The Savannah morning news., 1904-12-11
BADLY INJURED
BUT He LIVES
Jesse R0UNTREE'S ESCAPE.
LINEMAN WAS RUN DOWN BY CEN
TRIAL ENGINE AT EGYPT.

Unconscious for Half an Hour ana
Aroused to Find No Help at Hand
CrnwIed to UncIe's House, One
Hundred Yards Away, Suffering
Intense AEOny-Lineman's State
ment of Terrible Experience-Had
Miraculous Escape From Death.
Suffering intense agony from injuries
nearly sufficient to have caused his
death. Jesse A. Rountree. of No. Is
Maupas avenue, a Iineman in the en-
ploy of the Southern Bell Telephone
Company, is at the home of his sister,
Mrs. w. w. Hurst, at No. 419 Mont
gomery street, the survivor of a fear
full accident.
His nose is broken, his left wrist
broken, his left shoulder dislocated and
his knee splintered. To this may be
added bodily bruises severe and pain
full in their nature.
Rountree was struck by a Central
of Georgia engine at Egypt, forty miles
from Savannah, about 4 O'Clock yester-
day morning while about to board
train for home. He tells a remarkab Bile
story of his escape from an instant
and horrible death.
Struck without Warming.
He says he was sent to Egypt on
Friday to repair some wires which had
been giving trouble. Egypt is his
former home and after attending to his
duties Rountree went to his uncle's
home and spent the night, arising
1hOuf 4 n'plOplr in, ha
ing to catch an inbound freight.
He went to the tracks and was
standing waiting for his train to ar
rive, without warning he was struck
down by the engine, which he declares
had no lighted headlight, and which
he did not know was near. He was
rendered unconscious.
How long he remained there he does
not known, but it was still dark when
he awoke, The rumble of a passing
freight probably restored him to con-
seriousness. Suffering intensely from
his injuries and from the effects of
the terrible shock he remained for
few minutes in a stupor. Then he
became strong enough to call for
help, but no one responded.
Il knew l had to have medical at
tention at once or 1 might die said
Rountree, in recounting his experience.
Il could not walk and try as I did
l could hardly crawl. My uncles
house is fully 100 yards from where
was thrown.
Dragged Himself to House.
Little by little I dragged myself
along the ground, each move seeming
more painful than the last My head
ached fearfully, my wrist injury af-
fected my entire arm, my shoulder sent
pain after pain coursing through my
whole body and my leg was useless
from the shattered kneecap. How I
could ever make it l wondered drowsily,
when I stopped through sheer exhaus-
ton and intense pain.
when l got to the house I had
barely strength enough left to attract
the attention of those inside. They put
me on a bed and summoned DR.. Bow
ers. He arrived shortly and relieved
my sufferings as much as they could
be after my horrible experience"
Rountree was brought to the city on
the noon train yesterday. He was con-
sidered strong enough to make the
trip and stood the ordeal well. DIR.
j. H. Hawkins is attending the injured
man. Rountree has been in the en-
ploy of the Bell Company a number
of years, and is considered a good
workman.
He says that the engine which ran
him down must have been slipping, for
he did not hear it approach. He also
says there was no light to warn him
of the impending danger. A fellow en-
ploye of Rountree was in the vicinity
of Egypt several days ago and states
that freight train passes that point
about half an hour after the time
Rountree received his injuries. For
this reason he thinks Rountree was
fully thirty minutes.