Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-15
EIGHT KILLED
IN TRAIN CRASH
20 Probably Fatally Injured
and 80 Hurt.
WRECK ON THE SOUTHERN
occurred a Mile South of Johnson City,
Tennessee.
WRECK ON THE SOUTHERN
DEAD ARE ALL COLORED PEOPLE
Responsibility Rests on Telegraph
operator-Read Message Wrongly.
Fatalities May Reach Twelve.
Special Dispatch TO The Star.

Special Dispatch TO The Star
JOHNSON CITY. Tenn. July l5-Ef.ht
persons are dead, twenty probably fatally
injured. and thirty seriously hurt. as a 70
suit of the wreck OF the New York and
New Orleans Limited train No ~ one
mile south OF this place, at . o'clock last
night. The dead are all negroes OF UNI
known Identity. The passenger train ran
into yard engine.
Responsibility for the wreck rests on the
telegraph operator at Carnegie station. He
received message stating that the train
was running one hour late to johnson City
and fifty minutes late to Bristol. He read
1t as one hour and fifty minutes late. and
informed a waiting hostler. who had an en-
CINE to take to the turntable Andervott.
the hostler. started down the main line with
his engine. When he reached a point one
mile south of the city he saw the approach
OF the limited train. reversed his engine and
Jumped. A boy who WAS riding with him
Jumped also. but has not been seen since.
Engineer Bush in charge Of the fast
and jumped. He was probably fatally in
1ured. breaking his arm and leg. His Gre
man jumped into a pond and escaped un-
hurt. The mail and baggage cars were
ditched along with the engine
The second-class, or Jim Crow coach, in
which the negroes were riding was very
light one and telescoped. Six or the ne
grees were killed outright and two died
after being removed to the hospital. Four
others not expected TO live so that
the list of fatalities will probably reach
twelve. Several of those injured will be
permanently disabled. The passenger train
was running at the rate Of forty miles an
hour when the crash came. The engine
was totally wrecked.
A singular incident was the fact that the
| yard engine did not leave the rails but
having been reversed. ran three miles with
full head of steam before II was stopped
| by deraiment. A special train bearing a
dozen surgeons and as many nurses was
hurried from Bristol to the Of the
wreck. and the rescue work began. The
bodies Of the dead negroes were terribly
mangled.
I'hey were taken to the morgue. while the
injured were removed to the government
hospital at the Mountain Branch OF the
National Soldiers Home, a half mile from
the scene of the wreck.
The Carnegie operator. who is responsible
for the wreck, is almost distracted His
| mistake is regarded in railroad circles
as due to pure negligence, and 1t IL prob
able that he Will be prosecuted.
The officials here and will thoroughly
investigate the cause of the accident.
Reports received at the general Offices of
the Southern railway in this city state that
six passengers. all colored, were killed in
the wreck near Johnson City. Tenn. last
as to require medical attention. number
of other passengers were bruised and shak-
en- up, but their hurts We're slight. The
! railway officials in this city state that they
| have not as yet been informed to the
| cause of the wreck.