The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-02-04
VIOLATED HIS ORDERS
AND TWO sEABOARD TRAINS
CRASHED TOGETHER.
MAIL CLERK RICE KILLED.
PASSENGER AND FREIGHT CoLLID-
ED NEAR LIMERICK.

freight Iraln NO. Dbl was huhhiHS
Contrary to orders-Did Not Wait
at Burroughs for No. 66, the North
bound Passenger-Curve i'm the
Track Prevented Headlights Be-
ing Seen Until Too Late-At Train
masters ONCE in Savannah the
News of the Wreck Was Expected.
Train Had Been Placed in Readi-
ness-ConductOr Wake Ten Miles
to Reach a TeIeg raph station.
With ears strained to catch the first
click of the telegraph instrument that
might transmit a message of wreck
and death, men sat early yesterday
morning in the office of the trainmas-
ter of the Seaboard Air Line. After an
hour or so of waiting the dreaded news
was flashed over tn ewire, and they
knew that that which they had feared
had come to pass.
Passenger train No. Sc, northbound
on the Seaboard, left Jacksonville
night before last at 7:4O O'Clock. After
leaving Jacksonville the train was de-
layed, and from Riceboro it was re-
ported little late. The time for its
arrival at Savannah was 1915, city
time. and the delay should have placed
it here not more than a few minutes
late
Extra southbound freight No. 531 Jeff
Savannah shortly after 10 o'clock. 1t
had orders to wait for No. Sc at Bur-
roughs, taking the siding. 1t did not
nj he hut oh
of getting through. Why that was done
no one yet knows, but an official inves-
tigation will be held.
Riceboro is some twenty miles south
of Burroughs. intermediate between
the two places there is no telegraph
station. 1t was known that No. Sc had
left Riceboro for Savannah, and it was
known that No. 5S1 had violated orders
and failed to take a siding at Bur-
roughs to allow the passenger train,
which had the right of way, to pass.
Somewhere between Burroughs and
Riceboro, those waiting in the train>
masters office knew, the trains must
meet, and they feared that it would be
with a violence that might mean a ter
rible wreck.
Crashed Together.
At 1912 o'clock, city time, the
freight and the passenger trains crash
ed together. About two hours later
Chief Clerk d. N. Bacot, of the office
of the superintendent at Savannah, re-
ceived message from the operator at
Riceboro, saying that the trains were
in wreck. Rapidly the instrument
gave forth it's tidings, and soon it was
reported among the railroad men that
three had been killed. 1t was only UNI
til later reports from the scene that it
was known that this information was
incorrect, and that the fatalities were
but one, the other two men thought to
have been killed having only been in
jured.
On learning that there was every
prospect for the trains meeting head
on, possibly, as really happened, at a
point on the line that would not admit
of their being brought to a stop be-
fore colliding, Clerk Bacot ordered an
engine and car in readiness to hurry
to the scene as soon as it should he
discovered by a message. Supt. W.
Hale, Trainmaster T. w. McGaw, Mas
ter Mechanic D. ]. Justice and Surgeon
j. G. FARRELL were in readiness to leave
upon the receipt of the news of the
wreck, the special to the relief of the
crews and passengers was dispatched
Conductor A. M. Ennis was on No
Sc, which was pulled by Engineer j. M
Ashley, who had Fireman Douglas, col
ored, in his cab with him. Conductor
Bridger was in charge of the freight
Engineer Ellison being in the cab. The
passenger was making up lost time, and
To hi
scene of the wreck, said that it must
have been running fifty miles an hour
when Engineer Ashley caught sight OF
the headlight of the freight Engineer
Ellison saw the headlight of the pas
senger at the same time. His train was
running about thirty-fve miles an hour
then.
Jumped for Their Lives.
Just at the point where the collision
occurred there is curve, one of the
two that are at all sharp between Sa-
vannah and Jacksonville. When the en-
gineers caught sight of each others
headlights, the trains were about 1000
feet apart, Superintendent Hale said
too far for them to be brought to a
stop, when running at such speed be-
fore coming into collision. The best
that the engineers could do was to APP
ply their air brakes, call to their fire.
men and risk their lives by leaping
from their rapidly moving engines.
1t was well that they leaped. Com
ing together with mighty crash, the
engines were ground together with n
force that broke, twisted and bent the
strong steel of which they were made.
Had they remained with their engines.
neither engineers nor firemen could
have escaped with their lives from the
wreck or the scalding steam.
AS it was, they did not fare badly.
Engineer Ellison and his fireman sus-
tanned no injury, but Engineer Ashley
and Fireman Douglas were not so fort
innate. Both were hurt by their fall
They received the attention of DR.. Jar
rell when the relief train arrived, and
were brought to Savannah later It
was reported that they would be en-
tirely recovered within a week from
the bruises they sustained.
Buried Under His Cur.
In the mail car Clerk ]. A. Rice was
busy at his work when the trains
crashed together Mail and express
clerks are proverbially unfortunate in
railway wrecks. Mr. Rice proved to be
the one victim. His car was badly
wrecked. and he was buried beneath
Il. There he lay, calling for help,
which was finally afforded, the crew
extricating him as soon as possible
He thought at first that he had not
been fatally hurt. but his injuries in
ternally were worse than he had sus-
pected. Within half an hour, before
dead.
Conductor Ennis did not wait to
learn accurately of the extent Of the
damage He knew that lnfofmq tion