Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1902-06-14
FATAL COLLISION ON
NJ, C. & ST. |. R'Y
Fast Mail and Accommoda-
tion Come Together.
FOUR LIVES LOST IN CRASH

Accident Occurred Near Chattanooga,
While Both Trains Were Going al
High Speed, and Was Due to One Of
the Engineers Overlooking Orders.
Chattanooga. June ia fatal co...
lision occurred on the Nashville, Chat
tanooga and st. Louis railroad yester
day afternoon between Hooker and
Summit, two small stations about u
miles from this chity. Four men wece
killed and about Is others more or less
seriously injured. Possibly two or
three of the wounded will die from the
effects of their injuries.
The dead:
George Rollin. engineer Of the ac.
commodation train, died after being re-
moved to hospital.
L. A. Rankin, fireman of the &C,
commodation train.
James Bernard, fireman of the fast
mail train.
Express Messenger Webb, of the
fast mail train.
The injured:
Engineer Ray, of the fast mail; may
die.
J. w. Barker, mail clerk, serious.
Fred Thatch, baggagemaster; Sc.
rious; may recover.
Mail Clerk Miller, serious; not fa-
tally.
r. r. Stover, mail clerk, serious.
A. w. Clark, mail clerk, serious;
will recover.
Train No. SO, known as the Jasper
accommodation, left Chattanooga
about 2:40 o'clock. 1t was due at Sum.
NIT at 3:08. The other train. fast mall
No. /, from Nashville, was behind
time and the meeting point of these
trains had been changed from the reg.
ular station to Summit.
One of the engineers, it is said, over.
looked his orders and ran past the
designated meeting place.
Engineer George Rollins, of Pike.
Vile; Fireman L. A. Rankin, of this
city, and Conductor r. A. Doss, OF
Jasper, composed the crew Of the ac-
commodation train.
The fireman was horribly mangled
and died almost instantly.
Engineer Rollins was badly injured,
as his legs were terribly crushed and
large holes made in his head and left
side He died while being taken to
the hospital.
Engineer George ]. Ray, Of the fast
mail train. is seriously injured and 1t
is thought fatally. His left side and
head were crushed and other parts of
his body bruised.
His fireman, James Bernard, was
caught under the smaller engine and
literally burned to death. A handful
of cinders and charred flesh was all
that could be found of him.
Express Messenger Webb, of the
fast mail train, was caught under the
debris and died shortly after having
been removed to place of safety.
The story of the wreck as told by
passengers on the mail train Is thrill.
ing one, as they were able to see the
approaching disaster. On account of
the position of the track, there being
double reverse curve at the place of
the wreck, the passengers were able to
see from the side OF the cars the ap-
preaching accommodation train. They
thought it merely passing Of regular
trains and did not heed the warning
until the crash came, and it was then
too late to help themselves.
The accommodation train, being the
lighter one, was entirely telescoped, the
ponderous machinery of the fast mail
train plowing its way through the cars
and splintering them into kindling
wood. Both engines had their position
reversed and were thrown 40 yards
from the tracks.
None of the passengers were sc.
r1Ously injured.