The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-09-26
AWFUL SCENES OF
SOUTHERN WRECK
SURVIVORS PASS THROUGH.
BAINBRIDGE RICHARDSON, OF
JACKSONVILLE. ON TRAIN.

Dead and Dying Mingled with De-
bris of Cars, While Many Were
DecaPitRted by TeIescOping of
Cars-WOmen Faced Situation
BraveIy and in Spite of the Sights
which Caused Men to Falter, Min
fstered to wounded with Tender
Hands.
Among the passengers aboard the
sleeper Japan, which came in on the
Southern last night shortly before IL
o'clock, bound for Jacksonville, were
seven persons who were in the wreck
on the Southern, near Newmarket.
Tenn, in which more than sixty lost
their lives
The party included Mr.. cambridge
Richardson, a real estate dealer of
Jacksonville his wife, child, cousin,
and nurse, and two men who were
asleep when the car arrived here, three
hours late. While lunching in the
station dining room Mr.. cambridge
told to a representative of the Morning
News the story of the tragedy, at
which he shuddered as he recited it.
1T was a scene which 1 hope never
to witness again." said Mr.. cambridge.
I'm one case the floor of a car was
driven through a coach, taking off the
heads of half the people. Hanging
out from the wreck were pieces of
human beings, arms, legs. heads, and
bodies. Mingled together sin the aw-
full medley were the living and the
dead, the cries and groans of the
former being heartrending in the ex-
treme.
On Inflated Train.
II was on train No 10, which left
Knoxville Saturday morning. l had
gone to Knoxville for my wife, who
was i'll. and we were occupying a state
room in the next to the last sleeper.
Just as the train was getting out from
a cut it struck No. Is. The sleeper
lurched and l thought it was going to
turn over. My wife was badly fright
ened and / stayed to calm her. l told
her that a car was off the track
after a few minutes 1 went out,
and, rounding the curve, | came upon
a sight which almost sickens me even
now. Coaches were piled high on the
track and were mingled in confusion.
1t seemed as if all had tried to occupy
the same space at the same time. Min
gled with the debris were more than
a hundred people, while on each side
of the track the dead were strewn.
One mans body was thrown up on the
embankment. The engines were lying
some distance from the track.
Axes were secured from the cars
and those who were able began the
owl af nt,r f,~.s -, 81,
the only sufferer as far as passengers
were concerned, no one on the other
train being killed. This was due in
a measure, l suppose, to the weight
of the four Pullmans on our train,
which crushed the coaches in front,
though they were themselves left in
tact.
Timber Driven Through Chest.
zone woman 1 remember had a piece
of timber driven through her chest.
Another little girl, Lucille Connors, was
hurt about the head, while her parents
were killed. One boy had his arm
broken, but had saved his life when
the crash came by dropping down be-
tween two seats. He was dug out
1.-The work of the women from the
Pullmans, and from the other train,
deserves great praise. They worked
harder than the men, if that was posi-
BILE. They washed the wounded and
with tender hands administered to
Them 1t was really surprising how
they endured the ordeal There were
two physicians aboard and they did
what they could with the materials at
their command.
About o'clock the wrecker from
Knoxville arrived. bringing nurses,
physicians and materials. Eighty-five
of the injured were placed on a special
ffssai In tnIx 70 foI.f 1xr-
ing on the way.
Debris Was On Fire.
During the work of getting out the
injured the debris caught fire, and but
for the prompt work of a Charleston
man the dead and wounded might
have been cremated. This gentleman
extinguished the flames with water
carried in buckets.
''As the injured were taken from the
wreck they were carried into the sleep
ers and given accommodations until
the cars were filed.
My wife heard the groans of the
injured in our sleeper, and 1 told her
that a few people were slightly
scratched. She does not know yet the
extent of the wreck.
Plenty of Water.
"There was not a house in sight at
the point where the wreck occurred,
but there was plenty of water. This
was in great demand to wash the
wounded. as each person rescued was
covered with CRIME.
1.-The sleepers were taken to Knox
vile on a special. We left there at
midnight Saturday night. When we
got to the scene of the wreck we were
held until about o'clock this morn
ing. This caused us to get to Ashe-
VILE an hour and a half late. Near
Columbia our engine broke down and
another delay of the same length was
caused. our evil fate still pursuing us.
Besides the occupants of our sleeper
I do not know Of any passengers from
In, no xKyrppk "