The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-10-21
THE FEARFUL DEATH OF BAGGAGE
MASTER LINES.

Railroad Near Columbia Wsdne sday-
Caused by an Engineer Mlsundcrstand'
ing His Orders.
COLUMBIA, S. c., Oct. 15.--In quite
n desolate looking spot near Swansea
within a few yards of the mile post
marking the distance OF 90 miles from
Columbia, in the early hours OF yes:
'erday morning two ponderous mogul
locomotives, pulling fast trains. the
Gne from the north, the other from
the south, exercising all their great
motive power, made greater by the
momentum, like the maddened bulls
nf Spain, crashed into one another.
The sound awakened people residing
in the town half mile away. lmme
diately following the crash came the
sound of Kissing steam mingled with
The cries and means of the injured.
Eut worse was TO come. Those who
escaped from the ill-fated trains, crop
ing in the dark, soon saw flames be.
gin to break forth from the mass OF
wleckaee, casting a glare over the
scene of destruction and then came the
pitiful appeal "for God sake, some.
hody save me-" 1t was the voice OF
Baggagemaster Lines of the South
bound train. He was urinjured, but
I-@as pinned fast in his burning car:
No human efforts were of any avail
in saving his life. The horror-strick-
,n passengers and trainmen We're
forced to stand to one side and see him
burned alive-see his left arm burned
in two, the lower half dropping before
death came and he sank down to be-
come char, ed mass. AS a net re
suit of the horror three men were
burned up completely, their remains
filling about a half peck measure and
consisting merely of whitened pieces
nf bones, while the Florida Central
and Peninsular system sustains loss
nf about SIS, 900 on its rolling stock,
he express and baggage. Of course
many others wele more or less inJur-
ID, but none seriously.
The death of the baggagemaster was
ne o. the most horrible on record IN
this State. And, strange as 1t may
sound, the casualty was caused by
ne of the most careful conductors
and one of the most experienced and
expert engineers in South Carolina
,nistaking the train order reading
Sweden" for Swansea. The engi-
eers and fremen of both trains had
cnly a moment to act when the crisis
came. Both trains came out of curve
cut directly upon one another. Both
engineers applied the emergency
trakes and reversed their engines;
tl.en they and their tiremen jumped
cut into the darkness. They went
down, down, down. It was fully 35
feet 10 the ground at the foot of the
high embankment between the two
curves. Neither OF the four men were
seriously injured. Their escape was
miraculous.
The wreck proved to be one of the
" orst that ever occurred in this State.
Both the trains were what are known
as "Flyers'', and they meyer lose q
moments time. The locomotives were
twin Rogers moguls, which were or.
dered especially for the handling of
tie fast trains, and were exhibited at
The Atlanta exposition. They had 10
inch cylinders and had 6foot driving
wheels. All that remains of the wreck
al present are these two locomotives.
They are still on the track, but one is
buried several feet into the other, the
boiler of the latter being stretched and
spread like the mouth of a lead pipe
OF course the machinery has been rip
ptd from both engines. The iron mon
stcrs are alone upon the top of the
embaukment, all else having been
either burned up, moved away or has
been reduced TO ashes and twisted iron.
! went 10 the scene of the wreck with
Railroad Commissioner Thomas on a
sp cial, and herewith / give hasty
sketch of the iron combatants as they
stand. Mr.. Thomas states that the
Ieck is the outcome of gross careless
ness and the railroad commissioner
will proceed TO investigate and punish
tie guilty parties to the fullest extent
of The law.
The following were killed and theil
bodies cremated:
William 3. Lines of jacksonville
Fla, baegagemaster.
j. +. Ulmer, a native OF Michigan
flsgman. .
j.. A. Thomas of Tennessee, mai
agent.
Conductor Perkuson of train Sc
knee hurt slightly.
Express Messenger Farmer of train
SO, leg severely sprained by jumping
Engineer Bell of train 3G, back
wrenched in jumping.
Baggagemaster Palmer OF train 3G
painfully injured about side and face
Extra Express Messenger Price o.
train &c, painful cut about neck ant
beck wrenched.
kiah Dent Of Columbia, fireman O
train 36, leg badly sprained in jump
ing.
Charles Michael, colored, of Colum
bia, fireman train 36, leg sprained il
jumping.
Several others were more or les
shaken up, but no one else was in
jured.
OF the killed but little is knowr
here. Mr.. Lines had brother, it il
said, living in Georgia, and motheI
aid two sisters living in Jacksonville
Mr.. Ulmer has been engaged in rail
road work in this section for quite :
tin e. lie had been in several wreck
before. Practically nothing is known
of Mr.. Thomas in Columbia.