The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1894-12-05
ASHES AND TWISTED IRON.
All that Remains of the Wrecked S. c. ard
Ga. Train.
CoLUMB1A. s. c.. Dec. 1.-The

COLUMBIA, =. ", DeC. - ut cl<tlS
Yesterday morning gaveall the details
possible concerning the terrible acci-
dent which befell the night fast mail
train on the South Carolina and Geor-
gia road, while Ell route from Charles
ton to this city, just abouta mile be-
low Kingville, q station about thirty
miles below Columbia. But the half
was not told. All that now remains
of the handsome train. which WAS fly
iug along the track about 9:45 O'Clock
on Thanksgiving night, is a little pile
of ashes and some twisted steel and
iron. The wreck. strange as it may
seem, entails a loss Of $4,000 on the
railroad company. There was one
coach on the train-the first class car
which was worth $50, 900, being the
finest that the company possessed. 1t
seems a perfect miracle that not a SIN
gle life Should have been lost. when
the circumstances are considered. The
ugliest feature.of the whole affair is
that the wreck was the result of deli
berate attempt on the part of some
fiend to throw the train down an en-
bankment at the most dangerous spot
on the road, for the accident was due
to an open switch, and twas soon dis
covered that the switch had not only
been thrown open, but had been
wedged so that it would remain open.
The place where the accident occur
red was Just where the ''4" turns OFT
from the main line leading to the
Camden branch Just at this point IS
the highest embankment on the line
of the road. The train, in charge OF
Conductor Speisiggcr and Engineer.
Heau. was speeding along here at the
rate of thirty miles an hour, there be,
ing a good load of passengers aboard
the frst-class car. The engineer IS g
very careful man. The engine hit the
open switch and flew the track. 1tran
along the cross ties about Is yards,
and then keeled over, rolling down
the enbankmenta and turning complete
" over. The engineer ducked his
head down close to his seat and
stuck to his box. That was all that
saved his life, for the combination
mail and express coach came down on
the engine, the express end crushing
through the top of the cab and resting
against the frebox, while the rest was
high in the air. The combination bag
gage and second-class coach ran half
way down, but rested against a tele-
graph pole and stopped. The first-class
coach was derailed and the air breakes
falling suddenly by the severance OF
the pipes, the lives of the passengers
were thereby saved. Those in the first
class car sprang to the door to see
flames issuing from the cars down the
embankment and spreading with re-
markable activity They had caught
from the frebox and the overturned
stoves. All sought Immediately for
the injured. All breathed easier when
they found that the engineer had
crawled out, with but a few scratches
through hole in his cab, that Express
Messenger J. NJ. Collins was al right,
and that all theother occupants OF the
forward cars had escaped unhrrt. The
express messenger went back into the
burning car and pulled out his safe
and what bundles he could. The rest
was all destroyed. All the baggage
and effects of the passengers were
saved. All Of the contents Of the mail
car were saved. In q very few mo-
ments the flames had spread over all
the cars and it was but very little
while before the entire train was de
stroyed.
The passengers walked about amile
up to the station at kingville. The
special train, which left here about
Ii AS, arrived, and taking them aboard,
came on back to the city. reaching
here at 8 a. m. There wasreal thanks
giving expressed by every one aboard
the ill-fated train that no one had
been injured in the terrible accident
Of Thanksgiving night.-State.