The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1914-12-02
AUTO JUMPS BRIDGE
FOUR FLORENCE MEN IN FATAL
AUTO DISASTER
Touring Car SwerTes in Crossing
Black Creek-Three Men Killed
and One Seriously Injured.

AS result OF a Joy tide In an auto
mobile Saturday night, Robert s. Har-
rison, q young merchant; A. D. Tay-
lor, and John E. Richter, Jr., en-
ployees OF the Florence Gas COM
pany, are dead and ]. W. Wilson, the
manager of tho gas plant, is very Sc
riously injured. The automobile in
which the four men were riding went
into the middle Of Black Creek
stream, at what is known as Muses.
Bridge, four miles north Of Florence,
shortly after o'clock. The three
dead were drowned: and Wilson. tho
fourth, only saved himself by q mira.
Gle.
It seems that Taylor left home
about 9 o'clock to go to a garage to
get some work done on his automo-
bile. After leaving the house he pick
ed up the three other men and went
out for joy ride: Having made
trip around what is known as the
loop" they returned and one Of them
left the car and Wilson Joined the
party. They drove out across High
Hill Creek~in the direction Of Back
Swamp, and as they were passing
over the high bridge at Black Creek,
going at good speed, the car sud
denly swerved to the right into the
guard rail on the bridge and over
the middle Of the stream, turning
completely over.
Wilson, not knowing where he was
but finding himself under the water,
managed to get free and dive from
the side Of the car. The stream, be-
ing one Of the swiitest In the county.
swept him some 200 yards down the
current, and after considerable effort
in the darkness, managed to reach
Ethe bank, where he pulled himself
out Of the water. Not knowing where
he YVES, but hearing dogs bark. and
afterwards hallowing of hunters IN
the woods began halIowing himself.
He finally managed to reach the
| road, and after some time assistance
| came to him. He was nearly frozen
and was. carried to a nearby house
and resuscitated from his condition.
It was then that he told Of what had
happened, but as 1t WIS dark no eY-
fort was made to locate his three
! companions other than to call for
| them. Wilson was sent to the city
by friends about 3 o'clock Saturday
| morning. Then it was that the news
spread like wild FIRE.
It was only short time before the
Black Creek road was literally lined
with automobiles, vehicles and pedes-
trians, going to the scene to do what
they could to learn the true state Of
affairs, and to assist in the search for
the bodies. The car; which had plung-
ed headforemost into the stream
could not be seen, but upon dragging
was found about ten feet away from
the bridge, lying right side up in
about fifteen feet OF water.
The stream YVES searched, and
about 800 yards below the bridge the
dead body Of Harrison was found
standing straight up against cypress
tree with g. part Of the head out OF
the water, mis- back directly against
the tree, where, it is thought, that he
tried to save himself, but was finally
| drowned.
The search was continued and
about l o'clock the body Of Taylor
was found on, the bottom OF the
stream about midway between the
bridge and where Harrison was
found, lying fat on the bottom Of the
creek in fourteen feet of water. The
search was continued until shortly
before 5 O'Clock, when Richtor's body
was found between the tree where
Harrison's body was found and the
north bank Of the creek. lying In IF
teen feet Of water:
! Richter's body was within th1e<
feet Of Harrison and 1t was suggest
ed that the two men must have died
in each others embrace, or were sep
arated only when the death struggle
took place. They were riding in the
back seat and Taylor and Wilson IN
the front seat when the accident oe
Cured. There were no scars tc
amount to anything on either body
and the attending physicians stated
their their death was from drowning.
Il