The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-04-13
Three DEAD,
SIX HURT.
A Florida Special Crashes Into a
Southern Local.
MISTAKE OF A MINUTE IN TIME
POSTAL CLERK BENTON MEETS
AN AGoNIzING FATE, WHILE
HIS COMPANION BRAVERY PRE-
VENTS a HoLocAUsT-TRA1Ns
MEET ON A SIDING. THOUGH
BOTH ENGINEERS WE'RE WATCH
ING.

charlotte, n. O., April 12.-The differ
eDce of a minute in watches or train or
ders yesterday caused the loss on the
Southern OF three lives. injuries to six
persons ana the loss of thousands of dol
lars TO the company. II was the most
frightful railroad accident that has star.
tied this section Of the State siuce the
great wreck at Bostian, near Statesville,
in August, 1891. 1t occurred mt Harris
burg, small town about thirteen miles
north of this city.
The northbound Florida special, No.
SO, and the .southbound local passenger.
No. IL, collided.
The killed were: Il. Clingman Benton,
of Charlotte, aged 80, postal clerk on No
II. Titus Eudy, of Forest Hill, Concord.
VIII Donaldson, fireman on-s36
Injured: w. b. Tunstall, of Danville,
engineer of No. 30, badly scalded about
the head, arms and face. J. c. Kinney.
of brownsville, engineer Of No II, scald
cd about chest, back, arms and neck; will
die. James Lowell, conductor of No. II,
cut on the face. Fitzhugh Lee, colored
porter OF No II, legs hurt. William S.
Clemens, of East Durham, n. c., slightly
hurt. II. T.. Gallagher, express messen-
ger, hurt about the head and arms. also
badly bruised.
Train No. 36 was manned by Engineer
Tunstall Fireman Donaldson and Con-
ductor Gentry. 1t left Charlotte late, but
had the right of way and was ordered to
meet No. IL Mt Harrisburg. The train
consisted OF engine, mail car, two extra
cars full of vegetables, baggage car, sec
ond and hrst-class coaches and two sleep
| erS.
The track for mile or so approaching
| Harrisburg is perfectl, straight, except
ut one point, where there is a small curve
and considerable cut. The sidetracK Mt
Harrisburg can be plainly seen for more
| than mile approaching from the side,
except Mt one point.
| No. IL. the local passenger train, left
Concord late. 1t was manned by Engi-
neer j. G. Kinney, Fireman Ed. Lee and
Conductor James Lowell It had orders,
so one Of the trainmen says, to meet No
| ~ at Harrisburg at 11:14. 1t had slowed
up preparatory to running into the siding
and was a hundred yards from the north
end of the switch when No. 80 dashed
into the cut.
The two engineers faced each other
with faces blanched. Engineer Tunstall
applied his brakes and jumped. Almost
1.-THE same instant the deadly crash came
and was heard for miles around
There were ninety-siX passengers on
! No. 36. Several of them were thrown
forward in their seats, but none were hurt.
| The instant the train stopped they jump.
ed out to see what had happened The
two great engines were piled one above
the other, so that the headlight OF No. IL
was among the telegraph wires. The two
express cars of No. SO were spllntered
into thousand pieces. In less than thre e
minutes time the postal car of No. II
was on fire, and but fer the use of the
chemicals at hand and the heroic work of
Postal Clerk John Hill CaI ter both of
them would have been in flames
Out of the rear part of the postal car of
No. II, which was demolished, hung
Postal Clerk Benton, head downward.
His body was out of the car, but his legs
were pinioned in by the engine, and so
close to the boiler that he was being
burned by the heat and steam. He begged
piteously to be eXtricated. Heroic efforts
were made to rescue him. Three jacks
were placed under the engine and the
passengers worked hard, but there, for an
hour and a half, he hung, pinioned next
to the hot boiler
The only relief which could be given
him while in this frightful situation was
ihc keeping of His body wet with cold
water. a bucket brigade was formed,
and bucket after bucket of water was
thrown on him, but it could not counter
act che effects of the steam. He lived fit
teen minutes after being taken out. He
refused to take any spirits saying that
he would soon be dead, and that it was
not worth while. When asked whether
he wanted to be taken to the hospital or
his home, he said: 81 will he dead; it
will not matter" He told the hystand-
ers of his wife and children in Charlotte,
and with their names upon his lips ex-
pirpd