The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-06-26
Tried to Stop Train With a
Telephone Message.
Train Dispatcher Knew If Seab lard Trains Met
Without Seeing Wreck Was Abso-
lutely Certain.

Had there been a telegraph station open
between Vass and Southern Pines the
terrible accident on the Seaboard on
Tuesday morning might have been averted
Stewart, with his light engine, reached
Vass, having passed the northbound pas
senger train 3S before reaching it and
at Vass took the siding while No. 8, the
northbound fast freight rushed by. He
may have taken this for No. 6, the local
freight, or have entirely forgotten that No
was coming his way on schedule time
with the right-of-way.
Stewart was running without orders
and was expected to avoid all schedule
trains. 1T is reported that he told the
operator at Vass that he could reach
Southern Pines before he met &C, the
passenger for Richmond, and that another
train was behind him and pushing him.
1t is evident that he had no idea that
there was a train leaving Southern Pines
just before he pulled out from Vass
Stewart made no mention of No. 6, the
operator at Vass recalls, and was gone in
a hurry. The operator gave the train
dispatcher in Raleigh word that Stewart
had left Vass at 1902 and just before
that word from Southern Pines came that
No. 6 had left that point at 10 o'clock.
The train dispatcher knew at once what
that meant, and this was that the trains
must be stopped, or that if they did not
see each other in time before they met
a wreck was certain.
There is only temporary wire at
Niagara, and there was no one there to
order the first train in to stop and get
out of the way. There was telephone
connection, however, and an attempt was
made to get a message through on that
but it was too late.
The only hope was that either Engin
eer Wall or Engineer Stewart, or some of
the crew, might see the other train be-
fore it was too late. But here fate was
against this, for the fatal collision oc-
Cured in a cut on curve. the engines
being right at each other before either
was seen by the otner. Then came the
crash and death to four.
1t was 1912 when the collision took
place. Stewart had run ten minutes from
Vass and Wall had come twelve minutes
from Southern Pines. At either point
telegraph instruments were clicking in
frantic haste telling of the impending ca
tastrophe. but between these two points
there was no little instrument at work
to save the Inflated men.
Until the news came that there had
been a collision the momens were those
of suspense in the train dispatchers' office
in Raleigh, and at the Offices in Southern
Pines and Vass, from which the two
trains, flying at each other along the long
lines Of steel, had pulled out, with the
men aboard all unconscious of the terror
that lay ahead.
The wreck had not been cleared away
but enough of this had been
moved to get out the body of Charlie
Brewer, which was taken to Sanford. A
temporary track of twenty-five yards has
been built around the wreck in the cut
and over this the trains are passing.
No. "a, going north, was the first train
to pass after the wreck 1t reached Raj
eigh at 4:30 yesterday morning and met
No 81 going south here.
Fireman Wright was reported as get
ting along well yesterday. His oscar
was miraculous and he has but few bruises
and scars to show he was in the terrible