The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-09-17
CATAWBA WRECK
IS INVESTIGATED
South Carolina RaiIraad
Commission Has Acted
The Report. Which Will be Made Pub
lie Later, viii Say That the Timbers
of the TrestIe Were Sound and That
Ihe Horrible Accident Was Due to a
Observation-Disclosures Mourns For
Mrs. McManus.

The South Carolina Railroad Com
mission has made full investigation of
the horrible wreck on the Seaboard
Air Line at aCtawba river last week.
and the report will be mare public
later. A special from Columbia says;
Railroad oCmmi ssioner Caughman
has returned from an official inspec-
ton of the Seaboard wreck last week
on the aCtawba river and will make
a report to the rest of the commissions
ers at the meeting next week. Mr..
Caughman made q careful eXamina-
ton of the timbers and general struc-
ture of the road and questioned many
of the employees of the road as to the
accident. Before report is made to
the commiSS on, however, he will say
nothing as to the character of it. He
did, however state that after a care
full examination he did not think that
the accident was the fault of the
trestle. The piles were driven from
Il to % feet in the frOund until they
struck solid rock and the timbers were
as firm as on the day on which they
were put up. 1t is the opinion of many
that the accident was caused by a de-
railment similar to that of the Fishing
creek disaster on the Southern just a
year previous.
While it is not likely that the COM
missionerS will make any report
against the road, except formal men
ton of the disaster, at the next session
of the Legislature it brings out the fact
that the commission is powerless to 10
anything in case the road was to
hlame. At the last session of the Gen.
eral Assembly attention was called TO
the fact that the commission was gov
erned by a law full of imperfections.
The annual report stated that there
were too many generalities in it and
that too much was said about reason
able, Just g fair" and other such
words, leaving entierly too much to be
construed by the commissions. Nothing
was done by the Legislature on the
recommendation and it is possible that
attention viii lagain be called to the
defective law at the next session.
Injured Doing Well.
Rock Hill, S. c., Sept 1.-THE four
persons who were injured in the Sea
board Air Line wreck near Catawba
river early Friday morning and
brought to Rock Hill. are do ng well.
Mr.. c. S. coleman, of Bon Air, Va.
is sufferinw with a dislocated shoulder.
cuts on head and leg, and injured
chest, cut ear and bruises on the body
elliy. dpIldll Oh IIle
freight engine and caboose that plung-
ed into the wrecked passenger train
lying under the broken trestle has a
jaw broken and a severely bruised
head. He expects to go to the home
of his father in Abbev.lle as soon as he
is able to travel. Flagman Dunn. Of
Georgia, who was also on the i'll fated
freight, suffers with a cut extending
across his head from the forehead to
the back.
Lancaster MouPnS.
Lancaster, Sept. 14-Mrs. Thomas
). McManus, one of the victims of the
terrible wreck on the Seaboard FIR
day morning, whose identity for some
time was in doubt had many friends
and acquaintances in Lancaster, where
she resided for some years. Her hus-
band is a Lancaster man. Her maiden
name was Smithers and Gordonsvillc,
Va, was her old home.
Mr.. James A. Hyatt, of Van Wyck,
this county, was about the first person
to reach the wreck. He is the express
agent at Van Wyck and was returning
to his home after meeting the fatal
train at the station, when he heard
the crash in the direction of the river.
about two miles distant. Realizing
at once what the trouble was, he
rushed to the section masters house
nearby to get red light to flag down"
the second train, which he knew was
coming. But having trouble in wax
ing up the section master the section
ira passed before he could notify the
engineer of the danger ahead of him.
Had he succeeded in his effort the
engineer, Mrs. McManus and others
would have been alive today.