The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1900-06-29
DOWN TO THEIR DEATH
ThEty-fve Persons Killed In
Railroad Wreck.
WPcckRge Caught Fire and Was Totally
Consumed, With wouId-Be Rc4-
cuers Looking Helplessly ON.
Train Crew Perished.

ATLANTA, Ca, June ga passenger
train on the Macon branch of the South
crn railway ran into a washout one anC
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, perished. Not member oil
the train crew escaped. Thrty-five
people in all were killed.
Following is list of the dead: VIM.
a. Barclay, conductor, Atlanta; J. L.
Wood, conductor, Atlanta; J. III. Hunni-
cutt, conductor, Atlanta; J. I. Sullivan,
engineer; w. w. Bennett, baggage
master, Atlanta; T. f. Maddox, cotton
buyer, Atlanta; tweIve-year-old son of
w. j. Pate, Atlanta; III. X. Chessman,
Pullman conductor; g. w. Flournoy,
Atlanta; d. c. Hightower, Stockbridge,
Ca; w. w. /. Park, Macon, Ga; Elder
Henson, travelling man, supposed to
have been from Florida; ]. r. Florida,
Nashville, Tenn; w. o. Ellis. bridge
man, StOckbridge, Ga; ID. l. Griffith,
supervisory j. III. Rhodes, flagman; John
Brantley, white fireman; Will Green,
extra fireman; w. T. Morrissctt, pump
repairer; w II. 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; T. Schryner, Chattanooga; E. T.
Mack, ChattOnooga; J. J. Quinlan, flag
mani 7. 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 a mile and
half north of McDonough the creek
comes somewhat near the Southern's
tracks and running alongside it for
some distance, finally passes away un-
der the road by heavy stone culvert.
The Plunge to Death.
A cloudburst broke over that section
of the country about o'clock last night
and presumably, shortly after dark,
washed out a 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 a baggage
car, second-class coach and Pullman
sleeper, was knocked into kindling
wood by the fall. The wreck caught
fire n 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 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 tine 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 |
wreckage not covered by the water. As |
the wreck began to GO to pieces under |
the destructive work of both flames |
and flood, human bodies flOated 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
assistance, but little could be done by
the rescuers as the fire kept them at a
distance. AT daylight the bodies that
had fioated from the gorge were gath
cred up. One body was found mile
from the wreck and many were seen |