow, insignificant stream lie
It than fifteen feet wide and not mo
OF than four feet deep. The cars ha
til damned up the stream and it
he some wider now. The drownil
er happened in this way: Two cars
IL the frst-class and sleeper-fell wi
be their ends in the creek making
en- extended V. The ends that we
i'd together fell in the water, and t
other end of the cars were upon d
,rt land. No one was drowned exec
ia in the ends of these two cars.
h, Col 4. E. Andrews is Preside
to of the road and Cept. W.
m. Bridgers is Superintendent. The
,se officers are at the creek and {
les doing all they can for the sufer'
and are greatly distressed at
CHI awful disaster. Ne men could
,,,oro thnr tho,, baro and they .