The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1903-06-12
Into Which an Excursion Train
Loaded With Negro Plungel.
OCCURRED NEAR. wEDeEFlELD.
Five People Killed and Many ON
ers Wounded. Efforts TO
Warn the Engineer of
Danger Failed.
Danger Failed.


+. teld and Cane Savannah, about eight
miles from Sumter, "Wednesday morn
Ing. The train wa" taking Il large
crowd Of colored people to Columbia.
When eight miles from Sumter, going
at full speed, it plunged into deep
washout. The engine, the baggage
car and three coaches we're thrown in
u heap, and the crew and passengers
crushed in the wreck.
Ihe water which had been lying
placldly beside the cmbankmcnt had
become a torrent nnlasllcd, and the
pent up force tore Il gaping hole in
the path OF the train Into this tis-
sure the train plungcd-and the At
lantlc Coast Line service has lost one
or It's best passenger conductors: four
eXcursioniStS are reported dead, and
others are suffering from severe in
jurieS. There were 81 OF the pas
senger list of less than a hundred, who
suffered injuries Of more or less i'm
portance.
The illfatcd train was an excursion
from Nichols, Marion county, aud
was running just ahead Of the regular
morning train from Sumter to Colum.
Dia. The cXcursioniSts were negro
preachers and their friends going To
thc commencement OF one Of The col
ored colleges in Columbia.
DEAD AND wUUNDED.
}. j. Clements Of Florence. conduc.
tor. killed instantly by blow on head.
Frank Ross and Minnie Ross. Ills
wife, colorcd.
Joe Davis, culurcd, Marion.
Ned Weston, colOrcd, Marion. Died
on relief train while being taken to
Sumter.
In addition thirty five passengers
were hurt. The engineer, George
Wilson, was also badly hurt. All The
killed and wounded were coorcd cx-
cept Conductor Clements aud Enri-
nccr Wilson.
The worst cloudburSt Which has
been known in that section OF Sumter
county in a quarter OF century swept
. over Wedgcfeld community Tuesday
night and for hours the water fell in
ISL ets:stsIl Ilhe very clouds SCENE 10
;ssta eNpeens5dr draWnt onlb def Il Sus-
+ pended lake. But the section fore
II men and track inspectors Of the Coast
Line went over the line and could find
nothing which forebodc the terrible
disaster which blottcd il train out of
existence. Tie morning passenger
train mad passed over the same Stretch
OF track en- its way from Columbia to
sumter, and freight train had also
passed along this very place and had
noted no weakening in the cmbank-
ment,
TRIED TO STOP THE TRAIN.
The ominous booming of the break
ing OF the bank was heard by il negro
ia:m hand, Alexander Robinson, who
lives near by, and terror stricken lie
rushed from his cabin to warn the ap-
preaching train-for he knew that
the morning passenger to Columbi;,
was due in less than half an hour.
Desperate with anxiety to convey the
startling news, he ran down the track
toward Cane Savannah, station two
miles east Of the place where the wa
ters made the breach. and six miles
out OF Sumter. Had he not reached
the station his signal OF warming and
of distress might have been Needed
or had the regular passenger train
been running ahead Of the excursion .
would have stopped. But if Engineer
George Wilson saw the improviscd
flag which Alexander Robinson Haunt
ed in the face OF the invisible inll.
cnce which was Turing the locomotive
to it's doom, no notice was taken. for
excursion trains are not expected to
stop at such stations rs Cane Sayan-
nah unless they have had orders, and
the regular passenger train was run
ming but ten minutes behind Fran
tcally the negro waved in the face Of
The engine Il long strip of led paper
which he had taken from his hat, and
eagerly he pointed down the track to
the hole OF horror beyond. But his
we'll meant efforts were misludcr.
stood and the train dashed by at the
rate OF 80 TO 10 miles an hour. There
was nothing for this humble mcsscn.
ger to do but to wait for the incyit
able, and his heart sank with fear MS
he saw the train dashins on to it's de-
StrllctiOn.
DEATH STARED HIN IN TIE FACE
The train was within 80 feet of the
abyss when the engineer saw fate
beckoniDg to him out Of the terrible
chasm. With great presence of mind
lie applied the emergency brakes and
threw the reverse lever back to its
furtheSt notch. Had he not done so
the weight and Impetus Of the eng inc
would have carried IL across, the
coaches would have been piled i'm even
greater confusion than they were and
The loss of life would have been far
greater. But with its icct tied by Che
brakes, the locomotive settled serene
~ INTO The cllaSm, its nose buried far
inLo The sand Of the side toward Which
lG nad been approaching. The great
driving wheels sank to their ton rims
in. the bed OF sand the fires we're i'm
Z mcdiatcly cStinguislcl. The cscap
ing steam crooncd sad rcuuicm
through the whistle, which had been
the chrOnicler Of The life and activity
OF the engine now useless but not Il
ruin, for it can be rchabilitatcd
And what Of the men who rode in
the cab? The bottom OF The crcyassc
was the width Of the engine, without
the tender, and the latter was stand
ing almost pcrpcnhcularly its front
end having entirely demolished the
cab and its rear end being held upright,
by Il tangled confusion Of trucks ana
running gear, upon which three
coaches b1I bnnp n,n,,nto11 IN.n,,,