The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-07-11
lives LOST IN A Wreck.
Mashout Near Atlanta, Ga, Causes
Horrible Railway Disaster.
VICTIMS CAUGHT IN, A TRAP
Local Train Goes Down in Gulch Near
McDonough-SleepinG Car on the End
Pins Down the wreckage - Flames
Add to the Disaster-Only Those in
the Sleeper Escaped Death.

Add to the Disaster-Only Those in
the Sleeper Escaped Death.
Atlanta, Ga. (SpeciaD!-A passenger
train on the Macon branch of the
Southern Railway ran into washout
one and q half north Of McDonough,
Ca, and was completely wrecked. The
wreck caught fire and the entire train,
with the exception Of the sleeper, was
destroyed. Every person in the train,
except the occupants Of the Pullman
car. perished. Not a member of the
train crew escaped. Thirty-fye per-
sous in all were killed. f@s#s
The list of killed is as follows: Will
lam a. Barclay, conductor, Atlanta; j.
Z. Wood, conductor. Atlanta; j. Fl.
Hunnicut, conductor; j. T. Sullivan,
engineer, Atlanta; w. W., Bennett, bag
gagemaster, Atlanta; T. F. Maddox,
cotton buyer, Atlanta; W..J Pate and
twelve-year-old son, Atlanta: II. r.
Gresham. Pullman conductor; George
w. Flournay, Atlanta; D. G. Hightow-
er Stockbridge, Ca; W. w. Park, Ma
con, Ga; Elder Henson, travelling man,
supposed to have been from Florida;
]. l.. Florida, Nashville, Tenn; w. 0.
Ellis, bridgenan, Stockbridge; D. Y.
Griffith, Superior; J. H. Rhoades, flag
man; John Brhhtley White, fireman;
Will Green. extra fireman; w. L. Nor
risett, pump repcirer; w. r. Lawrence,
foreman extra gang; Ed. Byrd, col
ored, firema-'. Atlanta; Robert Spen-
Ger. train porter; four unidentified
bodies and eight negro section hands.
The wrecked train was loca. knoWn
as No. 8. 1t left Macon at 7.10ap. ms
and was due in Atlanta at 0.55 p. M
The train reached McDonough on time,
$50 p. m. A train from Columbus,
due to connect with the train from Ma
con at McDo2ough, was late and the
wrecked train did not wait for it.
The train ran only mile and. a half
from McDonough. when without warn:
ing it plunged into q washout sixty
feet deep and 125 feet vide. Camps
Creek had swollen because Of the re-
cent heavy rains and cut out the rail-
road embankment until the culvert
through which it flowed was trans
formed into q gorge, through which
raging torrent surged. The train, con-
sisting Of q ,aggage car, second-class
coach. trst-class coach and Pullman
sleeper was knockedAnto splinters by
the fall. The wreck caught fire in a
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 was
killed in the accident. Not member
of the train crew escaped. 4 binding
rainstorm was on. The windows Of
the coaches were closed and when the
passengers went down they were
either drowned in the torrent or
burned with the wrecked coaches. AS
the wreck began to 60 to pieces un-
der the destructive work of the flames
and flood bodies hoated out and were
carried down stream by the current.
The storm did not abate in fury.
Flashes of lightning added to the
steady glow of the burning train. All
through the night the rain continued.
The dawn revealed the most disas-
trous railroad wreck the South has
known in many years. An hour after
the trains plunge into the gorge sew
eral of those who escaped from the
wreck walked into McDonough with
the news. Parties were organized at
once. Nearly the entire male popula-
ton Of the town went to the scene
to render assistance to those impris-
oned in the wreckage. Little could, be
done by the rescuers. however, as the
fire kept them at a distance.
At daylight the bodies that had
floated from the gorge were gathered
up. Some of the bodies were terribly
burned, while others were crushed
beyond recognition. The only means
of Identification in the majority of the
cases were letters and papers in the
pockets of the victims in the catastro-
ple.
Only three ladies were on the train;
two escaped. The bodies of the dead
were brought to Atlanta. No blame
attaches to the railroad, as other
trains had passed the spot in safety
only few hours before the collapse.