The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-02
TRAINS LEAP FROM A TRESTLE.
THREE LIVES LOST IN A WRECK
NEAR MACON.

A Rail- Removed From Its Place by
Robbers-A Passenger Train on
the Southern the First to Fall Into
the Trap and a Freight Follows
Ten Minutes Later-severaI Per-
sons Injured.
Macon, Ca, March 1.-Stone creek tres
tie on the Southern railway, nine miles
below Macon, was the scene OF a terrible
railroad wreck at 7:55 o'clock last night
A rail was removed from it's place. and
robbery is supposed to have been the mo-
tive Of the wreckers.
There is strong circumstantial evidence
against three men suspected Of removing
the rail, but no arrests have been made.
The dead are:
Robert Meyer. fireman, OF Macon.
f. W. Whippler, a baggage master. OF
Macon.
John Reddish. fireman. who died to-day
from scalds received last night.
The passenger train which left Atlanta
at 4:10 o'clock yesterday for jacksonville
was the first to strike the trestle. 1t ran
800 feet on the trestle before II fell over
into the stream below.
Ten minutes later and before 1t could
be signalled, freight train came on the
scene. ran for some distance on the tres
tie and plunged down into the river. The
freight locomotive was not a car length
from the rear Pullman on the passenger
train
NJ. e. Agburn. a passenger, of Clncin-
natl was seriously injured.
Miss sallie Shaw of Reids. Ca, was
painfully hurt about the face.
Miss Minnie Williams of Billiards. Ca,
had her side badly bruised and shoulder
dislocated.
B. +. Newberry Of Macon. passenger.
face cut and side bruised.
Mrs. Mamie Cresswell of Reids, shoul-
der hurt.
man car, was injured by being thrown
against a seat. He is seriously hurt.
II. A. Joyner, an engineer, of Macon, was
bruised about the body.
Engineer Joyner Of the passenger train
and his fireman, Reddish, did not dis
cover that the rail had been removed until
the engine jumped the track. The engine
plunged forward on the trestle and broke
through, falling TO the bed of the creek
The freight train left Macon ten minutes
pehind the passenger.
The widest excitement prevailed at the
scene OF the wreck for two hours. The
uninjured quickly began the work of rea-
cue, but two of the crew had been in
stantly killed. Others were picked up dam
gerously hurt and they were given the
utsi dlienilOl possible.
The railroad officials sent word Of the
wreck 70 Macon and a crew of surgeons
and officials left shortly afterward for the
scene Several detectives were on board.
and others went from Atlanta with a
wrecking train ait midnight.
Superintendent Beauprie and Roadmas-
ter Lemmons, both of Atlanta, went down
on the Wfecking train.
That the wreck was the work of train
robbers seems certain. The rail was re-
moved from the left hand track going
down. Mercer, the fireman on the pas
senger, was coaling at the time and Engi-
neer JOyner could not see the track
conductor Joyner OF the passenger
train quickly sent back one of his train
men with lantern to stop the freight
but II was too late. Engineer Green OF
the freight saw the trainman's lantern
and attempted to bring his train to a
stop but II plunged into the broken space
of the tracks
Whippler the baggage master, was dis
covered In two feet of water in his car
The baggage tunbled into the creek and
Whipplers body was pionined down in the
water which rushed into the car. He
was found with his feet in the air and
his head a foot under water.
a coincidence Is that the wreck occurred
within one mile of a similar wreck one
year ago, and Roland Reeds company
who were in last year S wreck, were also
IN last nights accident He and members
against the road for $4,000 None Of the
actors were hurt last night
The trestle over Stone creek is about
ten feet high and 300 feet long. Under
this structure runs small stream of not
many feet wide and two or three in depth
The great length of the trestle is used to
cross the marshy approach to the creek.
The wreckers removed an entire rail thir-
ty feet In length from the north-end OF
the left hand side. The spikes and angle
plates used to hold the rail in place were
all carefully removed and the rail sided
across the trestle until Ii rested against
the other rail.