The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1900-06-30
DOWN TO THEIR DEATH
Thirty-five Persons Killed In q
Railroad Wreck.
Wxeckawe Caught Fire and Was Totally
Consumed. with Would-Be Res
ouers Looking HelplosSly On.
Train Grow PoriShed.

ATLANTA, Ga, June 24.-A passenger
train on the Macon branch of the South.
ern railway ran into washout one and
half miles north of McDonough, Ga.
last night and was completely wrecked.
The wreck caught fire and the entire
train, with the exception of the sleeper,
was burned, and every person on the
train, except the occupants of the Pull
man car, persisted. Not a member of
the train crew escaped. Thirty-five
people in all were killed.
Following is list of the dead: VIM.
A. Barclay, conductor, Atlanta; ]. E.
Wood, conductor, Atlanta; J. Fl. Hunni-
cult, conductor, Atlanta;J. 7. Sullivan,
engineer; w. w. Bennett, baggage
master, Atlanta; T. f. Maddox, cotton
buyer, Atlanta; twelve-year-old son of
w. j. Pate, Atlanta; Fl. X. Chessman,
Pullman conductor; G. w. Flournoy,
Atlanta; d. C. Hightower, Stockbridge,
Ca; w. w. j. Park, Macon. Ca; Elder
Henson, travelling man, supposed to
have been from Florida; ]. r. Florida,
Nashville, Tenn; w. o. Ellis, bridge
man, Stockbridge, Ga; u. /. Griffith,
supervisory. Fl. Rhodes, flagman; John
Brantley, white fireman; viii Green,
extra fireman; w. I. Morrissctt, pump
repairer; W r. Lawrence, foreman ex-
ira gang; Ed Byrd, colored fireman,
Atlanta; Robert Spencer, train porter;
four bodies unidentified; eight negro
section hands.
Ten Passengers Rescued.
The following passengers were res
cued without serious injury: Jesse L.
Rohr, Baltimore; Walter Pope, Atlanta;
Miss Mary B. Merritt, Boston, Miss
Clara Alden, Boston; j. c. Flynn, At
lanta; E. Schryner, Chattanooga; E. T.
Mack, Chattanooga; J. j. Quinlan, flag
man; T. c. Carter, Pullman porter, and
Handy Tomlinson.
Tremendous rains, of daily occurrence,
for the past twelve weeks have swollen
all streams in this part of the South,
and several washouts have been re-
ported 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 mile and
half north of McDonough the creek
comes somewhat near the Southerns
tracks and running alongside it for
some distance, finally passes away I'M
der the road by heavy stone culvert.
The Plunge to Death.
A cloudburst broke over that section
of the country about 8 o'clock last night
and presumably, shortly after dark,
washed out section of the track nearly
100 feet in length. In this the swiftly
moving train plunged. There was not
a note of warning. The storm was then
raging and all the car windows were
closed. The passengers, secure as they
thought, and sheltered comfortably
from the inclement weather, went to
death without an instant's warning.
The train, consisting of baggage
car, second-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 |
Pullman car.
Every person on the train except the
occupants of the Pullman car persisted |
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 re-
covered from their car and found them
selves on the track in the pouring rain. |
The extent of the catastrophe was
quickly apparent. Flames were already
seen coming from that part of the |
not covered by the water. AS
the wreck began to go to pieces under
the destructive 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
flow of the burning train and lit up 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 Atlanta and Macon,
but no assistance was to be had except
from the latter city, as the interrupted
track prevented the arrival of any train
from Macon.
Gathering Up the Dead.
Nearly the entire male population OF
went to the scene to render
but little could be done by
the rescuers as the fire kept them at
distance. At daylight the bodies that
had foated from the gorge were gath.
cred up. One body was found mile
from the wreck and many were seen
along its banks.