The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-06-25
sleeper were unable to render assistance

| NOTk managed 10 get out or tneir car ana
| found themselves on the track in the pour
| ing rain. The extent of the catastrophe
was quickly apparent. Flames were al
| ready seen coming from that part of the
wreckage not covered by the water. AS the
wreck began to go TO pieces under the de-
| structive work of both flames and food,
human bodies fioated 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 uD the
| scene with fearful distinctness.
| Flagman Quinlan. who was one of the
| first to get out, at once started for the
| nearest telegraph station. Making his way
| as rapidly as possible in the face of the
| binding storm, he stumbled into the office
at McDonough, and. after telling the night
| operator of the wreck, fell fainting to the
| floor. Word was quickly sent to both At
| lanta and Macon. but no assistance was to
terrupted track prevented the arrival of
| any train from Macon.
| Nearly the entire male population of Nc
| Donough went to the scene to render as
| sistance. but little could be done by the
rescuers as the fire kept them at dis
tance AT daylight the bodies that had
| floated from the gorge were gathered up.
| One body was found mile from the wreck
| and many were seen at its bank. A wreck
4 train was started out from Atlanta at mid
| night. but, owing TO the burning wreckage.
nothing could be done until morning. A
/ special train at s o'clock this morning took
/ doctors, railroad officials and helpers to
| the scene. but nothing could be done save
| to gather up the bodies.
| DEAD TAKEN TO MDONOUGH.
| AS the dead were found they were re-
moved TO McDonough. There are two un-
| dertakers. Both establishments were soon
| full of the mangled remains of the passen-
| gers. Some of the bodies were terribly
| burned, while others were crushed beyond
| recognition. The only means of identifica-
| ton in the majority of cases were letters
| and papers in the pockets of the victims
| in the catastrophe The bodies were pre-
pared for burial as rapidly as possible.
| Some may be inferred at McDonough
| Others will be sent to their homes as fast
| as their proper addresses can be ascer-
| tanned.
| Only three women were on the train.
| Two escaped. 1t is presumed that the
other perished, but the body has not been
| found.
| Besides the regular crew OF the train
several conductors and other employees
were en- route to Atlanta to spend Sunday.
All were killed. Conductor w. A. Barclay
| was in charge of the train. A section boss,
with gang of eight negroes. occupied
| seats in the second-cass coach. They were
| on their way to repair washout on the
| Georgia Midland & Gulf road Not one
escaped when thu car went down.
| A train bringing some of the dead from
| the wreck arrived in Atlanta tonight. The
1 bodies on board were those of Edgar
| Sullivan, who went down with his engine;
| Conductor w. A. Barclay, c. III. Green.
| colored fireman, and ]. HI. Hunnicutt, q
| conductor on a branch line. who was on his
way to Atlanta to spend Sunday with his
wife.
| MR. ROHR'S EXPERIENCE.
| Jesse l.. Rohr, a travelling salesman. of
Baltimore, one of those rescued. said of
| his experience last night: II was in the
| Pullman with the others who escaped with
their lives when the wreck occurred. There
| was not an instant's warning. We heard
suddenly an indistinct crash and the next
| instant felt our car pitch forward and
| drop The forward end of the car filled
with water at once and the lights went
| out. We heard the roar of rushing waters
| and knew we were in stream Of some
| kind. We got down on all fours and felt
| our way and crawled to the top of the car
| and then out. The car was hanging by its
rear trucks to the stone abutment of the
| culvert and swayed by the motion of the
/ water, swung to and fro like a great
| pendulum 1t was pitch dark and the rain
| was coming down in torrents. Peering into
! the breach In the track, we could see a
confused mass of broken cars beginning to
| burn. What impressed me was the fact that
| not a single call for help was heard. Those
| in the forward coaches must have met
| death instantly. The wreckage was on fire
| when we reached the top of our car and lit
| up the scene brightly. Looking down to-
| ward the middle of our car / saw the head
| and shoulders of a woman and soon heard
| her cry: ''Save us; we are alive but We
| could do nothing for her, as there was no
| rope to be had and we were afraid the car
| would swing from its position.
"Then came the struggle to get to the
| track above. We were many feet from
| the level of the roadbed Great chuks of
| earth, loosened by the rain, came falling
| down on us and we were nearly buried two
| or three. times. We feared, too, that the
stone abutment, weakened in its position
| by the giving away of the earth, would
| loosen and crash in upon US. We took hold
| of the roots and several times We neared
| the top of the bank they pulled out and
| sent us tumbling back on the car. Once
| more Flynn, who was one of our little
party, got within grasping distance of the
| top. Suddenly to our horror he lost his
| hold and down he came. He did not stop
| at the car this time, however, but went
on into the river and was carried away
| by the terrific rush of waters. l was de-
| lighted at daylight, however, to see him
| walk up TO our party in McDonough and
| tell us that he had managed to catch a
| tree after swimming mile or more in the
water. Flagman Quinlan worked like the
| hero that he is. He finally got to the top
and ran as fast as he could TO a farm
| house near by and came with rope. 1t was
| too short however, and he had to make the
| trip again to another house. Finally we
! got plenty of rope and then we pulled the
| two ladies out of the forward end of the
| coach and all were soon top of the
| ground"
WIDE AS THE MISSISSIPPI.