The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-03-22

ed severaI box cars on the sidetrack
and il was coupled to h cars when
the collision occurred. The tender
was driven partially through the first
ar. The total damage Is estimated at
between $4,000 and $4,000.
There were five men on the shifting
engine which was coming in from Al
mont, but the first collision was so
slight that none~of them were injured.
Those who were on the shifting engine
were Engineer Christian. Yard Con-
ductor McGhan, Colon Gilchrist, b
colored fireman; John Myers, colored.
q switchman , and another
whose name could not be learned
Gross Negligence.
The throttle OF the work train en-
CINE being broken. seems to have bee
the real cause OF the accident If
the throttle had worked when En-
gineer Hughes attempted to close 1T,
the second collision. in all probability,
would lot have occurred. If yester-
day had een the first time h throt-
tie had been out of order it could be
regarded as accidental, but the throt
tie has been broken for more than
a week. 1t is said that the IN
gineer has had considerable trouble
during the past week in handling the
engine on Of the throttle be-
ing in sue a bad condition, and at
times refusing to work. 1t takes a
brave man to be an engineer. and as
long as he can hold the throttle and
govern his iron steed he knows that
this engine is under his control but
when that throttle refuses to work his
power is gone. Who can blame En-
gineer Hughes from jumping from the
engine when he found it impossible
q OvI@+ -@,,II la
do If he remained on the engine when
the throttle refused to work? Any
sane man would have deserted his en-
CINE under similar conditions. 1t is
not to be wondered that the throttle
was out of order to judge from the
general condition Of the engine. If
the throttle had been in good order
it would have been the only thing
about the engine that was in good
condition. Engine No. 205~is about as
dilapidated looking a pile of scrap iron
as ever bore the name of a railroad
engine.
Had No Orders.
1t seems that when work trains are
working between stations that they
observe only the schedule of the reg
ular trains and consequently the work
train had no orders. Shifting engines
also observe no orders in the yard
limits, but it is a rule that trains on
the yards shall run under absolute
control.
On account of the passenger engine
being so badly damaged in the smash
up, the freight engine which, was to
have taken out the night train was
used for the passenger train.
Offered Assistance.
AS soon as the officials of the At
lainc Coast Line heard of the accident
they at once offered to render the
Seaboard any assistance in their pow
err. The Seaboard does not keep a
wrecking train here and the offer Of
the Coast Line was accepted. The
Coast Line wrecking train was soon
at the scene of the accident and it
was only a short time before the
wrecked engines were placed upon
the track.
Heard of the Runaway.
Some one near Hilton who saw the
runaway engine t~elephoned to the Sea
board station to look out for a n
a engine. The clerk Who answered
the telephone dropped h receiver in
horror when he heard the news. With
a mad rush he dashed from the build
ing hoping to throw the switch and
turn the engine On h team
track, but he had got only a few feet
from the building when he saw the
approaching engine. Almost instant
ly the engine crashed into the pas
Senger engine.
An Investigation.
Mr.. E. B. Williams, agent for the
Seaboard at this place, held an inves-
tigation in regard to the accident yes
terday afternoon and last night This
is customary in all railroad accidents.
The railroad will have the
negro given a decent burial.
Engineer Maglen runs on a shifting
engine, but he got a hostler, Engineer
Merritt, to work for him yesterday so
he could rest. The work OF a hoStler
is to get the engines in condition that
are due to go out on runs and is not
as hard as running a shifting engine.