The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1899-09-12
DOWN TO DEATH
AND DESTRUCTION.
TRAIN pLUNGEs THROUGH TRESrLE
OF g., N. 81 l.: BRIDGE.
Four Were Killed Instant tly-DeraiIInon or
Collapse OF Kock-Ladon Car tho Ar-
parent Causo-Fall OF Over Forty
FCct.
(ThC State, 10th.)

out Il moments warning, q portion Of ,
rock train and u locomotive plunged
through the II feet high trcstlc leading
up to the steel work Of the Columbia
Ncwbcrry and Laurcns railroad bridge
across the Broad river yesterday after.
noon at 1:30 o'clock and found rest
ing place on the island IN the rivc,.
scene WAS one OF horror. The fearful
accident was due to no weakness of tho
trcstlc work, but to the dcruilmcnt or
collapse Of one Of the heavily laden
rock cars, this simply tearing down the
trcstlc fora distance OF possibly POO feet
The engine went with the falling
trestlc and landed fully POO feet from
the point where it left tho trcstlc work.
evidently being hurled through the
air as If from catapult. Only two
days ago the trcstlc force, which is
! kept at work on the trcstlc and bridge
on an average OF nine months out of the
year, turned the trcstlc over to the
road with the report that it was in
! PclicNo SoilNlllOn. IL Hau DCcn JnO-
roughly ovcr-haulcd, new heart timber
being put in place Of every piece that
| showed the slightest signs of weakness
Engineer Charles ELLIS, after Il thorough
examination, gave it lis his opinion
that the accident was due to no fault in
the trestlc, but was caused by the
collapse or deraimcnt of one Of the
cars, something calculated to tear down
any trcslc ever built.
-Four lives were lost so far as known.
| The dead are:
Engineer w. l.. Weathcrsbcc, white
2S yeas of age, of this city.
| Fireman Silas Rcnnick, colorcd, of
| Ncwbcrry.
Stewart Martin, colorcd, TG years old !,
| of Alston.
j. S. Martin, about Is years old, of
Alston.
| 1t is possible that other bodies may
be under the large pile of debris, but
not at all likely.
| All the victims must have been in
stantly killed. Two Of the bodies were
badly mutiiatcd.
The crash was heard up in the city.
This was due to the fact that the two
Hat cars that went through the bridge
were heavily loaded with granite,
which, when once the trcstlc began to
give way made its destruction Il mere
matter Of seconds.
Hundreds Of people went over from
the city ut once, and among them were
the officials OF the road, but il was well
nigh impossible to reach the scene
by walking the bridge one could 20 as
far rs tho break, but Il descent there.
from was hazardous. a representative
OF The State accompanied Railroad
commissioners Evans and Garris across
IN battcau and landed after getting
aground on rocks several times.
The scene WAS Il pitiable one The
mass OF wrcckagc lay against the rock
pier OF the iron bridge. The engine
was on It's side to the right Of the pier,
the steam escaping from it. There
were merely remnants Of the cab, and
but few pieces OF the tender could be
lound. The iron work OF the engine
WAS twisted and torn; the bell was here,
the whistle there, and portions could
he picked up in any direction. Near
10y lay the body Of the dead cngin-
Ger and beside it was that of the negro
fireman. The engineer had not had
| IN n1n l,t q,
bar had held his arm to the nrcbox:
the back OF his head was gone. The
hrcman's body was just by the ashbox,
partially in water when found.
| Along the line where the trcstlc had
been, the front of the pier was piled in
an indcscribablc mass upon the timber
that had composed the trestle, stands
and track, the remnants of the two flat
cars and the granite with which they
were loaded. Each car was broken
into two parts and one was upside
down; both were stripped of trucks
On ono OF the trucks was Il hrol<cr
wheel, which may have been tho cause
OF tho disaster. Tho collapsing trcstlc
with It's great weight had struck tho
butt of the steel bridge, but this struc
turo was practically uninjured, as was
also the pier. The crossties in the end
of the bridge were jammcd together sc
tightly as to make solid floor fo,
about 10 or II feet. The rails, ripped
OF the crossties, came down from the
standing portion Of the trestle to the
wreckagc. The island hcreabouts Is
covered with willow and cane growth
and to this is due no doubt the sayine
of at least one life.
The train that went through tn,
structure was one composed of G.. N
l.. engine No. 3, just few DAYS ont
OF the shops, with Engineer Wcathers
bee at tho throttle, and five flat car:
loaded with granite, in charge of Con
ductor Dawson. It was coming, from
the rock quarry just across the rive,
and was moving backwards, the engine
being in the rear. Conductor Dawson