The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1903-08-26
FATAL ACCIDENT.
The Son of Col. D. P. Duncan Instant
ly Killed Thursday.
THE BODY HORRIBLY MANGLED
The Young Man Fell in Front OF
an Engine While at Work
on the Footboard near
Columbia.
Columbia.

While out on his engine footboard
olling some valves, as he was about to
complete a trip from Asheville, John
Peter Richardson Duncan, Southern
railway fireman, lost his foothold
Thursday afternoon in some unknown
way and fell in 'front.' Of his engine, be-
ing killed before he could even cry
out.
The engine and the entire train Of
Il coaches passed over his body leav-
ing it dangling from the centre ct
Bookter's trestle eight miles west OF
the city. The train, which had been
Slowed down" to pass over the trestle
still undergoing repairs for the dam
ages received in the flood Of the early
part Of the summer, was running only
about six miles an hour at the time
of the accident. None Of the train
crew saw the unfortunate boy fall.
BODY HORRIBLY MAEGLED.
Engineer J. r. Hunter, missing his
fireman, whom he had told to oil up
the valves, stopped the train, pas
senger No. IA. due there from Ashc.
vile at 2 o'clock. just as it pulled
over the trestle, and the body, was
found about a train length behind
lying dangling between the rails. The
Skull was crushed into ShapeleSSnesS
from the ears and eye brows up: both
feet were crushed into formleSs masses
Of broken. bone and bruised flesh, and
there was slight flesh wound over
the heart.
The body was laid out in the bag
gage car, where on reaching the city
it was carefully dressed and prepared
for shipment to his home near Sumter,
where it will 90 Friday morning at
10 for the funeral and the inter-
ment.
HAD A BRIGHT FUTURE.
Young Duncan would have reached
his majority next month. He was
bright young railroad man with a fine
future before him. He was fearless.
probably too much 50, being almost
reckless about his own safety, often
assuming risks where they were not
necessary. Early in the day he went
out on the rootboard passing around
the cylinder for the same purpose
while the train was running 10 miles
an hour. This very element in his
disposition, it is thought, was response
Bile for the horrible accident that sent
him into eternity in a tw!nkling
Thursday. But all who come in con-
tact with his bright, sunny dispoSi-
ton and bouyant nature were grieved
at the news Of his death, for every
body likes and admireS brave, good
natured, healthy-minded, vigorous
looking boy. Such youth was Dun
can, remarkably free from vicious
habits for Lad IN his business, and
kindly in his manners.
LOVED TIE SERVICE.
Young Duncan had been in the rail
road service little over two years.
Fascinated with the work, he left
Wofford college in his sophomore year,
where he had made excellent records,
and went out as a fireman on the old
South Carolina and Georgia Extension
road. Then after spending six months
in the shops there he was placed on
the extra list. A few weeks ago he
suffered a confusion of the spine in
the wreck near Hendersonville. He
had been working on the Asheville
run only a week, but was advancing
rapidly in efficiency and would likely
have been promoted in short time.
He was finishing a locomotive run
ming" course in a correspondence
school and had made unusually high
records ir these examinations.
The dead boy was the son of Col.
D. P. Duncan, secretary Of the rail-
road commission, who telegrapheo
Mrs. Duncan to come to Columbia at
once and she was expected to arrive
Thursday night. The death bears
the more heavily upon her because
she had just finished an ANXIOUS ana
exhausting Seige in nursing her little
daughter through an illness from
snake-bite that had all but proved
fatal.
p THE ACCIDENT
Just before reaching the treStle, Ell
gineer Hunter asked Fireman Duncan
to oil the engine valves. This could
have been done from the cab, but
Duncan chose the quicker method OF
going out on the footboard. Engineer
Green, who was returning from a trip
to Spartanburg, was sitting out on
the footboard on the opposite side OF
the boiler. Mr. Hunter losing sight
of the boy on the side he had gone out
on and hearing from Green that he
had not appeared on the other side,