The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1900-06-28
THIRTY-FWE DEAD
IN RAILROAD WRECK.
Passenger Train Dashes Into
Washout With Terrible
Results.
FIRST CRUSHED, THEN BURNED.
Every Person on train Excepting 0ccu-
pants of Pullman, Perish.

Atlanta, Ga, June PA passen
ger train on the Macon branch OF the
southern railway ran into Il washout
one and a half miles north of Nc
DOnOugh. Ga. last night and was
completely wrecked. The wreck
caught fire and the entire train with
the exception of the sleeper was de-
stroyed. Every person on the train
except the occupants OF the Pullman
car perished. Not a member of the
train crew escaped, Thirty-tiye per-
sons in all were killed.
The train left Macon at 1:10 and
was due in Atlanta at 9:4J last night
VI rDOuOugh was reached on time. At
this point connection i made for Co
lumbus. Ga. and here every night
the Columbus train is coupled on and
hauled through to Atlanta. Last
night, however for the first time in
many months the Columbus train
was reported two hours late on ac-
count OF washOut on that branch
and the Macon train started on to
Atlanta without it's Columbus con
nectiOn.
The tremendous rains of daily Oc-
currence for the past two weeks have
swollen all streams i'll this part OF the
south, and several washOutS have
been reported on the different roads.
Camps Creek, which runs into the
Ocmulgee, was over its banks and its
waters had spread to all the lOwlands
through which it runs About a mile
and a half north of McDOnOugh the
creek comes somewhere near the
Southern track and running along
| side it for some distance, finally
passes away under the road by a
heavy stone culvert. A cloudburst
| broke over that section OF the cOun-
try about 6 o'clock last night and
presumably shortly after dark wash
| ed out a section OF the track nearly
100 feet in lengths. Into this the
swiftly moving train plunged. The
storm was still raging and all the car
windows were closed. The passen-
gers, secure as they thought, and
sheltered comfortably from inclement
weather, went to death without an
instant warming.
The train, consisting OF baggage
car. secOnd-class coach, tirst-class
coach and a Pullman sleeper, was
knocked into kindling wood by the
| fall. The wreck caught fire few
minutes after the fall and all the
coaches were burned except the Pull
man car.
Every person on the train except
| the occupants of the Pullman car
perished in the disaster. There was
no escape, as the heavy Pullman car
weighted down the others, and the
few alive in the sleeper were unable
to render assistance to their fellow
passengers.
For brief time there was silence.
Then the occupants OF the Pullman
| car recovered from the bewilderment
and after hard work managed to get
out of their car and found themselves
on the track in the pouring rain. The
extent of the catastrOpe was appar-
ent. Flames were already seen COM
ING from that part of the wreckage
mot covered by the water. AS the
wreck began to go to pieces under
1.-THE destructive work of both flame
and food, human bodies fOated out
from the mass and were carried down
stream by the swift current. The
storm did not abate in fury. Flashes
of lightning added to the steady glow
of the burning train and lit up the
scene with fearful distinctness.
FLAGMAN CARRIES THE NEWS.
Flagman Quinlan, who was one OF
the first to get out. at once started
, to the nearest telegraph station.
Making his way as rapidly as pOssi-
bic in the face of the binding storm
he stumbled into the Office at Nc
: Donough and after telling the night
operator of the wreck, fell fainting to
the floor. Word was quickly sent TO
both Atlanta and Georgia, but no
= assistance was to he had except III
: the latter city, as the interrupted
track prevented the arrival OF any
trains from Macon.
Nearly the entire male population
OF McDonough went to the scene to
render assistance. but little could be
done by the rescuers, as the hire Kept
them at distance. At daylight the
bodies that had fioated from the
gorge were gathered up. One body
was found a mile from the wreck and
> many were seen along the banks
: 4 wreck train was started out from
9 Atlanta at midnight, but owing &c
the burning wreckage nothing could
be done until morning A speeia
train at 6 o'clock this morning took
doctors, ministers. railroad officials
and helpers 70 the scene, but nothing