The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1908-11-28
Terrible Wreck on the Seaboard Air Line at Sill
yer Springs junction this Morning
FIVE MEN KILLED AND SEVERAL OTHERS BADLY INJURED
Engines and Freight Cars Crushed Together
o Engineer FimanSa

! dition and both may be added to the
list Of the dead.
When news IF the wreck reached
Ocala all of the available physicians
accOmpani Dr. II. c. DOzier. local
surgeon OF the road. out to the scene
and did all that could be done for the
relief Of the sufferers.
The bodies of the two Young white
men with the negrO's body recovered
last night are in Mciver & MacKay's
undertaking rooms, where the bodies
of the engineer and fireman still COW
cred with wreckage Will be brought as
soon as they are unearthed. MessrS.
McIver and Owen have prepared the
/ three bodies for burial. cleaning and
placing the horribly mutilated remains
of the men in decent shape to for
ward them to their homes as soon as
! instructions are received. The Sea-
board wired Mr.. McIver to care for
and embalm them and do everything
needful until he received further in
structiOns.
Teh death of Dad" Wakefield is un-
usually sad. He leaves large fam
lily in Jacksonville. among them a
grown son and daughter and his wife
We understand there are five children
in the family. Many of the trainmen
gathered around the wreck could not
hold back the tears " hen talking of
the old engineer. Every one loved
| him and he will be sadly missed. He
went to his death like the brave old
fellow that he was, always expecting
| it, never afraid. His first thought was
OF his fireman and his shout of warn
ing to the ffreman. who was on the
other side of the cab and had not seen
the approaching train was what saw
ed his life. When Dad" has shut off
and reversed his throttle. not quite as
quick of limb as he once was. there
was no time to jump and like so many
who follow his calling. went to his
death at his post of duty. with the
throttle grasped by the hand that had
made its last run.
After making an examination of the
wreck one is amazed to think that
any one escaped alive who was any
where near the front of either train.
The boilers glanced by each other and
the big steam chests locked. The
| tank Of the southbound is standing
straight in the air. literally rolled out
like a straight sheet of steel. The
tank Of the other engine is under the
head Of the boiler. The cabs Of the
two engines were ground INTO kindling
wood. The driving wheels the trucks
and heavy steel frames of the tenders
are crushed and broken twisted and
bent Fen cars are a total loss and
a number Of others were badly smash
ed up. One car contained acids and
other supplies for an ice plant. There
was a solid car of bananas for Tam
pa; two carloads of phosphate; a fiat
car loaded with heavy pine lumber:
several carloads Of merchandise and A
car in which Mr.. r. s. Hall had ship
ped two fine horses to Quincy that he
had sold TO parties there. The above
enumerated are all a mass of splinter
ed matter and the contents strewn in
all directions. The phosphate and
heavy car of timber made the wreck
more disastrous. The horses were in
stantly killed.
Why the wreck did not catch fire is
one of the unaccOuntable things. Had
it done so Conductor Jones would have
been burned TO death before he could
have been taken out
The wrecking train and a great
many men were hurried to the wreck
and the first duty after caring for the
dead and injured. was to pull the cars
that We're not TO badly crippled TO roll
away from the wreck. Those on this
side Were brought into the Ocala yard
and those on the other side taken TO
Anthony. No Roadway was made. in
fact no attempt made at clearing the
mass of wreckase away today except
such aS was necessary 10 locate the
body 81 the engineer. The track lay
ing crew began building around the
wreck. but as considerable grading
had 10 be done this will require all
night. It is just at this point that
very expensive wreck occurred five or
six years ago. Only one person was
killed, colored tramp. but a great
many cars were piled upland wrecked.
The passengers on the southbound
train last night We're brought into this
city in hacks, many of them not get
ting here until daylight. This train