The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-06-16
PENyED IN By A WASHOUT.
Nine Carloads Of EXCuTSiOniStS on
The Tybee Road.

The Track Washed Away and a Train
With 400 People Shut in the Marsh
Between Fort Barlow and st. Au-
gustine Creek-En gineer MoCarthy's
Perilous Trip Along the Submerged
Track to the City-A Special Train
Gone to the Rescue of the Water
Imprisoned Exoursionists.
The 1'ybee train which left the island
at 1913 o'clock last night with nine car
/ loads of eXcursionists, who spent the day
there at the picnic of the Brotherhood
| Of Locomotive Engineers, was cut
/ off by washout IN the marsh
between Fort Barlow and St Augustine
] creek, and is unable to reach this city.
The track is under water for 100 feet
each side of the train, and the roadbed Is
washed away by the heavy rain which
fell yesterday and early in the night All
Of the passengers are safe.
Engineer Mccarthy, who had charge of
the train, felt his way through the water
which covered the track and crossties
and succeeded in reaching this side of the
washout and walked TO the city, reaching
here at l o'clock this morning.
FELT ITS WAY ALONG.
Engineer McCarthy's extreme caution
is all that prevented a disaster which
might have hurried hundreds of men,
women and children to death without a
moments warning. When he pulled out
the excursion special from Tybee he felt
a little doubtful about the
condition of the track on account of
- OF 60 /, I'll,
wind which had prevailed for several
hours.
With feeling of responsibility at hav-
ing 400 lives in his hands on such a night
Engineer Mccarthy moved down to Laza-
retto creek bridge slowly, watching
every foot of the road in front of
him as far as the rays of the engineers
headlight reached. Everything was all
right at the bridge and the train crossed
safely onto McQueen's Island.
This was a stretch of nine miles which
gave more anxiety, but nothing alarm
ing was encountered until the
train reached the 9-mile post,
where the track was washed
The train pulled across the
place and cleared it in safety, but the
sounds of rushing water which followed
the passage Of the train denoted clearly
that the washout HAD been completed
after the cars passed over, and that Tybee
was temporarily cut off
This washout alarmed the engineer and
he moved down toward st. Augustine
creek bridge feeling that danger was
ahean, although the passengers behind
him were oblivious to the condition of
their surroundings
THE BRIDGE NEARLY SUBMERGED.
In crossing the bridge the water was al
most up to the rails, and as soon as he got
the train over Engineer Mccarthy re-
marked to his fireman: 1--WE are
now into the worst place on the
road. 1 am afraid this marsh
is under water, and if it is the road is
washed. 1 don't propose to move any
further until can see the condition of
the road ahead"
Suiting action to his words the engineer
stopped his train and taking his lantern
started down the track Just beyond the
point reached by the rays of the head
light on his engine he ran into what he
had feared-an immense washout. Hold
ing the lantern above his head Engineer
Mccarthy saw before him a sheet of
water between so and 100 feet wide
covering the track completely. He says
he shuddered at the thought of what
would have been his fate and that of the
excursionists if he had not stopped the
train after crossing the bridge.
The people had begun wondering
what the stop meant, when the
engineer returned and told them
of the washouts in front and rear which
made them prisoners in the marsh with
the rain pouring in torrents and the wind
blowing furiously. The thought of the
peril to which they had been subjected
was quickly realized. The women
talked of the anxiety their
absence would give their relatives at
home, and men kicked at not being able
to reach the city in time to get to work,
but all were thankful they had escaped
death.
THE ENGINEER's PERILoUs TRIP.
Leaving the train in charge of the con
ductor Engineer Mccarthy set out on
IlS p-4ulA6 Walk 10 lH6 Guy IOr
relief train to rescue the ex-
cursionists. 1t was a perilous journey
which nearly caused the plucky engineer
his life. With lantern and umbrella he
started to wade through the washout, hut
he soon found the water too deep for any
thing but swimming. He then 1took
to the rail and picked
his way over the break.
Several times he slipped and went down
between the crossties, but scrambled
back and confined his Journey
After getting across the washout he
thought he would have no further trouble.
but when he reach the Runaway
! Negro creek trestle he found
the water out of the banks boiling over
the track, and in trying to get his footing
on the crossties he fell into the water
and nearly drowned. He managed to
keep his lantern lighted, and getting hold
of the track crawled back on the ties and
picked his way to terra firma
When he trudged into the depot this
morning at 1 o'clock Engineer Mccarthy
was a sorry looking spectacle His
clothes were wringing wet and his
face evidenced the severe strain of