The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1916-07-25
EILLIAN EXPLAINS HIS
NARROWING EXPERIENCES
Epgjnec. Tells OF Falling Into CataW,
ba Riyer-ReScue From What
Looked Like Natery
Grave.

SWEPT away thought my end has
come said Joseph killian, resi-
dent engineer Of tie Southern r3ii
wav with headquarters at Charlotte
as he related his narrowing expert
egce CT goiHg down with the Cataw
b2 RE. .dcc l3l* nnj&y Afternoon
on -. ,rar l'Ac of ;i.e Southern be
tween Charlotte and Atlanta. Mr.
Killian is now in Columbia, arriving
last night. He is native of Rich
land county and lived IN Columbia fol
a number of years.
Tons upon tons of debris and riff
of various kinds were beating aga1ns'
the steel structure and threatened tc
carry it away at any moment. The
remains of a cotton mill was only a
part of the debris We had to contend
with" said Mr.. Killian. "a steam
derrick assisted US in our work. Sew
eral times the derrick moved off OF
the trestle to let peach trains pass.
However, the last time it moved of
the bridge went under"
when the structure went down
was walking from the lower beams OF
one span to another. 1 lost my hold
and dropped to the river, which was
about 40 feet deep. I was sucked un-
der and thought I would never reach
the bottom. You can imagine my sur
Prise when suddenly bobbed up q
few feet below the trestle. When I
went under the terrific current
caught me and shot me clear Of
wreckage. In the meantime the steel
work of the trestle tottered over the
river, seemingly just enough to let
me get by safely before it fell.
Eighteen employees Of the South
ern and three linemen of the Western
Union went down with the structure.
Those who were not killed outright
under the impact of the falling steel
work were in great danger OF being
hit by heavy pieces Of debris in mid
stream. We caught planks and any
thing else we could lay our hands
upon, foated on down the river. catch
ing hold of trees as we came to them.
cat this time the water was rising
at the rate of two feet an hour and
just about the time I had settled my
self as well as I could in the circum-
stances the raging torrent would be-
come too much for the tree and the
Catawba would lift the tree by its
roots and send it on its way to the
Atlantic.
t'In this way was forced to change
my roosting place about eight times
during the night and the next morn
Ing Once l became entangled in
some vines on tree and gave myself
up for second time when the water
swept over it. Finally I disenransled
myself and renewed my struggle for
life,
cat dawn, H. T. Werner, Western
Union employee, and B. M. English,
Jr., of Columbia, with the Southern
came to the rescue of three other meA
and me. We were in the same tree.
Werner and English succeeded in
overcoming great odds, but when one
OF our marooned party stepped into
the boat it was overturned and was
swept down the river. So our little
tree party was augmented by the
addition of Vernon and English
'sWe were greatly wearied and tired
out by our exertions and the two
young men cheered us to renewed Of
forts. There were now six of us out
In the middle of the Catawba. About
noon on Monday, after being in the
water for 1S hours, two negroes.
Alphonse Ross and Peter Stowe, row.
ed out to us in fat bottom boat, ana
took three of US to shore. I being
in much better condition than the
other three men who went down with
the trestle, stayed over with English
and Werner until the second trip.
"The negroes took the men safely
TO shore and came back for us. They
told us they would take us to the
shore only upon one condition, and
that was that we entrust ourselves
entirely to them and let them engi-
neer the boat as they saw fit. Need
less to say we agreed to the PROPOSE
ton with alacrity. After we were
taken to the shore the negroes res