The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-10-15
TRAINS CRASH and BURN
Three Killed and CrGmat0d
in the Wreck.
F. C. & P. Fast Trains Collide
Near Swansea,
heDiSpatcher sOrder
Misunderstood.
Express Messenger Lines HOrri-
bic Death.
Penned in His Car and
Burned Alive.
A PILE OF BONES IN THE ASHES.
THE PASSENGERS ESCAPE.

South-bound train No. IS and north
bound train No. SO on the Florida Cen
trail and Penisular railroad collided TWEEN
ty-three miles south of Columbia at 3:O5
O'Clock yesterday morning, wrecking the
engines of both trains, destroying three
coaches and causing the loss Of three
lives. The wrecked cars Immediately
caught fire and the three men, killed or
disabled, were burned in the wreck. The
wreck was due to the misunderstanding
of an apparently plain order by the engi-
neer of train No IS. The killed are:
]. L. THOMAS, mail clerk, Jackson
willie.
w. D. LINES, express messenger
Jacksonville
W. E. ULMER, fiagman, Savannah.
Nothing has been seen or heard of Ulmer
since the wreck and no trace of him has
been discovered But the trainmen have
no doubt that he was killed and his body
destroyed. He was last seen standing be-
tween the first and second-class coaches.
There was no fatality among the pas
sengers, and not single passenger was
injured beyond the shaking up which the
few in the day coaches received. The ma
jority of the passengers were in the Pull
man cars in the rear Of the two trains.
The shock was hardly more than sufficient
to wake them up.
The trainmen injured were:
T. C. FARMER, express messenger,
left leg slightly bruised.
F.. W. PRICE, extra express messenger,
in fna
MAIL CLERK JAMES, slight flesh
wound in the back.
All three We're on train &c. Engineer
F. w. Bell of No SO had his back slightly
wrenched in jumping from his engine.
News of the wreck was telegraphed
as soon as possible from Swansea two
miles north, to Savannah and Columbia.
A special train was at once sent down
from Columbia with physicians to at
tend the wounded, the catastrophe at that
time being believed much greater than it
really was. The information reached
Savannah shortly after 4 o'clock and a
wrecking train was at once made up
and sent to the scene in charge Of Road
Supervisor J. A. Robertson. Trainmaster
II. A. Williams was on the southern end
of the line, near Darien, and could not
be reached.
The misunderstanding of one little word
road company, which may amount to $780,,
0O0 Chief Train Dispatcher Williamson
said that he could not explain the collis-
ion of the two trains unless the crew of
No. 80 overlooked its orders, and the
schedule of the opposing train No Sc. The
latter had the exclusive right Of way
The two trains have been meeting at
Norway. The dispatcher had given an
order to No. SO to wait at Swansea for
No. 80 until 3:l5 a.. m. The same order
was delivered to the conductor and en-
gineer of train No. 80 at Columbia Train
No. IS left Columbia at 2;20 o'clock, pass
ed Swansea at O'clock and two miles
further on, met No. SO. The order was
perfectly clear, Mr.. Williamson said, and
he could not understand how the crew
of No. IS overlooked it, or the fact that
they had not met the opposing train. When
Engineer Petit of No, 80, arrived in the
city yesterday afternoon, he explained
this by stating that he read his order
Sweden" instead of Swansea, Sweden be-
ing a station about thirty miles further
south. Consequently he made no stop al
Swansea. He read the order twice to
make sure, he said. Conductor Taylor
OF No. IS, stated, however. that he read
his order for Swansea When the train
passed Swansea without stopping he no.
ticed the mistake. He began to ring down
the engineer, but too late to avert the
collision
Both trains were going at high rate
of speed. No. IS, northbound, was run
ming about forty miles an hour, and No.
SO about forty-fve miles an hour, the lat
ter being on the down grade. When the
two headlights came into view Of the
men on the opposing engines, they had
barely a moment in which 10 act. Both
engineers reversed their engines, threw
off the throttles and jumped for their
lives, as did the firemen, they had no time
TO spare.
The two engines crashed into each other
up to the smokestacks. The mail car Of
No. SO was badly damaged, teiescoping
partially on the tender In front. The mail
car and two day coaches Of No. 80 were
completely wrecked, telescoping each
other and upon the tender. How the few
passengers In these cars escaped without
injury passes understanding. The COM
bination mail and baggage car was not
only telescoped upon the tender. but the
day coach In the rear, completely closing
both ends and preventing the rescue or
the men inside.
The passengers in the day coach re.
ceived severe shaking up, but no Injuries
were reported. The shock to the passen-
gers in the Pullmans was not severe. In
fact 1t is said that It did not even wake
up some Of them, and when they We're
walked up they inquired what the matter
was. The Pulmans were not hurt in the
slightest and It took the passengers there
several minutes to realize the extent of
the disaster.
Although the accident occurred on a
nigh embankment, not a car left the track.
even the wrecked coaches remaining on
the rails. Had the collision occurred a
minute later the trains would have met an
curve and both would then have beer
hurled down high embankment.
II the darkness and confusion Il was
olmcuit az first 70 tell who was MISSING
ana VINO was safe. 1t was soon seen tina,