The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1898-06-02
MAJOR surlEa's OFFICIAL aEpoaT

MAJOR BUTlERs OFFICIAL REP0aT
Oa tie Fatal KssirssA Aeesdsss y hieA
Bspp<ssd to the Third BasssIsos Nsssh
| Caseiina v. z. .. A
Special War Cor. News and Observer
JACKSONVILLE, Fla, May 25.-
Major George Z. Batter. who Was in
command OF the Third battalion. N.
G. volunteers, when its train vas
wrecked near Savannah, Ca. Mon
day morning. and private Nat. Bar
bee was killed. makes tho following
official report to Col. Armasld:
| Headquarters Third Battalion, 1st
Regiment, North Carolina volunteer .
| U. s. A., in camp, near Jacksonville,
Fla.
To Col. J. T. Armfeld, Commanding
First Regiment North Carolina vol
unteers L. s. A:
The report on the collision Of the
third section, First regiment North
Carolina volunteers with freight
train on F. { & P. Railroad. near
Savannah, Ca, en- route from Raj
eigb, n. c., to Jacksonville, Fla.
Statement Of Facts.
beg leave to report as matters Of
facts the followine:
/. The third section of the First
regiment of North Carolina volun-
teers, comprising company l, Dur
ham; company K, Raleigh; company
E, Concord; and company M, Char
lotte;, was en- route from Raleigh,
N: c., to Jacksonville, Fla and was
about seven miles south of Savan-
nah, Ga, on tho Florida Central and
Peninsular Railroad, where We had
q head end collision with a freight
train. The trains collided at 5:45
o'clock a. m. on Monday, the 23l day
Of May, A. D., 1898.
2. Our train consisted Of two box
cars, eight passenger coaches, two
baggage cars and one sleeper, and
was running at about twenty miles
per hour.
3. Our regiment was moving in
three sections, my train was the 3rd
section, and was only about thirty
minutes behind the second section.
4. We were informed that our reg.
iment had a special contract entered
into by the War Department with the
Southern Railway Company, and we
were instructed that our trains had
the right of way.
5. From where the engineer on the
freight train could have seen our
train to a point of collision, was GS
rail lengths or IL telegraph poles!
The collision occurred on straight
line, ond from where our train was
struck there was a straight line be-
hind US for at least one mile. The
collision occurred at 5:45 O'Clock, a.
m., but it was full daylight.
6. Our train slowed down just be-
fore the collision, and at the time of
the collision was perfectly at a stand
still.
7. Just before the approaching
train coilided with our train, the
brakeman on our train ran through
the front coaches and ordered our
men to vacate the cars. Nearly all
the men in the front coaches jumped
the cars. In the front car was COM
pany 1, of Durham, N. C.
| 8. AS a result of the collision, pri-
vate w. M. Barbee, Of company l
was instantly killed, and private J.
M. Colclough was seriously injured,
and six other men slightly hurt.
| 9. A relief train was ordered and
took US back to Savannah. The bo-
dy was taken to an undertaken and
embalmed, and sent to Durham, N.
c., with a special escort, consisting
of q corporal and seven privatss.
The wounded man was sent to hos
pital in Savannah, and was trans.
ferred by our surgeon, DR.. l.. M.
Archey to the hospital surgeon, and
in the afternoon was sent to Dur.
ham, n. c., accompanied by DR.. W.
E. Fitch and private j. L. Eubanks
10. Every possible attention was
shown to the wounded man, and fit-
ting military ceremonies was accord
ed the dead. The ladies of Savan
nah. Ca, decorated the casket will
handsome floral offerings.
i find as conclusions of facts:
l. That the dead and injured wer'
| 0OL uAACy W. CdhCAOoSACSo VI 0OAtAAO
utory negligence.
|, 2. That no blame, so far as hav'
been able to ascertain should be at
tached to the train men on our sec
tion.
3. That the railroad authoritie
are guilty of gross carelessness ant
neglect, by allowing a freight trail
on the track between different sec
tions of through train moving il
three sections, only about one-hal
an hour apart, when said train ha!
been accorded the right of way.
i l therefore most earnestly recon
mend that thorough and careful
3 investigation be made of the cause o
, this sad and most deplorable acci
!. dent, to the end that the blame ma
be placed where it properly belongs
aud the guilty party or parties b
dealt with, as the gravity Of the o1
fense demands.
ALI of which I most respectful
submit.
(Signed.) GEO. E. BurLrR.
Major Third Battalion, First Reg
ment, N. C. ", U. s. A.
1 THAT FATAL COLLISION.
/. The Overworked Crew of the Freigl