The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-12-22
WRECK OF TRAIN
Costs Eleven Lives and Causes Injury to
Many People.
ACCIDENT On SOUTHERN

lACLlUENl VN 0VUllEhIN
A Broken Rail Throws Fvie Coaches
From a Bridge Near Greensboro,
N. C.-Two High Southern Rail
way Officials Are Included In the
List Of Those Killed.
Local passenger train No. IL, on
the Southern railway. known as the
| Richmond and Atlanta train, due
In Greensboro at $40 a. m, was
wrecked Wednesday at 6:32 at Reedy
Fork trestle. ten miles north OF
Greensboro, and at 6 o'clock Wednes-
day evening eleven dead bodies had
been removed from the w~reckage.
Fourteen are reported dead and
twenty-five injured are being cared
| for at st. Leo's hospital.
Owing to the character Of the
wreck much time vas required to
remove the dead and injured from
the debris and, 1t was $3.50 before
this work was we'll underway. The
injured were carried to Greensboro
as rapidly as they could be extrl
Gated from the wreck and placed
in st. Leo's hospital.
The derailment OF the train was
caused by a broken rail, about two
hundred feet from the trestle that
spans the small stream. The train
was composed Of two baggage, ex-
press and mail cars, three day
coaches and two Pullmans. The en-
CINE and baggage, mail and express
cars passed over In safety, while
the day coaches and Pullman were
thrown from the trestle into the
creek and along the banks some
twenty to thirty feet below.
At the point where the first coach
left the track. the right hand rail
being broken, about eighteen inch
es from q joint, the rail was broken
into fragments for several feet, and
torn entirely from the crossties. The
truck wheels al on the ties until
near the trestle, when the outside
wheels went over, allowing the
brake besms and axles to fall on
the guard rail Of the bridge. AS
the last coach was about on the tres.
tie, the Ave coaches toppled ove'.
broke loose from the mail and ok
press car and tumbled to the mul
and water below.
The Norfolk Pullna" fell In tue
water while the Richmond sleeper
Just In front, landed only partially
in the water. The most of the IN
jured and killed in the sleepers we. 8
in the Richmond sleeper. which was
totally demolished. The Norfolk
sleeper was not 30 badly torn up,
but fell on its side In the swollen
stream, submerging many Of the pas
sengers In the water. The conduc
tor in this coach, Capt. johnson, was
very slightly Injured and none Of tue
passengers in his car were killed.
The Richmond Pullman is a mass
Of wreckage and scattered over the
wet and muddy bank Of the stream,
part Of 1t being buried in the mu3.
At IL o'clock parts OF two bod:.s
we're visible from the edge Of this
mass Of wreckage and 1t is not now
known how many more are under
It. Railroad men, who were work
Ing hard to rescue the unfortunate
victims and to recover the bodies
of the dead, are practically certain
that a remova! Of the debris would
reveal more dcsd bodies. The W
day coaches In front Of the tutl'
mans we're also complete wrecks, be-
ing smashed into kindling wood.
OF the dead their appearance a:
the undertakers showed tina. sou,e
we're scalded to death, otha,"; we're
badly mutilated. while one was cut
1 nhalf at the waist. his d%islEenber
ed parts being found at the opposite
end of the coach.
At l o'clock. when the dead were
carried into tho city. the morgue
was 80 crowded tha- the traih pa>--
ed on further where the ambulances
and hacks we're gathered to convey
the dead to an improvised nlorgue
which had been ordered.
1t took a Gordon of policemen to
keep the eager crowds from .h OK
ing all approaches. For a spato OF
| four hours the streets were ~ one
| time or another the scene of o pro-
cession of ambulances carrying lac
wounded to the hospital or the dead
to the morgue.
The Southern lad a corps OF ~
fcials, physicians and laborers on The
seen quickly after the news was re
ceived. Improvised filters were
quickly put into service. as the in
jured were released from their per
ilovs positions in the mass Of wreck
age.
Pullman mattresses and blankets
we're used to protect the the injured
and the 5ead wera UranDed an(