Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1906-07-26
q DEAD IN AWFUL WRECK
Seaboard Trains Crash together With
Frightful Loss of Human Life

NlNlny members oil the tram crew to
pull the dead and dying from the
tangled heap of wood and iron. Pco-
pie came from Hamlet and Rocking
ham TO assist. and all night the worl,
was kept up. When the first grey
morning light came 10 dead bodies. in
Guiding those Of two babies. had been
found. Some of the injured managed
TO get themselves free. others were
found pinned down. Several were I'M
conscious. AS soon as ii was possi-
bic train was brought from Mor-
roe: the injured were placed on this.
with the bodies of most of the dead
negroes. The dead were taken off
at Rockingham and Monroe. the in
lured at Charlotte. Two OF the in
jured died Ell route
The wreck is supposed to have been
caused by the failure Of the telegraph
operator al Rockingham TO deliver
orders TO the passenger train TO meet
the freight train. The passenger, it
Is said. had no orders to meet the
freight and ii is the presumption that
the freight overlooked its orders. Ii
is also stated that Il lap order caused
The catastrophe. The passenger
train. this report states. had orders
to meet the freight nj Hamlet. white
the freight's s orders was TO meet the
passenger at Rockingham.
The freight was an extra fruit train
westward bound The two trains col
lided with an awful roar aud crash
IN deep cut one mile from Hamlet
Engineer Lewis and his fireman was
instantly killed and death came in the
twinkling OF an eye to the passengers
In the colored coach.
The scene is indescribable. The
wrcekage is piled high OH the tracks
and traffic is completely blocked.
Both the second and first class coach
eS we're overturned and the colored
passengers were simply ground to
death. Many of the dead bodies are
horribly man2led and some of those
who escaped with their lives are bruis-
ed almost bewond recognition.
As quickly as possible after the dis
aster. railroad men. citizens and pas
Sen2ers whc were uninjured. began
To work heroically 10 recover the dead
and injured. who were imprisoned I'M
der the ears. IL the lamps in the
coaches had not been extinpuished
the accident would have been made
more horrible by fire.
The engineer and fireman of the
freight train jumped and escaped
with few bruises. The coach for col
ored people was torn all to pieces and
everyone III II who did not meet death
was more or less seriously injured.
Both engines were demolished and the
baggage cars and coaches were ium-
bled together in an unsightly mass.
The colorcd passengers. most of
whom were from Laurinburg. had
been TO attend big church gathering
Every seat In the ear was taken. many
OF the crowd being women and chill
dren. The cries of the children pin
loned underneath the ears. added to
the horrors of the catastrophe.
AS soon as possible after the
wreck the injured were sent to Char
iottc on special train. in order to
give them hospital accommodations.
There were - colored people and five
whites IN the number The chief dis
paicher of the Seaboard at Raleigh
mas gwen instructions to the under
taker at Rockingham to furnish cof
iiiS for all Of thc dead. All of ,hc
doctors from Rockingham, and Ham
let were dispatched 10 the scene and
did valiant service 10 the injured. Il
took about five hours to get the dead
and injured from the wrl,ck