The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1905-05-02
SPECIAL TRAIN WRECKED
r. c. 0gdsn's Annual Excursion OF
Educators Ends Sadly
Collision With switch Engine in Yards
at Greenville, S. C., Causes
Accident.

Greenville, S. C.-The special train
bearing the Ogden party on its South
ern trip in the interests of education
ran into switch engine early in
the morning as it was entering the
yards Of the Southern Railway here.
The engine of the Ogden train and
several cars were wrecked. The bag
gage and dining cars were telesceped
and caught fire. The two dining cars
were destroyed.
A flagman and three employees of the
dining cars were killed, and several of
the Ogden party were injured. The
dead-are: Charles M. Coope, fagman;
J. Little, w. w. Cummings and j. II.
Haynes, negro employees Of the dining
cars.
The train left Columbia at $50
O'Clock in the morning, and few of the
party Lad arisen when the accident
happened. Had it occurred at the
breakfast hour many might have been
killed
Professor Henry w Farnam, of Yale
University, was perhaps most seriously
injured. His head was bruised and
arm broken. Mrs. Farnam was hurt
on the shoulder and arm DIR. st. Clair
McKelway, of the Brooklyn Eagle, who
was in the forward dining car, was
pinioned under timbers, and was
dragged out unconscious when the
flames were reaching him. He was
soon revived and was unhurt except
for wrenched back. r. M. Ogden, son
and secretary to r. C. Ogden, had his
wrist broken. DR.. Dreher, of Roanoke
College, was bruised. Mrs Thorpe,
daughter of III. w. Longfellow, was
also bruised. All of these passengers
were in the forward dining car
John F. Mccoy, tourist agent, was
cut in the head. w. G. Kershaw, an
electrician of Jersey City, received
scalp wounds; G. B. Wilcox, dining car
conductor, cuts over right eye, and D.
r. Robins, dining car conductor, scalp
wounds.
DR.. and Mrs. Farnam were taken to
a hospital.
Among the passengers on the luckless
train were: Charles B. Aycock, former
Governor of North Carolina; DR.. A. s.
Draper, New York State Commissioner
of Education; Dwight .ellogg. the
Rev. DR.. Arthur B. Kinsolying, Seth
Low, former Mayor of New York; Rob-
ert Treat Paine, George Foster Pea
body and Bishop McVickar, of Rhode
Island, who suffered from shock
Mr.. Ogden, who was deeply grieved
and shocked, ordered that the best pos
sible funeral be given the dead, and
that every attention be shown the in
jured. The people of Greenville invited
many of the passengers to their homes
pending the departure of the special
train for. New York City.
Practically all of the baggage. said
to be valued at $4,000, vas destroyed.
1t was said that a misunderstanding
of orders led to the accident The
northbound passenger train TO New
York City had orders to take the siding
at Paris, a way station four miles
north of Greenville The freight, which
was being made up here, was on the
main line. At the Coroner's inquest
the train dispatcher testified that or
ders to the effect that the Ogden special
would arrive at 7.15 O'Clock were filed
in the yardmaster's Office, and later
that another order was filed that the
special would arrive at 7.55 O'Clock a.
m. The yardmaster testified that he
received no orders whatever to that
effect.
The Ogden party decided to abandon
its trip, and arrangements were made
by the Southern Railway to start
special train from Greenville for New
York City at once. The itinerary
which vas abandoned included stops
at Asheyille, N. c., and Richmond and
Hampton, Va.
Robert G. Odgen is the resident mem.
Der of the John Wanamaker firm in
New York City. Consistent with Gus
tom he has followed for several years,
he had made large party OF educators
his guests on special train, that tool
them to the Eighth Annual Conference
for Education in the South, at Colum,
bia, S. G. The start was made from
New York City, and at Philadelphia
Baltimore. Washington and Richmond
the train stopped to take on additional
members of the party.