Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1922-03-16
A. B. & A. Crash
Takes Heavy Toll
Mrs. Etheridge Only Albanian Killed
Body of w. E. Johnson Not
Yet Claimed

ATLANTA-Blame for the fatal
accident on the A. B. & A. railroad at
camp Greek trestle Sunday morning
at o'clock in which seven personss
were killed ami sixteen badly hurt,
was placed definitely Monday upon a
broken wheel of the rear coach of the
Fitzgerald train. Only the single coach
was damaged, plunging from the track
INTO the bed of Camp Greek, 80 feet
below. The scene of the tragedy is
:. thirteen miles from Atlanta.
Those killed were:
Mrs. Ruby Etheridge, wife of Dr.
i. H. Etheridge, 4l8 Pullman St.
B. o. Driver, wholesale druggist,
Roanoke, Ala, former Auburn base
ball star.
w. E. Mcintosh, wealthy manufac-
turer, Roanoke, Ala.
Walter M. Brooks lineman of the
Western Union Telegraph Company,
Manchester, Ga.
Rufus w. Lanier, operator, A. B.
& A., Tyrone, Ga.
G. T. Elmore, assistant cashier of
the local A. B. & A. freight station.
w. E. Johnson, section foreman of
Birmingham division, A. B. & A..
whose home has not been determined
and whose body has not been claimed.
LIST OF INJURED
The injured are:
c. ID. Moore, Hotel Winecoff, At
lanta, Ga.
Thomas w. Etheridge, 90 McPher-
son avenue, Atlanta
Mrs. T. W. Etheridge, 90 McPher-
I son avenue, Atlanta.
Thomas Etheridge, Jr., baby, 90
Mcpherson avenue, Atlanta.
Miss Mite Wall, Fitzgerald, Ga.
|. Miss Estelle McNiece, Piedmont
Sanatarium, Atlanta.
Miss Caroline Dunbar, Langdale,
Alabama.
Mrs. A. B. McNiece, Ta1botton, Ga.
= H. F. Hentz, MCGEE Apartments,
687 Peactree ST., Atlanta.
Miss Olive Sygirt, 200 Cheny ST.,
East Point.
e c. A. Davis, Aviation, Ga
Miss Many Witlock, 81 Waddell
St, Atlanta.
Mrs. V. c. McNeely, "a Mcpherson
ST., Atlanta.
Mrs. ]. P. Murray, Atlanta.
]. P. Murray, Atlanta.
Willard Cope, 121 East Pine ST.,
BUGG's s. STATEMENT:
.Vhe following Official statement as
az. causes of the wreck was made on
5 eSu6Nay afternoon by B. L. Bugg, re-
ceiver of the road:
Atlanta, Ga:, March IL, 1922:
- Train No. 2, left the Atlanta Term
y inal Station on its regular time, at
"a o'clock this morning. While pro-
ceeding at normal speed on schedule
time, a wheel burst under the front
\. truck of the coach for white people
Y This occurred just before crossing a
steel bridge, seated on concrete abut-
ments, spanning Camp Creek. The
bursting of the wheel caused the coach
} to derail and it went over the side of
the bridge, striking the concrete abut-
ment on the far side, and fell into the
bed of the creek, 80 feet below. The
Sengine and the other cars of the train
were not derailed and only slight dam
ag was done to the track \
The broken wheel was a new one,
having been installed within the past
month. The recovered portions of the
wheel show no evidence of a previous
<defect, and the break was undoubted-
~iy due to "a failure of matrial,, which
sometimes occurs in spite of all pre-
Cautions and which unfortunately the
4. integrity of man has not yet been able
to anticipate nor entirely prevent.
COPE TELLS OF CRASH
Immediately after coming off the
Qiperating table at Davis-Fischer
Ganatorium, where it was found that
he had suffered compound frac-
Nture of the right leg, broken COL
LAIR bore and other injuries, Mr..
Cone made the following statement:
at happened So suddenly that
none of US know how it happened.
@The first thing that attracted my
attention was the swaying of the
coach. was standing in the mid
die of the aisle when the noise of the
Ybroken wheel and the rumbling sound
began. In flash it seemed, we were
thrown backward. Then the terrific
compact of the rear end of the car
f<Aih the creek resounded. lost con-
S4koussness. Then next thing l re-
member was voices of the rescue party
and groans of the injured.
"a man with blood streaming from
cut on his face came up to me inside
the car and askedme if he could as
,.sist me. My answer was resuest for
cigarette. He gave it to me. 1t
reminds me of some of the things I
saw in the trenches of France. I was
4ying beneath what appeared to be a
ton of other debris. After what SEEM
Id to be hours, the rescue party ex-
ricated me from the wreckage I
saw that my left leg was broken and
ahpain was coming from my right
N BOULDER. 1t seemed that 40 devils
were hammering on with sledges.
- "It was lucky for that I as mid
Way of tn car when it plunged from
the trest'e. Two feet more and would
have been in the creek. Ass it was, on
ly the lower portion of my body was
IN the water"
Mr.. Cope is one of the best known
newspaper reporters of Atlanta, an
attache of the GEORGIAN and was on
hie wav to report the trial of Lee
ls.scoart for the murder of A. B. Nc
NNliece, former superintendent of educa
On of Talbotton h
y SGEsTHEMANE coMMANDERY
" HAS ANNUAL INSPECTION