The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-10-07
A BLOODLESS CRASH
Collision Within Half A Mile
of the Depot.
Tw, Engines Badly Battered. Engineer Harris
Jumps Slightly Irjurirg Back. Rumors
as TO Cause of Wreck.
Especial to News and Observer,

ESPECIAL to News ana ODServer.1
Goldsboro, N c., Oct. s.-As a result
OF an attempt to run two trains in oppo-
site directions on the same track at the
same time. The Southern Railway had
a wreck this morning less than a half
mile from the depot. Engineer Harriss
oil 107, jumped and sustained slight in
juries in the back. Fortunately none of
the passengers of either train were in
jured. A young man named Gilmore from
Mt. Olive saw the approaching train and
jumped. He lost his gold watch.
The wreck occurred between the pas
Senger train due to leave here at 1920
and the passenger train due here at 1880.
Traffic was delayed until noon today. The
engines were not damaged to a very
great extent. The pilots were broken off
and the front part of the boilers driven
in.
The wreck occurred at an early hour,
but very shortly hundreds of people were
on the scene. This was at the sharp curve
just outside of the corporate limits.
There is deep cut at this point and
it was impossible for the engineers to see
each other until the trains were close
together.
There are several rumors afioat as to
the cause of the wreck and as is usual
with railroad men, they refuse to talk and
it IS impossible to verify or contradict
the rumors. 1T is known however that
the incoming passenger train had orders
to meet the outgoing train at Grants
brick yard which is just about one mile
from the city. When this train reached
the meeting place the crew discovered
THAT a fire last night at Griffin's brick
yard had burned the wires down. The
outgoing train had not shown up, and it
Is supposed that the incoming crew
thought that the outgoing crew had not
received orders on that account Engin-
eer Piper sent his fiagman out and pro-
ceeded slowly around the curve. Pas
sengers who were on the train say that
the flagman was only two telegraph poles
ahead of the engine and therefore the
engineer of 107 could not have seen the
flagman until the two engines were right
on each other.
On account of the wires being down the
crew of the train due to leave here
at 1920 had not received orders at the
regular leaving time and pulled down in
front of the Hotel Kennon to load the
baggage and take on passengers. When
this had been accomplished the train went
back again to the freight depot to get
orders. Whether or not they got orders
cannot be found out. In few minutes
the train came by the regular starting
point without stopping and went on down
the road to tie place where the wreck
occurred While the train was gone to
the freight depot orders were received
over the Atlantic Coast Line wires by
way of Contentnea stating that the IN
coming train had orders to wait at
Grants brick yard. These orders were
not delivered because they were received
while the train was passing the tele-
graph office. These are the grounds for
the conclusion that TIE incoming crew did
not comply with their instructions, but
took it for granted that the outgoing
crew could not receive orders on account
of the wires being Own and sent out
fagman and tried to get into the city.
There were not many passengers on
either train. Mr.. w. W. R. Simmons
On the outgoing train. He says that the
first intimation he had of the col
lsion was from a fellow passenger whose
name he did not know. He saw the APP
preaching engine of the other train and
turned very pale. He settled himself in
his seat and braced himself against the
back of the seat in front of him. At that
time the crash came and the women and
children began to scream. All were shaken
ND very badly and some of the passengers
were thrown against the side of the
cars.
The engineer of the incoming train first
saw the other train and applied his brakes
and reversed his engine. When the crash
came the incoming engine was standing
still and the driving wheels were re-
yolving backward The other engineer had
also applied his brakes and reversed his
engine, but the speed at which he was
running together with the momentum
of the heavy train would not permit