The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1899-06-02
HEAD.END COLLISION.
Tive Passenger Trains on the L. e. n.
Run Together.
Nobody Killed. bat the Passengers Re.
ceive a Severe shakc-Up.-
Several Injured.

The Tuscumbia accommodation
running between Tuscumbia and
Nashville, and the Pulaski accom-
mediation, running between Pulaski
and Nashville, met in a head.end
collision about mile north of
Thompson's Station last Tuesday
evening about o'clock.
When the trains met they were
running at the rate of nearly thirty
miles an hour, and the greatest won
der Is that no lives were lost. Both
trains were light, however, and the
engineers saw each other when the
trains were 100 yards apart, and APP
piled the air-brakes. The passen-
gers received a severe jolting, many
of them being pitched headlong
from their seats. The engines of
both trains were almost completely
demolished, and the engineers were
the greatest sufferers.
After reversing their engines and
warning their f1remen, the engineers
took flying leap into space. The
momentum of the trains, however,
was too great to be overcome, and
they came together with a terrific
crash. One of the engines appeared
to telescope the other, and one cab
was thrown twenty feet away from
the track and the other smashed to
kindling wood. The baggage car of
the north-bound train was tele-
scoped by the tender, and the other
baggage-car derailed. Only the
front coaches were at all injured.
The worst wound was a cut on the
head received by Mrs. M. B. Walker
of GAINESVILLE.
When Engineer Dan Shugart took
his flying leap from the sOuth-bound
train he struck on his shoulder,
which was dislocated, and he also
sprained and badly bruised his
ankle.
Engineer Thos. Burns sustained
the fracture of one arm.
Express Messenger Octie Cherry
of this place, was painfully bruised
Flagman Bagley had his shoulder
sprained.
United States Marshal J. NJ
Barnes, of Macon, Ca, was thrown
through the door of the coach out
onto the ground, and considerably
bruised. He was brought to the
Bethel House in this city, where
he remained until Wednesday even
ing.
A number of Maury Coun tain'
were on the train, and all were more
or less shaken up and injured
Among the number were, Mrs. p. A
Sowell, of Columbia; Polk Allen, o.
Goodwin; ]. M. Foster, of Carter
Creek; w. J. Green and ]. w
Sowell, of near Columbia. Severa
other passengers were also hurt.
). When the news of the wrecl
reached Columbia, the wrecker sta
toned at this "lace was rushed t.
the scene, and DR.. Pillow, the L.
Ms. surgeon, also went to care TO
! the wounded.
The standing orders to the cOnduc
tors of the trains which cOllided ar
to wait three minutes at a meetin
point, and then proceed. If on
train gets behind time and the con
ductor secs that he cannot make tn,
next point before the three minute
limit has expired, he takes the near
est side track and waits for the Othe
train to pass. The Pulaski accom-
modation, south-bound, and tn
l Tuscumbia accommodation, north
bound. were to meet Tuesday even
ing at West Harpeth. The Pulaski
train reached the station on tim
and after waiting three minutes pro
I ceeded. The Tuscumbia train wa
still endeavoring to make Yves
Harpeth, and the wreck is doubles
due to a difference in the watches c
the conductors. However, the caus
of the wreck has not definitely bee
determined upon.
The Pulaski accommodation wa
4 in charge of Conductor Billings, an
: Conductor Jack Lawrie had charg
@ of the Tuscumbia accommodation