Bradford County telegraph. (Starke, Fla.) 1888-current, 1900-03-30
Bad Wreck on the Atlanta and
West Point Railroad.
EXPRESS MESSENGER KILLED
Fifteen Passengers Were rIore
Or Less Seriously Injured
In Smash-up.

Train No. 80, the Atlanta and West
Point fast mail, which left Atlanta,
Ga., Monday morning at 5:25 o'clock
Tor Montgomery, Ala, was derailed
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 using and had
Just crossed the Ossanippa creek when
for some cause the engine left the
track while it was making a speed of
forty miles an hour. The engine was
being handled by John McWaters, of
Atlanta, one of the oldest and most
competent men on the road, and to his
fearlessness and ability is due the fact
that more deaths were not quickly
wrought in the same instant which
snapped off the life Of Messenger o.
lin.
The track just over the creek has
been under water more or less for
some time past and the accident may
have been due to a defective condition
caused by that. But the impression
obtaining among the railroad men is
that an invisible flaw in one Of the
trucks under one Of the cars caused
the derailment.
When Engineer McWaters pulled of
the bridge over the creek he opened
the throttle 10 pick up his speed. The
great locomotive responded to the mo-
ton of the lever, and was Just begin
oiug to settle for quick work when
McWatefs felt that humping which q
t.ained engineer knows doesn't come
from the rails. By it he knew that
ais engine had left the track and almost
with that knowledge instantly applied
his brakes.
1t was all done on the tick of q
watch, but before the ponderous ma
chine could be stopped the tender had
torn itself loose from the engine and
buried its nose deep in the ground
while the rear end went high up in
the air. The engine moved on a few
feet and then settled itself squarely
across the track, successfully blocking
the road.
The mail car snapped the coupler
between it and the tender and with
the baggage car tumbled down the
embankment, going over and over in
its descent. The combination car, the
first coach in which there were pas
sengers, turned upon it's side, mixing
those within in O confused hecp, in
iaring quite a number. The passen-
ger coach, left the track with it's front
trucks, but did not slide down the en-
bankment, while the Pullman remain
ed alone intact upon the roadbed.
The coaches were all well filled and
in a short time people began pouring
from them down the embankment,
some calling for help, others too badly
frightened to do anything but limp
away from the broken cars.
A hurried investigation was made
and willing hands hurriedIy removed
those who were unable to help them
selves TO places of better rest. An in
ventory showed that only ~spe person
lad been killed, but to the eyes of
those who were Sbout, the condition
OF the wounded was uncertain.
A wrecking train was hurriedly and
quickly made up and with physicians
vent to the scene of the accident.
This is the identical place where a
wreck occurred about four or five
years ago, when several cars fell in
Ossanippi creek and killed and injured
great many people.
A singular coincidence is that in
both wrecks the engine and sleeping
car remained on the tracks while all
others were thrown over the embank-
ment.