The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-06-10
MORE ABOUT The TRAIN WRECK.
Coroner Holds inquest, But Does
Not Fix Blame.
LIST OF DEAD NOT lNcgEAsED.
No Bodies Found Under Cars, and
wounded Doing Well.

AulaUGlc sCOaSt.LlQ9O OCCuIIco eWo nt1OS
east Of Wedgefeld, near Savannah flag
station, at 8. 55 Wednesday morning.
Conductor j. j. Clements, OF Flor
ence, and three negro passengers were
taken from the wreck dead and another
negro has since died.
The injured number thirty-four and
many others have more or less bruises.
Eight of the injured are classed as
serious, but it is too soon yet to say
how many are fatally injured, as some
Of them have internal injuries that
may yet take serious turn.
The train wrecked was an excursion
train being run by negroes from
Nichols. Marion county to Columbia.
The tram was made up Of baggage
car and FIVE day coaches pulled by
engine No. 6S. There were about l50
passengers In the train, and it was due
solely to the fact that most Of the pas
sengers we're in the two rear coaches.
which did not leave the track, that the
number of killed and wounded was
not far greater, for more complete
wreck is seldom seer.
The most wonderful part Of the
whole affair was the escape Of the engi-
iured and will suffer from the wounds
received for many days. but that they
are alive after passing through such
a wreck is nothing short OF mlracu-
lous. They stuck to the engine to the.
last, in fact had no time to Jump and
save themselves, and when the engine
went down in the washout they were
thrown out, one to the right, the
other to the left. Engineer George
Wilson was badly scalded on the arms
and severely bruised, while Fireman
Mack Duglass has an arm and shoul-
der injured.
The scene &C the wreck is not more
than two miles, perhaps less, from
the Cane Savannah siding. just at
the head Of a small branch. There
was no stream there but the land rose
sharply on the north side of the track
TO the high ground while on the South
side there was the head of small
branch, with low ground on either
side The embankmeEt carrying the
track across this bottom was fifteen or
more feet IN height.
The unprecedentedly heavy rain last
night caused an immense lead Of water
to accumulate in the low ground on
the north side Of the track which final
II washed away the embankment for
a distance of forty feet and escaped
into the branch on the South side.
The rails and cross ties we're left sus-
pended IN the air, spanning the chasm,
and when the engine struck it 1t
plunged In and the baggage car and
three coaches followed it. Two Of the
coaches are smashed all to pieces, the
baggage car hardly shows semblance
OF what it was and the engine and
tender are as complete wrecks as it is
possible for chem to be. One coach
sWith one end smashed to pieces is on
its side half way down the embank-
ment, while two other coaches are still
standing on the track.
The Washout was discovered a short
time before the wreck by Aleck Robin
son, a negro farmer who lives near the
place and he hastend to Cane SaVan-
nah Siding TO flag the regular pas
senger train for Columbia-No. 81
and warn them of the danger. just as
he reached the siding the excursion
Srain cane along and he made frantic
efforts TO sign it down, but Engineer
George Wilson having no orders to stop
at flag stations to pick up passengers
paid no attention to Robinson's
desperate eGorss to get Dim to stop,and
went toward at full speed to the fate
that was awaiting his train. Robin
son first waved his handkerchief to
bring the train to a stop and seeing
that there was no slackening of the
speed, he tore the red lining from his
hat and waved, but all without effect.
Engineer Wilson thought he was just
another negro waiting at a flag station
TO get on the excursion train did not
stop.
When the train plunged into the
washout Conductor Clements was just
entering the baggage car, having gone
from the rear of the train at the re-
qaest of one OF the passengers to settle
some question that lad arisen. When
removed from the .reck he was dead.
His face and head were badly cut and
bruised and his body crushed in sew
eral places. The other dead and the
Injured were found in the coaches that
went into the washcut, although those
in the other coaches were severely
shaken up.
Just as soon as the wreck occurred
messenger was sent to Wedge6eld to
wire for help, and as soon as the news
was received the people of Wedgefeld
and the surrounding country FASTENED
to the scene to render every possible
assistance A few minutes after the
accident, No. 50, the regular passenger
train arrived and was tagged by
Brakeman Smith, of the excursion
train who had gone back to stop No.
50. The crew and passengers on this
train assisted by the, people of Wedge
field rescued the wounded from the
wreckage and removed the bodies of
the dead and laid them in the shade
of the pines growing near the track.
Drs. Dwight and Parler of Wedge6eld
were also notified and the responded
to the call Immediately.
In the meanwhile relief train was
quickly made up here and DR.. Van
TeIburg- Holman, the A. G. L. physi-
clan, DR.. J. A. Mood, DR.. A. G.
Dick, and DR.. Walter Cheyne, Mr.. G.