The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-05-20

| wreck, Dy allowing the rails to cut IN
| and spread
WHAT PASSENGERS SAY.
Mr.. 7. S. Ragsdale, tobacco buyer, of
Smithfield, was In the wreck, on his way
home. Talking of his miraculous escape,
he said: The train was running at least
fifty miles an hour The first thing l no.
ticed was the car began to bump and then
a tremendous pressure was felt, probably
coming from the emergency brake when
the cars broke loose from the engine. The
cars ran at least one hundred yards on the
sills b sore they turned over
Il think the baggage car went over
first and the others followed in success
sion. BY the time the car I was in the
second car from the front, rolled over,
it was not going more than probably fif-
teen miles an hour
I was about midway of the car on the
right hand side, on tn same seat with
Mr.. Elvin Fleming When the car stop
ped, I was standing up on the ceiling of
the car. In the fall got at least one
seat in front of Mr. Fleming. AS soon
as recovered and found I was not hurt,
1 asked Fleming if be was hurt He
put his hands to his left side and said
he thought he was badly hurt He was
lying across Sheriff Sharp. turned and
pulled some cushions from off of us and
then Fleming got up and we helped Sher-
iff Sharp UP. Then we got out as quickly
as we could through the windows. / as
sisted Mr. Fleming and Sheriff Sharp.
| Il don't see why it didn't kin every
| body.
'As soon as we got out of the car
looked to see if everybody was out or any
one killed, going to every car and look
ing in. Then / came up town and phoned
to my wife.
1.-The ties were torn all to pieces and
seemed much decayed."
Mr.. o. c. Gregory, of Louisburg, a to-
bacco buyer for Tie American Tobacco
Company, said: Il was about half asleep
when 1 felt a sensation as f the emer-
gency brake had been applied, and I
| jumped up to lock out, thinking some
thing was on the road but before could
lcok out it got so rough that / had to
grab the seat. The glass began to crack
and fall all around us and car to roll
over, seeming as if they never would
stop.
| When l landed, found myself stand
/, ing upon the ceiling of the car, with
seats lying all about me. / saw Sheriff
Sharp and Fleming few feet from me.
! just getting up. Then we all crawled out
of the window. ,atNl
The ties opposite to where the cars
were torn all to pieces and seemed to be
very rotten.'
HON. FRANK A. DANIELS INTER
VIEWED.
! Hon. Frank A Daniels. who had been
In Raleigh on legal business, was on the
wrecked train. He escaped with a slight
hesh wound on his left leg, and painful
bruises. Asked about the accident last
night, Mr.. Daniels said:
Il was returning home from Raleigh
this afternoon. having with me my little
daughter, Mary Cleves, and two of nv
brothers. children, of Raleigh. Masters
Josephus Daniels, ar, and Worth Bagley
4 Daniels. When about mile from Ra.
/ leigh, while the train was running RAPIDLY
and was on a high embankment in a curve
/ in the road, / felt student jar or shock
and the application of the emergency
broke. l noticed the car in front of me
wobbling from side to side, as it seemed,
apparently about to leave the track to
the right In an instant / was thrown a
considerable distance, it seems to me, some
ten or twelve feet, towards the front of
| the car, ana L must nave Deen some
what dazed by the shock. When
realized what had happened, found the
cars had turned completely over, and was
resting on its top. some five or six feet,
/ should say, from the track down the
embankment. The passengers were lying
on the overturned top of the car, some
of them covered with valises, inter-
mingled with umbrellas, parasols and
cushions. For an instant, the dust was SO
thick that it was almost impossible TO
see anything in the car. ! succeeded in
getting back to the children who were
with me, who were under the cushions.
and found they had sustained no injuries, |
except a few bruises.
An elderly lady, in the front end of
the car, was lying under cushions and
was unable to get out. | assisted in re-
moving the cushions, and aided her to a
sitting position. l could find no axe at
my end of the car, and think there was
none at the other, as gentleman there |
called to me for one. Some people on the /
outside broke in the rear door. after con-
siderable efforts, and the passengers were
taken out.
Il afterwards went into the smoking
car to look for some friends and found
that the occupants of that car had suffe.
ed apparently more than those in the
rear car. A number of people were bleed