The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1906-07-26
2 DEAD IN AWFUL WRECK
Spaboard Trains Crash Together With
Frightful Loss of Human Life

flNINE UtmDFi- VI tue tam w" ~
pull the dead and dying from the
tangled heap Of wood and iron. Peo-
pie came from Hamlet and Rocking
nam 10 assist, and all night the work
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
10 get themselves free, others were
found pinned down. Several were un-
conscious As soon as IT was posi-
BILE train was brought from Mon
roe: the injured were placed on this,
with the bodies Of most of the dead
negroes. che dead were taken off
at Rockingham and Monroe, the IN
iured 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 at Rockingham to deliver
orders % the passenger train to meet
the freight train. The passenger, 1t
is said, had no orders to meet the
freight and it is the presumption that
the freight overlooked its orders. 1t
is also stated that lap order caused
the catastrophe The passenger
| train, this report states, had orders
: to meet the freight at Hamlet, while
! the freight 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 and crash
in a deep cut one mile from Hamlet
Engineer Lewis and his fireman was
instantly killed and death came III the
twinkling Of an eye to the passengers
! in the cOlored coach.
The scene is indescribable. The
wreckage is piled high on the tracks
and traffic is completely blocked
Both the second and first class coach
es were overturned and the coloreC
passengers were simply ground tC
death. Many of the dead bodies are
horribly man@led and some of those
who escaped with their lives are bruls
ed almost bewOnd recognition.
As quickly as possible after the dis
. aster. railroad men, citizens and pas
. Sengers who were uninjured, begal
: to work heroicalIy to recover the dea'
and injured. who were imprisoned un
der the cars. If the lamps in tn
: coaches had not been extinguishe
the accident would have been mad
more horrible bV fire
t The engineer and fireman Of tn
: freight train jumped and escape
| with few bruises. The coach for col
= ored people was torn all to pieces an
5 everyone in it who did not meet deaf
was more or less seriously injured
4 Both engines were demolished and til
: baggage ears and coaches were jun
Il bled together in an unsightly mass.
/ The cOlored passengers, most {
t whom were from Laurinburg, ha
/ heen to attend a big church gathering
L Every seat in the ear was taken, man
Is of the crowd being women and Chi
/ dren. The cries of the children pi
le ioned underneath the cars. added
le the horrors of the catastrophe.
20 As soon as possible after Il
h wreck the injured were sent to Cha
: lotte on a special train. in order
d. give them hospital accommodation
as There were % .colored people and ii
n whites in the number The chief di
II. pateher Of the Seaboard at Ralei!
is has given instructions to the unde
IL taker al Rockingham to furnish &C
er fins for all of the dead. All of t
til doctors from Rockingham and Ha
let were dispatched to the scene a
'st did valiant service to the injured.
he took about five hours to get the de
u and injured from the wreck.