The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1900-03-29
FAST MAIL
IS WRECKED
Express Messenger on A. &
w. p. Road Killed.
A. DOZEN BADLY HURT.
Train Was Going Forty Miles an Hour
When II Left the Track..Cars Roll
Down Embarkmsnt.

Train No. 35, the Atlanta and West
Point fast mail, which left Atlanta,
Ga, Monday morning at 5:25 O'Clock
for Montgomery, Ala, was dersileo
eight miles south of West Point short
ly before 10 O'Clock and one man
Reuben J. Oslin, Atlanta, express mes
senger-was instantly killed, while
fifteen were more or less injured.
The train which moves on one OF the
fastest schedules, was drawn by one OF
the immense locomotives the Atlanta
and West Point is now 1sing and had
just crossed the Ossanir2a creek when
for some cause the engine left the
track while it was making q speed of
forty miles an hour. The engine was
being handled by Johr McWaters, of
Atlanta, one of the Oldest and most
competent men on theroad, and to his
fearlessness and ability is due the fact
that more deaths wre not quickly
wrought in the SAM instant which
snapped off the life L Messenger Os-
lin.
= The track just DER the creek has
been. under watermore or less for
some time past and the accident may
have been due to adjective condition
caused by that Jut the impression
obtaining among the railroad men is
that an invisibleflaw in one of the
trucks under one Of the cars caused
the derailment.
When EngineerdcWaters pulled off
the bridge over th creek he opened
the throttle to pic. up his speed. The
great locomotive rsponded to the mo-
tion of the lever, ad was iust begin
ming to settle forquick work when
McWaters felt thsibumping which a
trained engineer Aows doesn't come
f,om the rails. } it he knew that
his engine had leftletrack and almost
with that knowleds instantly applied
his brakes.
It was all don on the tick OF a
watch, but before he ponderous ma
chine could be stoled the tender had
torn itself loose frn the engine and
buried its nose dip in the ground
while the rear en- went high up in
the air. The engis moved on few
feet and then setsd itself squarely
across the track, sscessfully blocking
the road. ...
The mail car slpped the coupler
between it and tt tender and with
the baggage car lmbled down the
embankment, goinI over and over in
its descent. The !mbination car, the
first coach in with there were pas
sengers, turned upn its side, mixing
those within in onfused heap, in
juring quite nuber. The passen-
ger coach, left the rack with its front
trucks. but did noslide down the en-
bankment, while tb Pullman remain
ed alone intact upd the roadbed.
The coaches wer all we'll filed and
in short time peple began pouring
from them downthe embankment,
some calling for hp, others too badly
frightened to do nything but limp
away from the brohn cars.
A hurried investigation was made
and willing hands .urriedly removed
those who were unble to help them
selves to places of bitter rest. An in
ventory showed tha Oily one person
had been killed, BIT to the eyes of
those who were sbut, the condition
of the wounded wa uncertain.
A wreck ing trainwas hurriedly and
quickly made up ad with physicians
vent to the scene the accident.
This is the idencal place where a
wreck occurred abut four or FIVE
years ago. when sveral cars fell in
Osssnippi creek an6illed and injured
great many peopl,
A singular coincidence is that IN
both wrecks the eYine and sleeping
car remained on th tracks while all
others were thrownover the embank-
ment-