Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-06-20
ENGINEER AND FIREMAN KILLED

Train No. 40, passenger on the
Southern, bound north, was wrecked
near Kings Mountain last Thursday
night The engine turned completely
over and all the cars, including the
Pullmans, left the rails; but all on
board escaped with their lives except
Engineer Charlie Cauble, and Fireman
Bob Witherspoon, the latter a negro.
The following about the engineer who
must have been a heroic kind Of a man,
Is from the Charlotte Observer Of Sat-
urday:
Those who knew Charlie Cauble, the
engineer who went down with his en-
CINE at Kings Mountain Thursday
night, were singing his praises yester-
day, and 1t was declared by many
that had he not stuck to his post the
entire train load Of people might have
perished in the wreck. A passenger
who was on the ill-fated train talked
fiuently and interestingly about the In
cident to an Observer man.
I'VE were rounding a curve about q
mile this side Of Kings Mountain when
the crash came" said he. "and my
first thought, when I saw that no pas
sengers were hurt was about Charlie
Cauble, with whom I had talked after
he killed the negro woman, near Green
vile, last night. I hurried to the en-
gine and went In the ditch by 1t and
called for Cauble, but could not see or
hear anything Of him. At that very
moment, however, he was sitting on
bank in nearby cotton field, 30 feet
away. AS soon as the engine turned
over he extricated himself and crawled
out. and stood looking at the wreck
when someone approached him. He
was scalded from head to foot, except
In one place near the belt line. We let
him down on the ground and began to
do what we could for him. Two or
three travelling men were by his side.
A lady who gave her name as Mrs.
E. Hoffman of Old Sweet SprtAgs:: w.
Va, came out of the Pullman and to8k
charge Of him. She is a trained nurse,
and she went to work In a professional
way to do what she could to allay the
pain. She sent to the car for box
Of tablets, which must have contained
opium. and gave him one and let him
drink a little water. for which he beg
ged pitifully. The pain grew worse
and Cauble worried because he could
not control himself. He kept saying
that he was not hurt much, but that
that he could not keep from whining
like a child. He told the doctor In
charge not to give him too much slim
ulants. and If he gave him whisky to
please say to Captain McManus that
he was not drinking while on duty.
He seemed to be afraid that II he took
too much whisky that 1t might leave
wrong impression.
HE was taken to the hotel in Kings
Mountain and there died about
o'clock this morning"
1.-The story of poor Cauble's death Is
pathetic" said a travelling man who
spent yesterday In Kings Mountain;
"in his delirium he talked Of his en-
gine and his duty. He said that he
forgo: his duty to the load Of humanity
that he hauled. He would cry out, I
stuck to my engine to the last, and
went down with her once before, but
this Is the time we part. She was a
good old engine, in a way. but had a
bloody record. We called her
1903" and liked her. Her pony
trucks were curious and tonight they
gave away. I could have jumped but
knew what that would mean"
1t is not known definitely what did
cause the wreck, but the pony trucks
may have gone wrong. The story Is
interesting 1t was talked around town
yesterday that the engine had killed
twelve or fourteen people. Cauble
went down under it at Clinton, s. C.,
once.
Before he became delirious Thurs
day night Mr.. Cauble told those about
him that he had ordered his fireman
to jump when he felt the engine
swerve. The negro was caught under
the coal bin and crushed to death.
Many people from here went to the
scene Of the wreck yesterday and ev-
erybody wonders why the wreck was
not more disastrous.