The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1896-10-21
Terrible Railroad Wreck.

Fearful Death OF Baggage
master Lines; Burned
Alive.
From The State.
10 quite a deso!ate looking spot ueas
Swansea within few yards Of the mile
post marking the distance Of % miles
from Columbia. in the early hours of
yesserdya morning two pooderocs mo-
.gul locomotives. pulling fast trains. the
one from the oorth. the other from the
south, exercising all their great motive
power, made.greater by the momentum,
like the maddeued bulls ofSpain. crash.
ed iuto one aoother. The sound awak
.ened people residing 10 the to"n half
mile away. Immediately following the
crash came the sound of kissing steam
mingled With the cries and moaas OF
the Injured. But worse was to come.
Those who escaped from the ill-fs'ed
train. geoping io the dark. "sooo saw
flames beginning to break forth from the
mass Of wreckage, casting glare over
the scene of destruction aud then came
the pi,ifal appeal 'for God sake. some,
body save me-" 1t was the voice Of
Basgagemaster Lines of the south
bound train He was uninjared, but
vas mined fast in his burning car.
No human efforts were of any avail 10
saving his life. The borrorstricken
passengers and traiomen were forced to
one side ADD see him burned alive-see
his left arm burned in two, the lower
bait droppiog before death came and he
sank dowp TO become charred mass
AS oct result of the horror three
men we're burned up conpletely, their
remains 6lliog abou: half peck mea-
sure and consisting merely of wbitened
pieces of bones, while the Florida Cen
trail and Peuinsular system sustained
less OF about $4,000 ou its rolling
stock, the express aud baggage. VI
course many others were more or less
Injured. but none seriously
The death of the baggageuaste. was
one of the most horrible on record 10
this State. Aud, strange as 1t may
sound. the casualty was caused
by one Of the most careful
CONDUCTORS and one OF the most
experienced aud expert engineers i"
South Carolina mistakiog the train or
der reading s'Sweden" for ''S~aosea."
TIE engineers and 6rencn of both
trains had only moment 20 act wheu
the crisis came Both trains came oot
of curve cuts directly upon one another
Both engineers applied the emergency
brakes and reversed their engine; then
they and their 6remen Jumped out into
the darkness. They went down. down,
dowp. I, was fully 80 feet to the
ground a. the foot Of the high embank-
mept between the two curves. Neither
of the four men we're seriously injured.
Their es scape vas miraculous.
The wreck proved to be Que Of the
worst that ever occurred in this State.
Both trains were what are known az
s.Flyers." aod they oever lose
moments time. The locomotives were
twin Rogers moguls. which we're order
ed especially for the haod!iog ct the
fas. trains. aud we're exhibited at the
Atlanta exposition. They had l9,loch
cylioders and bad 6.foot driving wheels
An ,ha, remains of the wreck at pres
spt are these two locomotives They
are still on the track, but one is buried
several feet in,o the other. the boiler of
the latter being stretched and spread
like the m,ath of lead pipe
OF coars. the machinery has
been ripped from both engines. The
iron mocsters are alone upon the top Of
the emoapkment, all else having been
either burned up. moved away or has
been redaced TO ashes aud twisted iron
I ven, to the sceoe of :he wreck with
K3ilTOaQ OOM MElSStJuSa AooOA AZ "
SPECIAL. AID herewith give hasfy
ske:c CT the iroo comba'an's as they
stand Mr. Thomas states that the
wreck is the outcome OF .:.o's careless
ness az! the railroad cum"'s-' s-''""r Will
proceed to Investigate aud punish To
guilty parties 's the fullest extent 81
the law
THE KILLED.
The following we're killed and their
bodies uemated:
William b Lines of Jacksonville,
Fla baggagemaster.
J E. Ulmer native of Michigan,
Aagman. :,
j. A Thomas. of Tennessee, mail
agent
THE WOUNDED.