The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-04-06
INJURED NUMBER FIVE
Engineer J. C. Small Misunderstood
His Conductors Orders.
FIREMAN W. C. SMITH FkR9D WORST
None of The Injured Are Hurt Seriously. Both
Tracks Blocked For Some Hours. Sea-
board Trains Usirg South
ern Track.

A serious head-on collisions between
two freight trains occurred yesterday
morning on the Seaboard Air Line. The
results were the injuring of five en-
locomotives, the wrecking of several
freight cars and delay Of several hours
to traffic on both the Seaboard Air Line
and Southern Railways.
The injured are as follows:
A. j. Ross, engineer.
Drew Rabb, colored, fireman.
j. c. Small, engineer.
w. A. Smith, fireman.
Ernest Weathers, fagman.
None of the above were seriously hurt,
the injuries consisting principally of
bruises, sprains and burns, with the ex-
ception of Fireman Smith, who was
quite badly scalded and stunned by a
severe blow upon the head. He was
taken to Rex Hospital, where he is said
to be doing very we'll.
The wreck took place soon after 8
o'clock, and the scene shortly thereafter
was terrible one. Several of the cars
were completely telescoped, and the two
locomotives presented a fearful sight
Great riyets and bolts were torn apart
as though made of tin. The casing Of
the boilers was ripped into shreds like
so much paper. The contents of the
cars We're strewn on both sides of the
track for fifty yards or more.
The trains were extra freight No. G64,
northbound, and regular freight No. II,
southbound. They met at the crossing
about two miles beyond Method, where
the tracks curve in a cut. 1t is said
they saw each other when quite a dis
tance oft, over the fields, but each
thought the other was on the Southern
track. When the engines met the extra
was going very slowly, only about five
miles per hour but the regular freight
was making the best time possible and
the speed was nearly thirty miles an
hour. The southbOund had about twenty
cars and the northbound about thirty.
Two of the freight cars were completely
telescOped over the southbound engine
and eleven cars were completely demOl-
ished. Some were loaded with lumber
and others with merchandise. Fortu-
nately the wreck did not catch fire Not
only was the Seaboards track blocked
but the Southern's track was so Uttered
that it was over three hours before it
could be sufficiently cleared for traffic.
The Southern going west and the one
coming east were both held at the scene
until the track was cleared. Train
master Peyton, of the Southern Railway,
gave the Seaboard the use of the South
erns track from Cary to Raleigh so
that the trains were not greatly delayed
The extra freight was manned by En-
gineer Small and Conductor Will Hunt
Conductor Hunt had orders for right of
way over freights No. q and No II to
Cary, but Engineer Small understood
the order to be that his train had right
of way to Raleigh instead of just to
Cary. That misunderstanding caused
the collision When this train reached
Cary it was six o'clock.
Conductor Hunt, when the train
stopped at the crossing, went to the
telegraph office to get his orders. The
orders were to wait at Cary for No. Il
and to meet q at Johnston street sta
ton. When Conductor Hunt came out
with his orders he found that his train
had gone