The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1904-09-15
WORK OF WRECKERS
FrightfuI Disaster 0yertakes
Train on Seaboafd.
GOES THROUGH TRESTLE
Four People Killed and Thirty.fve
Hurt-Englne and caboose, Fol-
lowing Close Behind, Crash
Into the First Wreck.


Into the First Wreck.
A special from Portsmouth, Va,
says: Shortly after o'clock Friday
morning train No. Al, on the Seaboard
Air Line railroad, consisting Of an ex-
press ear, mail car, two day coaches
and a Pullman sleeper, was derailed
and went through a trestle just south
Of the Catawba river, South Carolina,
and % miles southwest Of Monroe, N.
c.. followed by the wreck Of freight
engine and caboose some ten minutes
later, which tumbled in on the wreck.
age before it could be tagged, result
ing in the death Of four persons and
the injuring Of thirty-dve others. :
The dead are e. Y. Barksdale, en-
gineer; Mrs. T. F. Black, one unknown
lady and Ed Roberts, cclored, fire
| man train Al.
The majority of the injured were
colored passengers.
At the Offices of the Seaboard All
Line in Atlanta it was stated that
Immediately aften the receipt OF the
news Of the accident special train
ithswrecking outfit and doctors start;
ed from Monroe to the scene Of the
wreck. The dead and injured were
removed to Monroe.
J. M. Barr, president Of the road,
said that there was evidence Of ma.
liclous attempt to wreck the train, 9
number of rail joints having been
found disconnected. He gave the fol.
lowing details: {
President Bars Statement.
"Train No. Al was in charge Of Con.
ductor Richard West and Engineer
CASTOR Mears. The wreck occurred
at the trestle:, just south; Of Catawba
river, South Carolina, and % miles
southwest Of Monroe, N. c. The en-
CINE passed over the trestle and went
down thesembankment, killing the col
ored fireman, Ed Roberts. and serious
ly injuring Engineer CASTOR sMears.
"A light engine and caboose, run
ming as No, 19. In chargaaof Conductor
Chapman and Engineer B. =. Isarks.
dale, which train was passed BY No.
Al a short distance east OF the point
where the accident occurred, ran into
the damaged trestle and on top OF the
{ passenger train, resulting In the death
OF the engineer Of No. 10, the fireman
OF the passenger train and Mrs. Black
and an unknown lady passenger.
sTwo Pullman employees, six rail
way employees, one mail clerk, one
Southern Express Company employee
and twenty-three passengers were i'm
jured."
The wrecked train was running
about 40 miles an hour when the tres
tie, wlaich is, about 300 feet long, span
ming q meadow near the Catawba riv'
er, gave way. The engine and cars
passed over, but were drawn back
ward into the abyss and upon the
other cars, the light engine and cab
oose, which was falling, piling in on
top OF the train Of wreckage.
CASTOR Meares, the engineer Of the
passenger train, escaped with some
bruises and a painful scalp wound
He said that just before the engine
had swept entirely clear Of the trestle
he felt It sinking, but the impetus
carried the engine and cars across ex'
cept the frst-class passenger car and
the Pullman, clear Of the yawning
gulf, which was left when half the
bridge collapsed, but the engine and
cars were swerved from their course
to the right, tearing the rail loose
from it's fastenings and hurting the
entire train upside down over an en-
banlment to the meadow, about 90
feet below.
A scene horrible beyond description
ensued. The accounts Of the survivors
| are terrible. When the train went
crashing over the embankment, every
ligh. went out,passengers were thrown
| heads over heels against the sides OF
the coaches, bleeding and bruised.
As the scrambling and shouting
went on in the dark, above the noises
a brakeman, with his head half way
out window, was heard to shout:
"lMy God! The freight train is com
ing upon u.s."
In less than a minute the freight
engine and caboose came whizzne
along the tracks, struck the open
space where the bridge had fallen an
! plunged it's way through the passen
ger cars.
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