The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1904-10-05
TRAIN WRECK NEAR lATTl.
One Coach Smashed 10 Atoms
Another Split in Two.
Through Freight Crashes Into Rear End
of a Passenger Train---FortunatelY no
One Was Kiiied.--Enaineer PearsaII
Probably Fatally Injured.

Dillon, Sept. 27.-Last night at
Latta, station six miles below here.
through freight No. 2l0 crashed into
the rear end Of the Latta branch train.
completely demoishing two passenger
coaches and probably fatally inju-'ng
Engineer Pearsall and painfully injIf-
ing two passengers. The accident oc-
Cured about 10 o'clock just as the Latta
branch train was leaving ne yards on
Its Journey to Clio, fifteen miles away.
There were five passengers in the
two coaches, and that any of them es-
caped with their lives is little short OF
miraculous. The rear coach was re-
duced TO heap Of kindling wood,
while the next or second coach was
split in twain from end to end.
In the confusion which followed it
was impossible TO tell just how the
wreck occurred. Following its night
ly custom, the Latta branch, which is
combination freight and passenger
train, had backed up on the main
line, preparatory to going out on the
y on is outward bound trip. The sew
eral freight cars next to the engine
had cleared the main track when the
through freightappeared on the crest OF
a high hill, only two hundred yards
away, bearing down on the slowly NOV
ing coaches at probably forty miles an
hour. Engineer Pearsal says. that,
owing to the heavy fog which envelop-
ed the track, he did not see the red
lights on the rear coach until within
one hundred feet Of the iN-fated train,
ard that he hardly had time to re-
verse his engine and apply the emer-
gency brake before the crash came.
He was hurled from his cab into 9
ditch several feet away, where he was
found unconscious some time after
wards. Several heavy chains weight
ed him down, and it is feared that
his injuries, which are Internal, are
serious. The several passengers in the
two coaches did not realize their i'm
minent danger till it was over. A car
penter by name of Bauchs who was
son his way from Newberry to Clio,
was thrown through the top of the
coach, and badly cut and bruised
about The face and body. A friend
sitting In, the same seat with Bauch
was thrown fifteen feet through an
aperture and escaped without a
scratch. S. O. Thompson, district
manager for the Southern Bell and
Telephone Company. with headquar-
sers at Bennettsyille, was hurled un-
der heap of debris, and received sew
e,els very painful, though not serious,
injuries. Mr.. Thompson was badly
bruised about. the mouth. None of the
other passengers sustained any in5ur-
les, although their escape from hor-
rible death was narrow.
The engine plunged through the first
coach, which wascompletely demolish-
ed. The second coach, combination
smoker and baggage, was split in
twain, the huge freight enigne stop
ping under the heap of debris, about
ten feet from the front end. Had the
impact been great enough to have car
ried the engine through the entire
length of the coach, the, three passen-
gers in the end would have been un-
doubtedly crushed to death. TIE
track was cleared right away and to-
day all trains are running on time.