Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1911-04-20
LEFT THE RAIL
Southern Railways Fast Train Wrecked
Near Blaekvine.
SAVED BY STEEL CARS

Luckily No One Was Seriously Hurt
Cause of the Accident Not De-
termined Yet-The Wreckage Was
Soon Cleared and Regular Traffic
Resumed.
Steel framed cars saved the lives
of more than a score Of passengers
Thursday, when train No. 81, the
Southern railways Southeastern
Limited" left the track four miles
south of Barnwell, says Joe Sparks
in the Columbia State. The train
was running over As miles an hour.
The officials failed to determine The
cause of the accident.
There were 43 passengers on the
train, but none were seriously IN
jured. The passengers were slightly
jarred. The train was in charge OF
Conductor ]. W. Blanton OF Char
lotte. All OF the seven cars were
thrown from the track except the two
Pullmans. Not one Of the train crew
was injured. The wreck occurred at
1910 o'clock Thusday morning, and
the track was cleared at S:45 o'clock
the same night.
The following Is list of those In
jured as announced by the officials OF
the road.
Mrs. Alice Hard, Allendale, hip
sprained.
Mrs. Eta G. Hahn, Chattanooga,
nervous shock.
M. S. Iverman, Cleveland, Ohio,
bruised about forehead and leg.
c. C. Ferris. Wlnston-Salem, n.
c., knee sprained.
Employees injured include the fol-
lowing:
]. E. Buster, express messenger,
ankle sprained.
N. H. Bullock, special agent, left
hip bruised.
B. A. overstreet, mail clerk, right
hand cut.
]. P. Thompson, mail clerk, right
arm sprained.
Sam Mlllen, colored, porter,
bruised.
mo one can tell what caused the
wreck, and 1t Is very probable that
the cause will never be known" said
Henry Williams, the veteran railroad
man and superintendent of the Co
lumbia division OF the Southern rail-
way. who personally looked after
clearing away the wreckage. VAR
GUS theories as to the probable cause
of the accident were advanced.
John G.. Richards, Jr., member OF
the railroad commission, inspected
the wreck. He failed to find the
cause, and said that it was a wonder
that all on the train had not been
killed. The general conclusion Is
that the wreck was caused by de-
cayed crosstie, a broken fiange or
broken rail. There was no testimony
to support any of these theories.
Train No. 81 Is the Southern rail-
ways fast flyer from New York to
the Florida winter resorts. The train
was composed of two Pullman cars,
a dining car, passenger car, combina-
tion car and a mail and an express
car. The engine was No. 1913. The
engineer was D. G. McAllister OF Co
lumbia, considered one Of the best
men in the service Of the company
All who witnessed the tumbled
heap of wreckage along the track for
over 500 feet wondered how 1t was
possible that no one was killed OF
even seriously injured. Engineer
McAllister said that he was running
about As miles an hour. He heard
a grinding noise. Turning In his
seat he saw the front wheel OF the
tender leave the track.
The engine tore itself loose from
the train and was brought to stop
several hundred yards away. Seeing
that the tender had jumped the track
the engineer applied the emergency
brake. This brake is almost instan-
taneous on the new type OF locomo-
tives used between Columbia and
points South.
The mail car, just behind the ten
der, gave a sudden lurch forward
and landed 70 feet away from the
track In cotton patch. The coach
fell on its side. f. o. Overstreet and
]. T. Thompson, the two mail clerks
were not injured. 1t happened 81
quick that they did not realize that
an accident had occurred until they
tumbled from the side OF the coach
through a door to the soft sand.
The express car was thrown across
the tack. 1t required some time TO
remove this car. The combination
passenger and baggage car, used by
negroes, was thrown from the track
and one end was buried several feet
| In the soft sand. There were
number OF negroes in the rear car,
all of which were very excited.
The passenger car, occupied by
about 20 passengers was thrown OIL
the track. The dining car left the
rails. The two Pullman cars did not
leave the track. Although there was
a general shaking up, not a window
glass in any Of the cars was broken.
The trucks Of all cars were torn
away and massed into heap.
A wrecking train was hurried TO
the scene as soon as possible. The
through trains were delayed for
only one hour, having detoured by
the way OF Fairfax, over the sea
board Air Line.
Twenty Were Drowned.