The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-24
LOCOMOTIVES IN A sETTo.
TWO PLANT SYSTEM TRAINS COL
LIDE AT sOUTHOVER.

No One Hurt and Crews Save Them
selves by Jumping-BOth Engines
Were Badly Smashed and Seven
Flat Cars Were Also Broken Up.
Train of Loaded Cars From Char
lesion Met Empties Being Trans
fcrred TO the II. c. d P.-RespOnsI-
biIity for the Accident Not Fixed.
There was a head-on collision yesterday
morning at about 1925 o'clock between two
| freight trains just beyond Southover juno
ton on the Plant System. No one was hurt,
but both engines were badly smashed up
and seven fiat cars were broken into bits
| One of the trains was coming from
| Charleston. This was made up of loaded
cars, there being about % in the train. 1t
was pulled by engine No. 314. None Of the
cars of this train were damaged. An of
them kept the track, but the engine posi-
| bly, suffered more seriously than that Of
the other train.
! The train with which the freight from
Charleston colnded was one of about thr-
ty-five empty cars pulled by engine No. 49,
Following Immediately behind the tender
of this engine We're a number of fiat
cars, and 1t was these that were shattered
worst of all.
The train of emptes was running to
transfer them to the Florida Central and
Peninsular Railroad at the crossing of the
Charleston and Savannah and the Central
Pretty good time was being made by both
this train and the incoming freight, eye
witnesses of the collision say. There is a
curve just where the accident occurred,
and the view of the track is shut off by
woods. The engineers could not, therefore,
see each others engines in time to bring
their trains to stop before they came in
contact.
1t was said they were about two hun
dred yards apart when the trains got in
sight Of each other. The engineers then re-
versed their engines and blew for brakes
but it was too late Just before the crash
which was seen to be inevitable, the crews
of both trains jumped. Had the engineers
and firemen remained aboard their engines
il would have been impossible judging
from appearances, for them TO have es-
capped. The tenders of their engines had
butted up against the cabs, driving them
out of their proper positions, and away
up on the boilers. The pilots and head
! lights of both engines were damned to
smithereens, and the two were left stand
| ing with their noses welded together.
The lighter train sustained the greater
damage. Its engine tried to climb over the
one it met, rearing its front wheels off the
rails. 1t was the greater weight of the
incoming train that kept it comparatively
uninjured, save the engine.
The greatest part of the wreck being in
the direction of the city, made the clear
ing of the track much easier than 1t would
have been had the loaded train been go
ing the other way. AS it was, the wreck
was cleared away from this side without
loss OF time. A wrecking train went out,
and by $50 o'clock the'track was cleared.
Train No. 80 has been held at the Plant
System depot to await the clearing of the
track for il to proceed on its way North.
1t left as soon as it was announced that
it could get by.
Nothing could be learned to show why
| the accident had occurred. The office of
the superintendent had received no reports
to show where the blame, if there Is
blame, should rest.
A report was spread about the city that
there had been fatalities in the accident
Coroner Goette was telephoned to that eff
feet. and he drove out to the wreck. He
found, however, that no one was injured.