Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1922-07-20
EIGHT INJURED,
none BADLY, 5
CARSOVERTURN
AT HIGH SPEED
Steel Coaches Save Lives In
Miraculous Mishap Near
SmithviIle

Eight passengers were injured.
none of them seriously and most of
them only slightly, when the South
bound Southland Limited, running
between Cincinnati and Jacksonville
and two hours behind schedule, was
wrecked at 40 this morning four
miles south of Smithville. The
wreck was caused by defective rail
breaking and deraihng the fiYe rear
coacfes of the train. A day coach,
diner and three Pullmans, including
an observation car, lett the rails ana
turned over on their sides. The nrst
part Of the train passed safely over
before the break IN the rall occur
led and remained on the track. Half
an hour after the mishap the injured
anG uninjured passengers in the de-
rallied cars We're placed on the for
ward part Of the train and taken to
Albany, where treatment was gwen
those needing it. All the injured,
1t was said, were able to walk when
they reached Albany.
The full list of injured follows:
Mrs. W. A. Conyers, Sarasota,
Fla, wound in left side and dislo-
Gated shoulder.
Mrs. E. Holman, 2603 Virginia
Ave, Louisville, Ca, wrenched back.
Mrs. C. M. Swindal, Newberry,
Fla, lacerated scalp.
II. f. Walters, White Pine, Tenn,
left shoulder and back hurt.
Mrs. j. A. Wallace, 1903 Jatton
avenue, Tampa, Fla, right arm
sprained
Mrs. Mary R. Mitchell, Martins
willie, Ind, left hip and breast bone
bruised.
f. G. Friedman, 364 S. Boulevard,
Atlanta, nervous.
Eloise Mcdonald, colored, Jack
sonyille, Fla, minor bruises.
Steel Cars Saved Horror.
The fact that the derailed !. cars
were built Of steel construction
prevented probably terrible smash
up. The train was travelling at a
speed of about 60 miles an hour at
the time of the accident. The scene
was on a straight stretch of track,
raised about three feet from the
ground level and within 20 or 80
feet Of the Dixie Highway from
Americus to Albany. The earth is
soft and sandy at that point and this
formed a cushion for the cars and
prevented them being badly shatter-
ed. The rear Pullman car was left
lying at angle of about 80 degrees,
but the others were well upon their
sides. The trucks were torn from
several of the cars and the track for
distance of 200 yards or more de-
'molished. The interior of the cars
--5as mostly uninjured and not all of
the windows were shattered, despite
the terrible force of the impact.
The dining car crew, except the
conductor, was asleep in that car.
The conductor on that car, e. M.
Venable, of Atlanta, was asleep in
an upper berth in the first Of the
three Pullmans when the crash came.
81 knew something was wrong,
said he, land instantly grabbed the
rod in the top Of the car and held
on as it toppled over"
Mr.. Venable remained in charge of
his car throughout the day while the
wrecking crew was at work. Two
Pullman porters, J. w. Drane, OF
Indianapolis, in charge of the car
Salonika, and A. NJ. Jones, of Salt
Lake, running out of Chicago, IN
charge of the Montezuma, were also
left behind to take care of their cars.
Both said they were tossed about by
the wreck, but not hurt.
Everybody on the cars was bruis-
ed up a bit" said Drane, "but most
of them not much"
The engineer of the train was W.
| G. Lancaster, of Macon, and the
conductor, H. E. Nolan, of Atlanta.
Not Bone Broken.
Not so much as a bone was broken
among the injured The most seri-
ously hurt was Mrs. Conyers, OF
Sarasota. Fla, who was riding in the
dav coach. She suffered flesh
wound in the left side which bled
freely and stained the interior OF
the car somewhat.
When that portion of the train
left on the track left for Albany half
an hour after the wreck three pas
sengers, two women and man, were
left behind, not having been able TO
dress themselves in the confusion
Zone woman sleeping III Pullman
berth said the car turned over 50
slowly and smoothly that she didn't
know there was anything seriously
wrong even after awakened BY the
arm of her companion across from
her.
Not long after the accident a
large crew of track workers and
foremen were on the job building
temporary track to permit trains T.
pass this afternoon. About lO;4b q
m. n wrecking crew, with 80 adui-