The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-04-16
FEARFUL RAILWAY ACCIDENT.
Two Passenger Trains on the Southern
Railway Near Charlotte Rush Together.
Three Persons Killed and Others Injured.
Engine and Cars Demolished-A Sicken.
ing Sight.

Three Persons Killed ana others injured.
Engines and Cars Demolished-A sicken.
ing Sight.
Charlotte, N. c., April 1.-THE differ
ence of a minute in watches or train
orders today caused the loss on the
Southern railroad of three lives, injuries
to six persons and the loss of thousands
of dollars to the railroad. The most
frightful railroad accident hal has
startled this section of the state since
the great wreck at Bostian, near States
Vile, in August, 1891, occurred this morning
at Harrisburg. a small town about thir-
teen miles north of this city.
Train No. Sc. the north bound Florida
special on the Southern, and train No. IL.
the south-bound local passenger. coilided.
killing three persons and wounding six.
The killed are. 7. Clingman Benton, OF
Charlotte. aged 30, postal clerg on No II;
Titus Eudy, of Forest Hill, Concord Will
Donaldson, fireman on No. So. Wounded
w. b. Tunstall. of Danville. engineer of
No. sc, badly scalded on the head. arms
and face; j. G. Kinney. of Thomasville,
engineer CT No. II, scalded about chest,
back, arms ana neck-will die; James
Lowell. conductor Of No. II, cut on ,he
face; ~FitZhugh Lee. colored, porter on No.
II, legs hurt: William Clemens. OF East
Durham, n. c., slightly hurt: X. r.. Gala
CHER. express messenger, hurt on the
head and arm, also badly bruised.
HOW IT ALL HAPPENED.
! The accident occurred at HE o'clock.
Train No. 80 was manned by Engineer
Tunstall, Fireman Donaldson and Con
ductor Gentry. 1t left Charlotte late. but
had orcers to have the right of way and
meet No. II at Harrisburg. The train
consisted of an engine. mail car, two eX-
press cars full. CT vegetables. baggage car,
second and frst-class coaches and two
SleeperS.
The track for a mile or so approaching
| Harrisburg iS nprfaptlv Straippt pyrant al
one point, where there is a small curve
and a cor siderable cut. The side track
at HARRISBURG can be plainly seen Tor
more than a mile approaching from this
f! side.
| Captain Tunstal'. who was. of course,
on the lookout for no. II: kept his eye on
the distant siding. expecting every minute
to see No. IL run into it. but. seeing tha,
the track was clear and no train APP
preaching, and having the right of way
he steamed ahead at the rate of forty-five
miles an hour, but by reason of the topo-
graphy Of the country losing sight of the
siding as ne neared it. No. II, the locaI
passenger. left Concord late. 1t was man
ned by Engineer j. c. Kinney. Fireman
Ed Lee and Conductor James Lowell. Ii
had orders, so one of the trainmen says
to meet No. sc at Harrisburg at u:14. II
had slowed up, preparatory to running
into the siding, and was only a hundred
yards from the north end of the switch
when No. S6 dashed into the cut.
The two engineers faced each other will
faces blanched with the fear of a horrible
death. Engineer Tunstall applied his
brakes and jumped.
Almost at the same instant that tn,
headlights faced each other the deadly
crash came. The crash was heard fol
miles around, and the noise was like tina
of a sharp crack of thunder.
FEARFUL SCENE AT THE WRECK
There were ninety-six passengers on No
Sc. AS soon as they felt the jar of the ali
brakes they knew something serious wa!
wrong. Several of them were throw
forward in their seats, but none of then
were hurt. The instant the train stopped
they jumped out to see what had happen
ed. The scene that met their eyes beg
CARED description. There were the TIVE
great engines piled one above the other
SO that the headlight on one-No. 11-wa!
up amongst the telegraph wires; the tw'
express cars of No. SO were splintered int
a thousand pieces, hardly a piece as biz
as a mans arm being left. In less thar
three minutes time the postal car of no
IL was on fire, and but Tor the use of tn,
of Postal Clerk John Hill Carter. bot
trains would have been in flames in a few
minutes time. Blu the first thought o
those who hurried from the trains to as
certain the cause of the Stoppage, am
who were greeted by the ~frightful seen
described, was for those who were in tn
cabs and forward cars.
What of them, where were they? TIL
eager questions were soon answered b,
sights that made the heart sick and
sense Of faintness to overcome one.
CLERK BEN DEATH
Out Of the rear part of the postal ca
No. IL, which was demolished by the en-
CINE of No. SO. hung Postal Clerk Benton
head downward. His body was out of tn
car, but his legs were pinioned in unde
the engine, and so close to the boiler tina
he was being burned by the heat an
steam. He begged piteously to be extri
Gated. Gu my legs of" cried ne. -
am being scalded to DEATH Heroi
efforts were made to rescue him. Thre
I Jacks were placed under the engine. an,
the passengers worked hard, but there
for an hour and a half. he hung with hi
body out of the car and his legs pinione,
next to the hot boiler. The only relic
that could be given him in this frightfu
situation was the keeping of his body We
with cold water. A bucket brigade wa
formed and bucket after bucket wa
thrown on him, but 1t could not counter
act the effects of the steam.
He lived fifteen minutes after beiny
taken cut. During that time his agon
was ~frigntful. He refused to take an
spirits, saying that he would soon be dea
and that it was not worth while. Whe
asked whether he wanted 10 be taken (
the hospital or his home. he said: Il wi
BE- dead, it will not matter" He told tn
b. standers about his wife and children 4
Charlotte. and, with their names upon hi
lips, expired.
H TWO OTHER VICTIMS.
The body Of Fireman Donaldson. of NJ
Sc, was found in the centre of the WRECK
1t was a sickening sight. His head wa
mashed perfectly fat, and his body wa
a mass of pulp. One arm could not b
found for some time.
JOIN Eudy was found about the centr
or the wreck. under the mail and expires
cars He never spoke. but died a fe'
minutes after being taken out.
THE INJURED MEN.
Captain Tunstall was picked up on tn
~embankment unconscious. and was foun
to be badly scaided on the face. arm an