The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-04-02
PLUNGED INTO A WAsHOUT.
ONE KILLED AND TWO INJURED IN
A WRECK ON THE CENTRAL.

Down Near OcOnee-Bral<e man Joe
$. Bragg Instantly Killed and En-.
gineer w. 4. Ryan and Fireman
Hugh Grady Badly Injured-Th'
Brakeman Buried Under the
Wreck.
East bound freight train No ~. on the
Central of Georgia railroad, ran into a
washout four miles east of Oconee and
eight miles west of Tennile, at II:
o'clock night before last. The locomotive
and nine cars were wrecked; Brakeman
Joel S. Bragg was killed. and Engineer
W. A. Ryan and Fireman Hugh Grady
were seriously injured
The train left Macon at S:25 o'clock.
Rain had been falling for some time after
the train had pulled out. but it was not
encountered in such a torrent as to in
duce the train crew TO believe that there
was any danger from washouts. They
had no reason to believe that
in front Of them there had been
a rain so heavy as to deserve
the name of cloudburst. and that seventy
five feet of the roadbed had been washed
away. Such was the case. however.
The train was running at a speed Of
twenty miles an hour. With no warning
of the danger before it the locomotive
plunged into the washout. The water had
washed away the embankment to a depth
of four feet beneath the grade Of the
track. There was a depression which the
road had crossed with an embankment,
and the gathered water had washed in
torrent against it. When the engine struck
the washOut, followed by nine of the TWEEN
ty-fve loaded cars that composed the
train, it went down through the unsup-
ported track.
Conductor Alonzo N. Branan and Flag
man John w Bridges felt the
shock and ran from the ca
boose to the engine. They pulled
the engineer and fireman from the wreck.
but the brakeman was nowhere TO be
found. After searching for some time
the injured men were left in charge Of
the flagman and the conductor started
back to Oconee, the nearest telegraph
station, four miles distant. He knew
that the east-bound passenger train. due
in a short time, must be warned. This
warning had to come through him. The
rain was falling fast and the track was
thick with mud. Branan knew that the
fate Of the passengers aboard the train
and the comfort of his disabled train
master depended upon him wiring for as
eistance. He reached Oconee and went
to the house of the operator. who wired
Gordon to hold the train and report the
wreck. AS soon as the train had been
warned the Savannah trianmasters
Office was called and the
wreck was reported here. The Savannah
Office notified Division Superintendent
Hoge at Macon. As soon as the message
was received at Macon, Superintendent
Hoge ordered a wrecking train to the
scene. The train left Macon at o'clock
with the superintendent and the company's
surgeon aboard. 1t had to run slowly, as
heavy rains were falling all along the
line. 1t reached the wreck at o'clock.
Work was at once begun to remove the
debris. the surgeon devoting his attention
to the injuries Of the trainmen.
The wreckers began a search for brake
man Bragg, but no trace of him was
tound for some time. 1t was not until late
covered from beneath the tender of the
engine, where he had been pitched from
the car next to it, when the momentum
Of the train was suddenly arrested The
body was badly crushed, and il was evil
dent that death had been instantaneous.
Work on the wreckage was rapid, and il
was cleared away, and the track was re-
laid by night
Passenger train No. 4. due here yester-
day morning at o'clock did not arrive
until after o'clock in the afternoon. 1t
was held at Oconee until No. g. west
bound, from Savannah, which left here
at O'Clock night before last, had reached
Tennille. The wrecking train arrived and
both trains then ran up to the scene of the
accident, and transfers were made of pas
sengers, mail, baggage and express. Con-
siderable time was taken up in making
the transfers, walks being laid along the
sodden ground to cross on. The trains
were then run back from their leaving
points, each thus going to the destination
of the other. No. arrived at Macon, de-
layed some hours, but not so long as No
4, which had 143 miles to run to No. as 50
TO Macon. Transfers We're also made from
passenger trains Nos. l and 2, west bound.
ana east bound, which reached
the afternoon. This required a
shorter time than the morning transfer.
and those trains reached their destina-
lions practically on time.
Train No. 4, which reached Savannah
shortly after 4 o'clock, brought IN Engi-
neer Ryan and Fireman Grady, who were
taken to their homes. They Rad been
taken to Tennille after the wrecking train
arrived and there attended till the pas
senger train was ready to return with
the transferred passengers to Savannah
The body Of Brakeman Bragg was taken
20 his home in Macon. He leaves a wife
and two children. Engineer Bryan was
bruised about the head and had his left
leg, between the knee and ankle, broken.
Fireman Hugh Grady was badly shaken
up and bruised, but no bones were broken
President II. NJ Conner of the Central
was aboard No. 4, coming to Savannah,
and stopped over at the scene Of the
wreck. Superintendent T. D. Kline went
Up on train No ], and he and President
Conner returned in the afternoon.