The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1892-07-07
HOW BEING WRECKED FEELS.
Rev Mr. CleYell Tells Because be
Knows.

He Relates His narrowing Expert
ences in the Railroad Wreck Near
observation-disclosures for Three
Hours Hours in a Dozed
Condition.
Rev. ] II. ClewelI. principal of the
Salem Academy, sends The SENTINEL
the following graphic description of
his impressions during and after the
wreck near Vicksburg, Miss, ofwhich
an account was published in this pa
per at the time:
We were about one hour late some
, four or five miles from Vicksburg,
and making up time as we approach
Ell the city. l think was reading at
the time and knew it was the middle
of the afternoon, The speed that we
were running was probably so miles
per hour. AS we approached a thirty
foot embankment, at the bottom of
which was pond of water, by some
accident the Mann Boudoir Car left
the track, and after humping over
the ties for a short distance was
hurled with fearful force down the
embankment.
The first intimation that I can re-
call was that helpless feeling man
has when falling. heard some one
in the next state-rOom shrek out,
"My God, we're gone.'' just as the
car toppled over, and it was on it's
side in a twinkling. 1 remember
springing up as it went over and my
feet landed on the window sill of the
car as it ploughed down the side of
the hill, filing the state room with
dust. / made a desperate grasp for
the door which was Immediately
above my head, but as did SO the
wallis of the state room, roof, doors,
and windows were crushed in as you
would crush an egg shell. There was
at the same time a terrific crash, and
| knew nothing more. What l have
just described occupied but a second
of time for the speed that we were
going hurled us down the steep en-
bankment, as if the car had been
fired from huge lannon's mouth.
Of course what followed 1 received
from others, since / did not regain
consciousness for more than three
hours; in fact it was more than eigh-
teen hours till could convince my
self that all was not a dream.
The train broke loose from the
sleeper as the latter went down, and
ran quite a distance before it could
be checked. In the mean time, some
who were in the wreck had extricated
themselves, and finding themselves
not seriously injured began the work
of releasing the imprisoned ones;
this was not an easy task Axes and
saws were brought from the other
cars for the wrecked sleeper looked
like a huge pile of kindling wood.
One of the first efforts was very
unfortunate. A young man was
pinned in beneath a glass window
and as the rescuer broke the glass
with his heel piece fell on the pris-
oners throat, cutting a deep cash,
exposing the wind pipe, and coming
within one half inch of severing the
jugular vein. Another party had
dragged out young lady, who,
though the bones of her shoulder
were crushed, rushed back and forth
crying that her father was drowning.
In falling on the end the car went
into the water and the old gentleman
was pinned down so that his head
was under the water. Sturdy work
ers soon cleared away the obstruct-
ion, got him out, rolled him on the
ground, and at last he showed faint
signs of life. Parties say they finally
came where / was shut in and drew
me out with my face covered with
blood, and unconscious. One of the
gentlemen who helped me out was
fro ntych Io 04h
from Louisville, KY.
The wounded were all taken to the
Piazza Hotel. 1t was about sun
set or a little later when opened my
eyes and saw through the window
the bright light in the west A num-
Der of people were in the room and 1
knew my tace was being sponged with
cold water, but did not feel the least
interest in who they were, where was
or what they were doing.
At last some one said, 81 don't like
it that he does not rally" and L re-
member that they raised me up, gave
me some medicine and then gather
ed energy enough to ask where was.
They told me that 1 had been in a
wreck some hours before. 1 asked
them if I was hurt and they said they
we're trying to find out. I also re-
member standing up as the doctor
felt the joints Of the spine and then
said: Fortunately it is only a
shock, as no bones are broken" I'M
der the effects of resrotatiyes. I was
able to stand soon after and to walk
about, but was so dazed that some
one remained with me until train
time, the physician stating it would
be well for ME to return home since /
had received a blow evidently both
on the head and spine, in fact must
have been tossed around so as to
reach all the other possible parts of
the body; I felt as if had been run
between the upper and neither mill
stone. AS in dream l remember
going out to get hat, for all my
goods had been lost; SO too as in q
dream remember going to the sup
per table, paying my hotel bill, talk
ing with a newspaper reporter and
finally starting on my homeward
journey to nurse the bruises and
cuts, for of course a principal of a
school could not visit the patrons
with black eye, cut nose and an
injured spine; and in addition several
physicians told me that could not
expect to recover from the shock for
several weeks.
On my trip home every lurch of the
coach filled me with terror, and as
the faculties of the mind gradually
returned / felt that had been face
to face with death, since nothing but
the protecting hand of God could