The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1902-09-19
A BAD WRECK.
Head-On Collision Near Glendale.
Two Freight Trains Came To-
Sether With q Terrible
Croah

\CxaSHs
On Wednesday morning an extra
train carrying several cars of mer-
chandise and the remainder of the
cars loaded with bananas, passed
Union about 5 O'Clock. 1t being a
fruit train was running as usual on q
fast schedule. After passing Glen
dale station one mile, it crashed into
the local freight No. 62, coming from
Spartanburg with a terrible thud
that thoroughly wrecked both en-
gines, threw two cars of the fruit
train from the track on one side
while the trucks were scattered on
both sides, these cars were next the
engine and loaded with general Iner-
chandise, cloth, lard, meat, stoves,
tin, machines and a COW, which were
scattered promiscuosly over a cotton
field to distance of fifty yards from
the track. The banana cars were not
wrecked, and were taken to Spartan
burg by the wrecking train that was
soon upon the scene, after the track
had been cleared, which was done
about one o'clock. The COW was only
slightly injured and got up and be-
gan grazing.
Only one box car of No. 81 was
broken up. And this was one of the
most peculiar sights we have ever
seen in wreck. When the engines
came together the engine Of the extra
running about 25 miles an hour
struck No. 62's engine with such
force as to drive it's tender backward,
knocking it clear off it's trucks and
forcing it through the end of the
freight box Immediately behind it
until it was almost concealed, and in
this position it was taken to Spartan
burg. The car was loaded with fur
niture and groceries. The furniture
being in the front end was broken
into hundreds Of pieces, while flour
sacks, tubs of lard, etc.. were burst
ed aud mingled in confused mass.
The other tender was left on the
ground where it fell. One of the en-
gines was q fine passenger engine,
while the other was the regulation
freight engine. Conductor Acker and
Engineer Folk were running No. 62,
while Conductor Anderson and En-
gineer Stevens were running the
extra. The engines colliding were
Nos. 395 and 81. One was put in the
siding at Is Gle ndale, old station. and
the other was put in at the 7O-mile
siding. The accident occurred about
4 miles this side Of Spartanburg. The
negro women from the neighborhood
were soon busily engaged gathering
up the dirty lard that was scattered
in every direction. We heard one of
them remark: "De white folks can
laff at us If dey want ter, but de good
Lord -lways prepares way for de po
foU,s."
The wreck Of the trucks was almost
indescribable. We have never seen
heavy irons snapped intwo, bent and
twisted in just such manner before.
1t is said the crash was heard more
than mile away. The singular
part Of it is that fire did not break
out.
AS near as we could gather it seems
the engineer of the fruit train or ex-
ira was endeavoring to make Spar
tanburg before the regular local train
left, being under the impression that
1t would leave at o'clock, while in
this instance it left on time, at 5 80,
and they came together about c
o'clock.
The engineer of No. 62, the local
freight, saw'the headlight of the extra
and thought it was backing into the
siding at Glendale to get out of his
way. He soon found it was approach
ing and he attempted to stop his
train and had gotten it almost stop
ped when the crash came, both en-
gineers and firemen seeing q collision
was inevitable, in railroad parlance,
COINED the bird gang" and were safe
ly on the ground when the engines
hit. One of the engineers had his
ankle slightly strained in jumping
was about the only injury sustained
by the crew.
The fact that the fruit train was
running very fast and down grade
when he saw the headlight, although
several hundred yards apart, prob
ably accounts for his inability to get
his loaded train stopped.
The wrecked cars were offered to
anyone who would tear them up and
move them, and workers were soon
tearing them to pieces. The wreck
age on the other side was fred, and
as we passed at eleven o'clock at
night on the night train from Spar
tanburg the blaze was rapidly devour-