The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-08-18
MELDRrM WRECK CLEARED Up.
Central OFFICIALS Investigating the
Accident.

General Superintendent Kline of the
Central Railroad stated yesterday that the
wrecked passenger engine which turned
over at Medrm was cleared from the
track and that all trains were moving in
their regular order over the main line.
There was no delay of any consequence
to trains at any time. though this was
avoided only by the, precaution the Off
cias took in building a siding around tie
wrecked engine, so that trains could pass
around it.
The cause of the accident. as stated in
the Morning News yesterday, was an i'm
properly set switch, which derailed the
engine, causing it to turn over. Whether
the switch was wrongly set by the flag
man OF the last train which passed il is
not known. though the officials are not
inclined to believe that the hagman failed
70 leave the switch in proper order. They
think that the lamp lighter negro
employee who attends 90 all the switch
lights around the station, probably noticed
that the switch was not properly adjust
cd, and made things worse in his efforts
to adjust il.
When the lighter discovered on his reg
u,ar trip that the switch was not prop
erly set 1t is believed he moved it in
some way though he denied this when
questioned about it, He knew the condi-
ton OF the switch meant trouble for the
eastbound train, and as he either tried
and failed, or did not care to change the
switch. he dropped his traps and started
pOst-haste for the station to inform the
agent Though he ran all the way. he did
moi IN h.r in f{1-
the time he had informed the agent and
the two were on their way to the switch,
the train approached, running at the rate
of about twenty-five miles an hour. There
was nothing 10 warn the engineer of the
condition of the switch, as the lights had
not been placed on it, and the train con
sequenuy boted into the trouble
The engine would probably not have
turned over had it been moving at
less rate of speed. Engineer Arden and
| Fireman Williams were both At their
posts. and how they escaped unnjured is
something the officials cannot easily ex-
plain. As stated in the report Fireman
Williams is the only man injured. His
ankle being sprained.
Supt. Kline said that the cause of the
accident viii be thoroughly Investigated
at once and an effort made to locate the
responsibility, Had the negro lamp light
er tagged the train instead of reporting
the trouble TO the agent there would. of
course have been no trouble 1t is be
leved the switch was left improperly set,
but the surrounding circumstances seem
to indicate that the train would have
passed over all right had there been no
further change The supposition is that
the negro tried to set the switch right.
and in his efforts got il so he could neither
make 1t right nor wrong. Whether this
suppositlon is true viii of course be de-
veloped in the investigation.
The engine was brought 10 the city yes
terday and placed in the Centrars shops
for repairs. 1t is stated the damage to it
IS slight and that the complete repairs
viii not keep it out of service a great
while The damage is mostly to the side
on which the engine fen.