The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-24
SOLDIER KILLED IN A WRECK.
MILITARY TRAIN CRASHED INTO BY
A FREIGHT NEAR BURROUGHS.

Private william VI. Barbee Of the
First Regiment North Carolina
Volunteers Almost Instantly Kill
ed and Private J. VI. COIcIough Sc
riOusIy. If Not Fatally Injured in
Head-End Collision on the +. {.
and =. Railroad Eleven Miles
south of acknowledgements of 10
Ience Against the Engineer and
Conductor of the COIIiding Train.
ResponsibiIity for the Wreck Lies
Between the Conductors and Engi-
neers of The Two Trains-An In
vestieation Begun.
In head-end collision on the Florida
Central and Peninsular Railroad at 50
o'clock yesterday morning Private VIII
liam NJ. Barbee of Company I, First Regi-
ment. North Carolina volunteer, United
States%irmy, was killed, and private j. M
Colclough of the came company was Sc
riously, if not fatally. injured. Several
other members of the company received
bruises or cuts, but not of any conse-
Quence.
The wreck took place about eleven miles
south of Savannah, near Burroughs Sta
ton. The North Carolina Regiment,
which has been in camp at\Raleigh, LEFT
that city Sunday morning. At Columbia,
3. c.. the train became three sections
IF passenger train No. 81, of the Florida
Central aud Peninsular running on regu-
lar schedule time from that point 10 Jack
sonville the first section being the resu-
lar passenger train of the road. The four
sections were run thirty minutes apart
Each of the three sections devoted TO the
military carried battalion of four com
panies. on the fourth section was the
Third battalion, Maj. Butler commanding,
composed of companies /, of Durham; NJ,
of Chralotte; x, of Raleigh and l., of Con-
cord with 312 men and officers.
This section reached the Savannah yard
a. APO a. m The train was made up OF
three box cars, containing the equipments
and supplies of the battalion, nine pas
seneer coaches ana one Pullman Tor the
officer. Engineer GarrauX of savannah
was In the cab and Conductor Williams,
also of Savannah, was in charge OF the
train. Section three, with the Second Bat
talon of troops, was equally as heavy
train, with Engineer Green and Conductor
Fourteen miles sOuih of Savannah
heavy extra freight train, north-bound
from Jacksonville, awaited on a siding
for the passing of train No. g. After The
regular passenger train and the first two
military sections had passed, Conductor
Mundy of the freight gave the order 20
Engineer Nix TO proceed, and the long
train of heavily loaded box cars drew oIt
on the main line, headed for Savannah.
and the unfortunate third military section.
The collision came within fifteen min
utes The morning was somewhat fosgy,
and the trains were not far apart when
Engineer GarrauX of the military section
saw the freight. Air brakes were thrown
on and the train had been brought prac-
ticaily to a standstill when the freight
crashed into it. Time was not given TO
reverse. Engineer Garraux and his fire
man remained at their posts until the en-
gines met The engineer AMI fireman of
the freight train jumped wher their en-
CINE was about 300 feet from the military
train. After the crash the great driving
rod of the freight engine kept revolving.
Engineer GarrauX crawled into the dam
aged cab and turned off the steam.
Warning had been given the soldiers in
the front cars of the approaching danger.
A negro attached to the battalion, who
was on one of the forward box cars, saw
the freight when it was several hundred
yards distant. Rushing into the first pas
senger coach, he shouted: Unload!
There's a freight coming" and ran on
through the car. In an instant the sol
diers of Company / rushed for the doors.
Several jumped out of the windows, re-
ceiving slight injuries in this way. The
coach was cleared of all the soldiers but
two. Barbee and Colclough. when the col
lision came.
Private Barbee, who had been
n
of the coach, had his foot on the step
ready to jump when the box car in front
crushed upon him, jamming him against
the front of the coach. Private Colclough.
who had been asleep when The warning
came. was behind him on the platform.
The force of the collision drove him
through the door. Its giving way under
the pressure saved his life.
The rebound after the collision threw
Barbee to the ground. In an instant the
front wheel of the coach had passed over
his legs below the knees crushing both. If
life had been spared him, both legs would
have necessarily been amputated. Col
cough was thrown forward out of the
car at the same time.
SO great was the force of the collision
that Barbee's knapsack and haversack
were forced deep into the frame of the
box car. Help was at hand at once. Bar
bee lay dying. His face was clothed with
blood, which was oOZing steadily from his
mouth. His chest was crushed in. RE
was unconscious Comrades placed a pill
low under his head; rough. but loving
hands wiped away the blood and cleaned
away the sand that was massed upon his
face. Twenty minutes after the accident
he died. Colclough was tenderly cared for
He was conscious but suffering intensely.
Every breath was great pain. Surgeon
Archey attended to him and after ex-
animation decided that under proper care
he might recover.
In the other coaches the collision pre-
oipitated a panic Capt Chadwick of
Company NJ had arisen early and dressed.
He was in the smoking compartment when
Surgeon Archey rushed in
There's going to be a collision" cried
he.
"Brace yourself said the captain.
Jump" was the surgeons reply. and
following his example. the captain reached
the platform just as the crash came. In
an instant all was confusion among the
officers. nearly all of whom were asleep.
Some were thrown violently against the
ends of their berths. and experienced a
rude awakening. As quickly as possible
all dressed and went forward to the relief
of any soldiers who might have been in
1uIed.