Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1911-03-29
THE DIXIE FLYER" WRECKED.
Coast Line Train Tumbles from Tres
tie Into Alapaha River.

sons were killed and more than a
dozen injured when train No. 95,
known as the Dixie Flyer" running
between Chicago and Jacksonville,
Fla, was wrecked on the trestle over
the Alapaha river at 7.2O o'clock this
morning. The first and second
coaches ana the first Pullman sleeper
went into the river, carrying away
about 400 feet Of the trestle. The
wreck happened without any warn
Ing and was caused by the breaking
of an axle on the engine when mid
way of the long trestle. The coaches
In the river are about ten feet under
water, and it is said the list Of dead
may be increased when the debris is
cleared. Seven bodies had been re-
covered by noon and the injured were
brought here and will be sent to the
Atlantic Coast Line Hospital in Way
cross, Ga.
Official Story.
Savannah, Ca, March 25.-rhe
Atlantic Coast Line general superin-
tendent's Office gives out the follow
ing account of the wreck Of the
Dixie Flyer:
Train No. 95, known as the Dixie
Flyer" running from Chicago to
Jacksonville, was wrecked on the
Alapaha trestle, three miles south Of
Alapaha station on the Brunswick
and Western division OF the Atlantic
Coast Line Railway at 7.20 o'clock
this morning. The train carried
down with it 400 feet of the trestle.
The baggage car was telescoped and
the first and second class coaches and
the first Pullman sleeping car fell
through the trestle
Women Crazcd, Men in Panic.
ATLANTA Constitution.)
Narrowing details Of the wreck
have been brought to the city by H.
"A. Longshore, who was on the ground
within a short time after the wreck
occurred.
II have seen number Of railroad
wrecks said Mr.. Longshore, "but
this was the most horrible sight | was
ever called upon to witness.
Everywhere were women crying
and screaming and praying. Many of
them had husbands or other relatives
istiifsp:nned und or4 t he ESSs eek 4 "a atsd
or alive, and in many instances 1t
was found necessary to place a negro
on either side Of them to prevent
their rushing under the wreck, which
was in danger Of falling.
''The majority of men we're little.
If any, more collected than the wo-
men. They were running every
where as though craZed, calling loud
ly for their loved ones or acquaint-
| ances, too panic-stricken to be of any
material assistance in getting those
pinned under the wreck out
There were two notable eXcep-
tlons to this, however. | think one
mans name was Wooten. He was
from Chicago. The other fellow was
from Louisville, and both displayed
| remarkable courage under the trying
| circumstances.
II talked to Engineer Green. He
states that when the driving rod
broke. the negro fireman had lust
climbed into his seat after filing
the engine with coal. The break oc-
Cured on the fireman's side of the
engine, and as the rod crashed
through the cab the first time. it
struck the firemans head and shoul-
ders, hurting him headlong from the
| Gao
''l'he engineer made a grab for his
air-brake lever, but before he had
time to use 1t, he, too, was thrown
headlong through his window. AS
he was passing out, however, he
managed to grab the window Sill
with his left hand and here he hung
while the engine continued it's wild
flight over the trestle. When this
was crossed he released his hold and
dropped I'm safety to the ground.
"The terrific force with which the
broken driving-rod was being hurled
through the air may be Judged when
tell YOU that | saw the end of a
beam twelve inches square, which
was broken squarely off by one blow
OF the terrible fail, as it whirled
wildly about the moving engine. In
another instance the rod struck the
iour large supporters under one of
these cross pieces and literally dcmol-
lshed the tops OF all four.
THE trestlc, which is uiute a long
one. was literally torn to pieces from
the noint where The driving rod
broke. IL Is almost impossible to see
how so much damage might have
been done by rod so small in COM
parison, no matter with what specd
II was revolving.
Thc horror of the scene and the
pressing need for assistance in the
rescue work did not prevent the loot
crs getting in their work Within a
lew moments after | reached the
scene, man was caught cutting opcn
mail sack. AS 1T chanced he found
only newspapers inside, but that did
not prevent the angry crowd from
binding him hand and foot to a near
by tree in less time that it takes to
tell.
This did not stop the looting,
however. The express cars were
literally jammed, and many carried
off as much as they could walk under.
1T seemed that one express car was
almost full Of whiskey and chickens.
There was whiskcy lying around
loose in bottles and tugs everywhere,
and chickens, both & id ana LIVING