The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-05-13
DUG FROM BENEATH A CAR.
THE BODY OF MRS. NATHANs' LIT
TIE hoy RECOVERED.

ment of the Condition of the
switch When the Accident Oc-
Cured.
The body Of the little 3-year-old son Of
Mrs. S. Nathans Of Brunswick was un-
earthed beneath the overturned first
class coach Of the wreck Of the limited
express on the Florida Central and Pc
ninsular railroad at Anderson at O'Clock
yesterday morning.
The mud underneath the overturned car
was dug out as soon as the tide ebbed
sufficiently TO allow the men to work. For
awhile it looked as if the search were
fruitless. Finally a place about four feet
square, which had not been disturbed,
was found. Trainmaster and two Of the
men with him sprang into the water and
began TO dig.
The second shovelful OF dirt taken out
disclosed to view a little white arm and
hand Of the child. The little body was ly-
ing on the face, a portion Of the dress held
in the catch of the car window spring.
The arms were thrown out and folded
above the head. Death had evidently
been instantaneous, resulting from a blow
on the temple, which had left an ugly
bruise.
The men were much affected by the
sight. The little fellows face bore a calm,
sweet smile, as though he were asleep.
The mud was washed away and the body
wrapped in clean sheets, taken from the
Pullman, and brought to the city. Coroner
Goette viewed the body and gave permis-
sion for its burial. The interment took
place in the afternoon in Laurel Grove
cemetery Coroner GOette will hold the
inquest this afternoon.
Mrs Nathans, the mother of the little
boy, mas been frantic with grief since the
accident tore from her arms her enid, ana
many sympath.zing words were spoken
70 her from feeling hearts at the funeral
The Injured al the hospitals are improv-
ing. None of the injured are fatally so:
Three Of those in the Savannah hospital
were allowed to go yesterday. morning.
They were Mrs. Dora Smith and her
daughter, Annie Pacetti, and Mr.. j. ID.
White Of Charleston, 5. G.. Those re-
naming are doing Wen, with the excep-
ton of Mrs. Patterson of Darien, who is
suffering from the shock, and the bruises
she received. Many OF the passengers
who We're buoyed up by the excitement OF
the wreck, and who declared they were
not hurt, felt very stiff and sore yester-
day, and sent for DR.. Boyd, under the
impression that they were seriously in
jured,, The Injuries, turned oqt to be
Nathan child viii be the only fatality re-
sulting from the wreck
Mr.. T. A. Phillips, assistant general
agent of the Florida Central and PENN
sular, are here adjusting the claims OF
parties who were Injured.
responsibility for the wreck, and detec-
ttVes have been employed and are now
at work on the case.
The officials OF the road are much mys-
titled as to the real cause of the train leav-
ing the track. Irainmaster II. A. VIII
liams said that he arrived at the scene
of the wreck within an hour after it had
occurred, and Immediately made an ex-
haustive and minute investigation as to
the direct cause.
THE rails had not spread an inch" he
the timber was perfectly solid and good.
In tact, i is to-day as fine piece of
track rs there is in the south. The only
damage to be seen is the cuts made by
the wneels, when the cars left the track"
MT Williams said he carefully examined
the switch and found ii turned and the
small pivot pin broken, but he is unable
to state how this happened. The reports
OF broken trucks on the cars, he said, are
absolutely without foundation The trucks
are perfectly good, and can be used at once
If necessary. Mr.. Williams is of the opin-
ion that the switch was broken, and turn
ca pN some one who desired 10 wreck the
train from malicious motives. On arriving
at the wreck Mr.. Williams said he set to
work at once with a gang of seventy-fve
men to raise the passenger coach, and find
the body of the child which was suppos-
ed to be buried in the mud underneath it,
The men worked in the mud, with the wa
ter up 70 tnelf armpts, until the rising tide
made II impossible for them to continue.
When the tide fell low enough to allow the
work to be resumed Trainmaster williams
set the men 10 digging for a solid foun-
dation, so that he could have the coach
lifted up. The men had to dig thirteen
feet i'm the mud to obtain a bottom suffi-
GENTLY hard for this work. The Jacks
We're then placed i'm position, and the car
was raised above the high tide level.
The men set to work with a viii to search
Tor the body, but after fruitless effort Of
over an hour, Mr.. Williams came to the
conclusion that the tide must have swept
it either up or down stream, and he dis
patched search parties in both directions
Mr.. Williams said that il suddenly occur
red to him that there was one little place
underneath the car which had not been
found.
Mr.. Williams account of the posjtion of
the wreck differs slightly from the ac-
counts heretofore given. According TO Mr..
Williams the tender of the engine was not
turned over, and neither was the Pullman
car. Both tender and car had left the
rails and bumped over the ties for some
distance, but they were not upset. The
tender was placed back on the track with
in twelve minutes after Mr. Williams ar
rival, and was used on the road yesterday
The Pullman was placed on the track in
the afternoon, and was brought to this
city. Mr.. Williams said that with all the
forces at his command ii will take him at
! +ri, gay 10 Place eac9 car on the
track owing TO the condition of the
ground, which is very soft and marshy.
curious incident of the wreck was
ing Shortly after the finding Of the
Nathan chld's body, Mr.. Williams en-
tered the car with two men, for the pur-
might have been lost by the passengers.
Mr.. Williams was cropping around under
a seat when he touched something soft
and warm, which moved He was startled
and called for lights. The object turned
out to be a little black kitten, which had
been in the wreck, and escaped injury
The kitten is now in the care of one of
the men. The owner can obtain it by APP
plying a Train Master Williams office.
at the West Broad street station.
Everybody in the wreck was loud in
praise Of the GOODNESS, and heroism dis
played by Conductor J, z. Glass, whose
action in Selling and holding the air brake
safety cord. brought the train almost to a
standstill and undoubtedly resulted in the
saving of many lives. Russell Pittman, the
flag man Of the train also came in for his
share of praise for his heroism in rescuing
the wounded, and shielding the women and
children from being trampled to death by
the frightened passengers
Among the injured in the wreck were
Mrs. VIM. Lucree and her baby They are
at the residence of her mother, Mrs Ellen
stone, at Bolton and Price streets. Mrs.
Lucree is badly injured internally. besides
having her arm broken, and thigh disIo-
Gated. The face of her baby is badly bruis-
ed.
c. H Carsten who lives at Bolton and