The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-10-03

An accident of a very unusual ma
ture occurred on the Atlantic Coasr
Line yards yesterday, three engines
participating in the accident. One
engine worked On the switchbaek plan
and after humping into n train
went in the opposite direction and
smashed into another.
The first accident occurred about
Ninth street lear the Portner Brew
ing Company's establishment. Engine
No. 319 in charge of Engineer Hoover
was pushing 25 car loaded with co.,
ton in the direction of the Atlantic
Coast Line passenger station, the cars
being brought in from the union de-
pot. At the same time engine No. 43.
in charge of Engineer Will Joyner.
was proceeding to the union depot
with several enpties which had beer
repaired and were being carried to
the union station to be painted. No.
43 was running backwards. When on
the sharp curve at Ninth street the :vo
trains came in view but the speed at
which they were moving made
it impossible to stop within the
distance that separated them. The
consequence was that the trains
crashed together a cotton car be-
ing thrown from the track and
Kellus Graham. a negro car couN,er,
Joyner realized the damage that might
prevent the collision. Seeing that a
wreck was inevitable he and his fire
man, Jim Caps, colored, both jumped
from the engine. Captain Bullock
was in charge of the train and he and
were botn on the cars. They also
jumped.
Engine No. 43, having been reversed,
after striking the cotton train imme-
diately dashed back down the track,
h blow having given it momentum
in the opposite direction. Engineman
oyner realized the danger that might
result and before the train had separat-
ed he caught the ladder of n of the
empty cars, climbed On top as fast as
he could and applied the brakes but
with the throttle of the engine open
he could not stop them. The runaway
train. for that is what it was. no one
being on the engine, sped swiftly down
the track in the direction of the pas
senger station. The southbOund train
due to leave a. 3:45 was ready to
leave and all the switches had been
set to allow a clear track. This caus-
ed the runaway engine, with the empty
cars being pushed along in front, TO
dash into passenger train No. "a,
which was attached to the passenger
train. The front of the passenger en-
CINE was considerably damaged, one
box car being stood on end against
the front of the engine. But for the
presence Of a young man employed in
the car cleanire service the accideu-
might have been far worse for there
was nothing to have kept the runa-
way engine from pushing the passen-
ger train back into the station. The
young man sprang in the mail car and
applied the emergency brakes on the
passenger train with the result that
all the wheels were practically locked
when the train was struck by tbs en-
CINE.
Engines No. 43 and "a were damaged,
one box car demolished and one thrown
from the track. BY extreme good for
tune no n was hurt other than re-
ceiving a few bruises. The southbound
passenger train was delayed about 81
minutes by the accident.
1t was most fortunate that it was
time for a train to leave and the ont
going track was clear, for had The
runaway engine dashed down a track
in the yard at the shops the probao;li-
ties are that some one would have
been killed.