The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-01-25
senger coach At the rear and the people
in IL escaped injury almost e1sfreAy.
Arrg THE COLLISION.

senyer coach At the rear and the people
in il escaped injury almost ezeirely.
AFTER TIL COLLISION.
But n waS a terrible experience for the
peop,e who escaped uahurt no less Than
for those who were injured The spot
where the wreck occurred is about n mile
ard q half beyond Ashley Junction The
track stretches straight away at thaI
point for several miles through a aevsl
| country. On either side OF IL a scrub un-
de-growth OF bushes u1e-gcS al a snort
distance in<o B gloomy pine forest Tn
the brightest day the nearest hahafaNoa
to be seen are the towers ana saAgtaes
al the junction. With the fog cltnging
TO the trees and bushes the outlook must
have been a Greary che indeed. WIN TWO
mangi~d bodies lying in the 6f-c.es ari
half a dozen wounded men groanFsg IN
the debris the scene must have been
hopeless 10 a degree TO the men VINO
| went 10 the rescue They were not daun<-
al. however. As soon as might be a mes
sage was sent TO the city for relief, and
the work Of getting the disable In a
| place Of safety was set for. The TWO fire
men were mang!ed fearfuAy. III they
jumped at all IL must have been alnoS;
a. the instant the collision took place.
Their bodies were margled beyond rec
ognitioa almost The engineers jumped
| sooner, and their lives We're saved.
| though how Nicely escaped with his life
il a miracle. He was found lying with n
part Of his engines boiler across his legs
| and a Steam pipe Attached 10 IL on his
| body. Conductor Bullock. unaided. lift
ed the great weigh from the poor fell
low. How he did IL he himself cannot
now say. Passengers and train men alike
worked hero!cly to aid the sufferers. DIR.
G. NJ Chamberlain, of Andover. Mass.
w4ro was on the veSt&bule, administered
TO the immediate needs OF the sufferers.
Captain w. b. Matthews. OF the spe-
cial, and his dining car conductor, Mr..
| w. 5. Wright. did splendid work in sup
plying the sufferers with whsskey. and
In many other ways contributing TO their
relief and comfort. The ounded were
moved into one of the Pullman ears in
a very short time
ASSISTANCE SENT At ONCE.
AS soon as the news of the collision
reached the city Superintendent Royal
and his assistants sent out a wrerking
train. Several physicians were called
upon to go with il. Drs. Kirk and Ed
wards were first at the depot. and they
went out on the special. They were sup
piled with all the material necessary TO
give proper medical attention 10 the in
jured. The wrecking train was Wen
equipped, and in a marvellouSly brief
space of time the experienced employees
of the company We're adding their assist
ance in relieving the wants of the
wounded, supplying the needs OF the pas
Sengers, anC trying 10 Clear the track.
This latter. however. was not easily done.
The trucks OF :he engines and the debris
from the coaches were scattered every
where. Inc trucks especially We're nara
to move. When it was found THAI there
would be some delay in getting the vesti-
bule through a train was made up in the
city and sent to the wreck. To this was
transferred the wounded and the pas
sengers, and they were brought TO town.
The former We're sent TO hospitals. and
the latter found quarters at the hotels.
CAPTAINS WEBB AND BULLOCK.
More than one passenger expressed
gratitude for good service rendered by
1 =, la,- y ,aS - -, a.Aa Nj
and some of them were indebted to both
of them. The two conductors assembled
their train hands (such of them as We're
not hurD about them as soon as the col
liSion occurred: to these they added sew
eral willing passengers, and with this
bard of workers they went malfully
about the work of relief. Conductor Webb
had only received a severe shaking up,
but Captain Bullock had sustained a cut
on the face and was badly wrenched
about the legs and body. OF course the
two officials only did what was their
duty and what their company expects of
them; but they did il in a way that won
the gratitude of the recipients of their
attentions.
ELECTRICIAN CLARK
electrician Clark. of the Pullman SER
vice, had a terrible experience. His
quarters on train No. 81 We're in the bag
gage car, and that was the only coach Of
the vestibule train that was damaged
Mr.. Clark was in his berth, having only
retired a snort Tune before, after "A hdrd
nights work. The car was smashed to
flinders and he awoks to find himself in
a mass of its ruins, through which the
scaping steam from the wrecked engines
was rushing. He is powerless to tell how
he eXtric3ted himself from this critical
position. He did struggle out of what had
been the top of the coach, badly bruised
and sca.ded, but glad enough to escape
with his life. His clothing was nearly all
torn from his body, even his socks were
hanging to his feet in shreds. Patches
in geometrical forms had been taken
from his clothing. but how this was ac-
compllsihed he cannot for the life of him
say.
THE WOUNDED IN THE CITY.
The special train which transferred the
wounded and the passengers to the city
arrived here at 1890 O'Clock. One of the
dead fremen was on it. His body was
sent to Conneiey's moTgue. The body OF
the other fireman was taken there also
last night, and Trial Justice Rivers, of
over them today at noon. The accident
took place in territory under his jurisdic-
ton, and according to Jaw he acts as
coroner in the circumstances.
Engineer Nicely, Mail Clerk Bingham.
Expressman Powell. Engineer Hall. A. }.
Gourdin and Baggage Master McDuffie
We're sent to St. Francis Xavier's Infirm-
airy.
]. w. Wood went to Calhoun.
NJ. Curtic and Frank Thompson went TO
the St. Charles.
E. Lilies was sent to his home, at 80
George street.
Many of the ~uninjured passengers spent
part of the day at the Charleston.
THE TRACE OPENED
AS soon as the company got the track
clear at the scene of the wreck the vesti-
bule train was run on into the city. Most
of the passengers had come ahead of Ii
ON the special, but a few of them staid
on the train all day. When the train came
into the city the most of the passengers
rejoined ii here, and continued their Jour
ney to Florida with the loss of but a few
hours.