Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1899-08-17
RAN INTO AN OPEN SWITCH.
Fast Train On G. & 0. Wrecked in
Staunt0n last Thursday.

fast Train On &. 4 O. Wrecked II
Staunton Last Thursday.
On last Thursday morning few
minutes past eleven o'clock an alarm
of fire was sounded from Box 81 loca.
ted near the G. 6 o. depot in this city
and in short while there were hun.
dreds OF people rushing in that direc
tion. Upon arriving there it took but
minute to learn the trouble. The
fast vestibule train on the Chesapeake
u Ohio due here at 1856 a. M, ran into
an open switch which brought it on
the side track on the north side of the
freight depot and caused a collision
with long stretch OF freight cars
standing there awaiting to be unload
ed. For a short while there pr, vailed
much excitement. but it soon subsid-
ed and the work of clearing away the
wreckage begun. The vestibule was
in charge of Captain s. G. Buster and
heavily loaded with human freight, all
OF whom escaped without injury. The
train was running at speed of about
70 miles an hour and when the open
switch was discovered it was too late
to bring it to stop.
| John Croft, firemen on the second
engine. 1.-THE vestibule always having
two engines attached) was the first
man to jump and escaped ,gz;;.hout in
jury. Sandy Smith, engineer on en-
CINE with Croft, jumped moment lat
er and was thrown against fence re
ceiving several cuts on his head and
being otherwise injured. Engineer E.
5. Foster and Fireman Roy Goolsby,
In charge of the front engine and the
one that was completely demolished,
remained on their engine and escaped
injury in the collision. Two railroad
men riding with them also escaped.
The vestibule train first collided
with a car loaded with water
melons completely wrecking it |
and two others loaded with the same
kind of freight and also an empty coal
car and box car of fertilizer. The |
force of the collision sent a number of |
| other cars on the siding beyond the
end of the track across Augusta street |
and beyond the wholesale house of
Bowling, SPOTS & Co., knocking down !
a lamp-post with letter box on it and /
also wrecking telegraph-pole of the
Mutual Telephone Co.
Where the collision occurred the en-
gines to the vestibule were thrown
from the main siding to another short
one used for unloading coal by the
city street car company. Fortunately
the express, mail and baggage cars and
all the coaches, pullmans, etc remain
ed safe upon the track and no one in
side of them were injured other than
general shaking up. The front engine
stopped on this short siding used by
the street car people and in a tedious
position just over Front street. While
resting thusly the fireman and engi
neer were upon it making an exami-
ration with several people nearby and
hundreds down on the street, when
without a moments warning the great
iron horse rolled down the steep en-
bankment throwing those upon it
some distance and causing u stampede
among the spectators similar to those
in a circus when the lion and the tiger
become unruly.
This was accident No. 2, and result
ed seriously. Engineer Foster had his
left had injured, which made it neces
sary to amputate it near the elbow. j.
I. CARRIER, of the county, had his left
thigh broken; Fireman Goolsby had |
one hand and his back hurt, but not |
seriously enough to bs doctored; A. E.
Drummond, of this city, had hip and |
his back painfully bruised as we'll as
several cuts: Fred Quensen, Jr., was
cut IN the cheek. j. S. Mote and |
Charles Philips. who We're upon the
massive structure went down with the |
engine. but escaped safely. This was
about the result of the second accident |
| in personal injury, though the engine
| was completely ruined.
Engineer Smith, who was injured in
his jump, was sooD found and treated |
by the physicians present. G. d. Hig |
ginbothan, merchant of this city, |
and r. w. Timberlake, of Hanover
county, were in one of the cars loaded |
| with melons when the collision occur |
red. Mr.. Higginbotham received only |
a slight injury and was able to go
about. Mr.. Timberlake was not SO
fortunate, be having been SO injured
about his legs, back and thigh that
removal to the Kings Daughters Hos
pital fer treatment was found neces-
sarY.
| Near this melon ear was horse and
wagon belonging to Edward Croghan.
The horse was instantly killed and the
wagon smashed. Nose Banks, in charge
of the team was knocked some dis
tauce and slightly hurt. For a long
time ii was thought he had met the
same fate of his horse. Mike johnson,
a small white boy, was also hurt The
lire department. which promptly re-
Isponded to the alarm rendered yalua.
BILE service and aided materially in
preventing further damage from fire,
las did also hundreds of citizens who
Iwere early upon the scene.
AS is customary when the yestibule
Iarrives, there were number of people
and vehicles at the passenger station
and the wreck created considerable
excitement among them, but nothing
happened outside the fainting OF two