The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-06-22
Serious Railroad Wreck.
THE m. & A. PASSENGER
TRAIN WRECKED AT
4 80 A. III.
Every Coach Derailed and Dltched
by a Washout-Many Passen-
gers Shaken Up and Bruised
No Lives Lost.

The passenger train No IS. leaving this
ci'v at % a. m. for Augusta, via the Man.
chesfer 4 Augusta R. R. was wrecked at
4. -ay morning at point miles
froo city.
The train consisted of Engine 3l3, mail,
express aod baggage cars, one secood.clase
coach and 6rst-class day coSch and the Pull
man Sleeper Shsnnoa Eugine~r jim Hous-
too was 10 charge of the engiL-, snd Couduc-
tor Johnson had charge Of the train. There
were thlrty-6ve passengers on the train, the
number being distributed among the three
coaches. Among the number we're Ar. J. F
Pate aod Mr. c. Weston McGrew, of this city,
the latter one of fne printers employed oo
The Daily Item.
Hon J. William Stokes, member of Con-
gress from the 7th District, ard wife, we're
passengers on the Pullman, being en- route to
their home ;n Orangeburg from Wasbiogton
There we're also on board the train the fol-
lowing members of the sth Hassschusetts
regiment going to Ft. Mcpherson, Atlanta !:
David Riley, Geo. Mulv~en. Thomas Kel-
", Thos J Mcclure, David Davis, Jas.
Green, Thos F. Crane and C. L Nu,ter.
The wreck occurred about one mile beyond
the trestle over Old Ford Swamp aud near
Gains Mill, 10 q cut just after the track leaves
high embankment that carries ,sbe track
across gully. The heavy ralo last night
filled this gully and the adjacent low ground
between the hills on either eide full 20 over
flowing, as The small culvert under the em
bankmeot, at the deepest part of the gully,
was too small to carry of the unusual vol
ume Of water that bad accumulated The
water backed up alongside the track and at
the very spot the cut begins washed out the
track to depth of abou. Two feet for dis
tance of ahout twelve or fifteen feet. The
from, trucks of the engine got across the
washout without leaving the rails, but the
track sunk beneath The weight of the engine
and the driving wheels left the rails and the
trucks Of the tender. followed
The track was torn up and the rails bent
and twisted out OF shape The trucks of the
mail. baggage. express, secopd aud 6rsf class
coaches were wrencbed off acd jammed against
the side of the cut The codplioR between
the tender and the express car parted after
the train had bfen dragged over the demoish-
ed track n distaoce little greater than the
IeoRrh of the train aud all of the coaches
were left lying against the side OF
the cut. The engine and tender ran
abopt ose hundred yards before
being atoppeA. The front trucks of the en-
GIN did not leave the track at all, but the
driving wheels and the trucks Of the tender
bumped across the cross ties. knocking one
rail out Of place ali the way from the point
where the coaches were left in the di.ch
against toe side of toe cut. The dan age TO
the coaches was not great and the Pullman
sleeper suffered least of all
Eneinee. Houston stuck to his engine until
be brought i. to a stand and the 6fer an
says be did not jump, bat after il was all
over be was found stanciug 90 the top of the
side of the cut.
yYhe passengers were sev .rely shaken up,
and many of them received bruises aod n.
tusions fro coming into sudden and violent
contact With the seats and sides of the coach
es, out none of them were seriously wounded.
Mr. J F Pate of this city was the greatest
sufferer, receiving severe bruises 10 the side
aud back
Dr. L Hursey, of Warsaw, N. c., was Sc.
verely bruised and bic back was slightly 10.
jured, out be was able to go on 10 his des-
tination on the Columbia train at 8 81, q. m
A relief train was dispatched to the wreck
as 5000 as the pe~s reached this city, and all
the passengers were brought here for break
fast and then sent on to their destination via
Columbis, on the regular train, at 9.35.
The wrecklng train arrived from Florence
ats 80 a % and went through to the wreck.
and large force of hands under the direc
ton of T-a: :nmas,er Lynch, was pat to work
to clear the track. II was found Impossible
to remove the wreck ge from the lire 10 time
to clear tie track for the resumption of traf1c
that evening, aud while d portion OF the force
was at work on tbe wrecked coaches and disa
bled engine, another gang built track
around the wreck TO permi, the passage OF
ira ns
The wreck GAUGES heavy loss 10 she Atlan
tic Coas, Line on account Of the damage to
the track. engine and coaches: but the fact
that no lite was Iost and iha' the passengers
escaped With such tri1,ne injuries is sufi-
cieut TO couniertaIance the hnauci-i los.
That there we're not numerous fatalities 10 re-
markahle and tie passengers made oss
lucky and fortuu.te es"ape
DnriaR the morning iquise rnmosr OF
people rode out to the eceue OF the wreck on
wheels, but it is the universal verdict OF all
who vent that the sight WAS not worth the
trip.