The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-06-05

news reached the city Of a frightful
accident on the Atlantic Coast Line,l
Sumter. which had resulted in the
death of Conductor J.. ]. Clemmons, of
this city, and three others. and the in
EUry of many others.
he news of the accident was Ie-
ceived, of course, first by the Coast
Lin officials here. They at once
acted with dispatch. Orders were sent
flying over the telegraph wires to care
in every possible way for the dead and
injured, and at 1905 o'clock a special
train. consisting of engine No. 90. with
Engineer Tom Lawther, at the throttle,
ANA two private cars, pulled out for the
scene Of the wreck. In charge of the
train was Conductor JOIN W. COttOnI
and aboard were three of the Coast
Lines Observation-Disclosures Royal,
Superintendent of Motive Power Cham-
beTss and Assistant Engineer of Road
FOrIOng.
The accident is best described in the
following full account from The Mes
SeuSer special correspondent at Flor
enCe- 5. c.:
The most disastrous wreck occurred
on the Columbia Division of the Allan
N oOGiSl LI4IC, = NdlIC. L
nah and Wedgefield at 10 o'clock this
morning, that has occurred since the
Santee wreck Jun 9Th, 1886. In to-
days wreck four persons are now to
have been killed and some thirty or
more We're seriously and q number
probably fatally injured.
The dead are Capt. J. J.. ClemmOnS,
The conductor of this city, formerly of
Wilmington, n two male and n fe-
male POlOrn6 n1SSpnpprS names NOT
known.
Among those seriously injured are
Mr.. Geo. \. Wilson. of this city. the
engineer of the train. Mack Douglas,
the COlored fireman, Sam White. the
cOlOred train porter, and twenty-nine
COlOred passengers.
The train that Was wrecked was an
excursion train from Nichols to Co
lumbIa. 1t passed Florence about S
o'clock this morning in charge of En-
gineer George A. Wilson. and COnduc-
tor J. j. Clemmons. with six coaches,
carrying some two hundred or more
passengers. The excursion was a col
Ored one but n car was reserved for
whites, which was attached TO the rear;
luckily so too. for the entire train eX-
-Cept the two last coaches were turned
bottom up in Il chaSm that had been
washed out during the early morning
the cause of which was n clOudburSt
which broke over the Wedgefield sec
ton during last night. The train was
speeding along under a thirty-mlle an
hour schedule when all of a student the
engine careened. plunged forward into
the raging waters that had swept away
the embankment and left Il great
chaSm large enough for the whole train
to go in
"As soon as the report was received
here. which by the way. VAS sen by
Ty,-+ rrr,h,,. frDnIrrarnr- of tho Cha -
n-COlumbia passenger. the wreck
ing train was rushed to the scene
carrying with ii DrS- Evans Hicks
Gregg and King. Coast Lin phySic-
ianS, carrying medicine n baDdages
Up to this hour. : p. m, there has beer
no news from the wreck except by
phone. and the facts as told above
were received in that manner The
wreckiug train nor the relief train ha:
returned yet and until it does the full
list of dead n wounded cannot 81
given. as the officials of the road at thi:
point are at the scene and only meagr'
facts can be obtained.
Mrs. ClemmOns. wife of Capt. Glenn
mons. was old the sad news by he
family physician. DR.. F. p. CoVingtOn
this morning. and the shock TO her Wa!
great. Numbers of friends soon heart
the news and ~athered about her t
render such assistance as possible
Capt. CIemmOns leaves Il wife and sew
eral small children. the oldest being
about II. and the youngest abou
eight months old.
Capt. ClemmOnS was one of the mos
popular passenger conductors in tn
service and was highly esteemed b,
the officials OF the Coast Line. his fel
low CO-labOrerS and the travelling
public. He was 4 conscientious up
right. honest Christian. and was 4 de
~ ~,-,,h1- of tho Er--r Do n+SS
church OF this city. OF which the Rev
Will +. oliver is pastor. He Is also
member of Harmony Lodge No.
knights OF PythiaS. of Florence, an
the order of Railway Conductors. a
Florence mOurns his sad and untlmel
death.
The body will be carried to Wi
mington for interment.
(By Associated Press.)
Columbia, s. C. June Six mile
out from Sumter an excursion train o
the Atlantic Coast Line. loaded wit
negroes coming into Columbia to spen
the day. early this morning ran into
washout caused by a cloudburst til
night before. Conductor Clenmons VIZ
instantly killed as were four of the ne
groes. one being a Oma n abOt
thirty passengers were INJURED. Ell
gineer Wilson was badly scalded, bl
not seriously injured. A negro. WI
saw the waShout, made a desperate e
fort toward the train with q piece {
red paper in his hand, but the enginee
either did not see his signal or saw
too late. The killed are as follows:
j. J. Clemmons. Wilmington. condu(
tor.
Frank Ross and his wife, Minnie RoS
of Sumter.
Joe Davis, OF Marion.
New Weston. of Sumter, died on relic
train on the way to Sumter.
Conductor j. J. ClerSsfons was a ma
that every one liked and admired. H