Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-12-01
MACON ENGINEER
KILLED IN CRASH
NEAR WAYCROSS
RpadS Launch Investigation
of Mysterious Cause.
Evans Dead at Throttle, Is
One Theory

COLUMBIA, S. c., Nov. 29.-John
H. Evans, of Macon, Ca, is dead,
and at least twenty-four other per.
sons slightly injured as a result Of
wreck near Nahunta, Ca, late
last night, when Southern railway
passenger train No. s, the kansas
City-Florida special" ran into the
rear of Louisville and Nashville pas
senger train No. 80, the Southland"
according to information given the
Associated Press by the dispatcher's'
office of the Southern railway here
this morning.
Mr.. Evans was the engineer, and
the reported injured were passen.
gers on the Southern railway train.
No information could be obtained
here as to the probable cause Of the
collision.
Geveral Atlanta persons were
named among the slightly injured
in an official casualty list issued:
STEEL CARS SAVED MANY,
ACCORDING TO DISPATCHER
JACKSONVILLE,F Fla, Nov. 90
About six of the persons injured In
the collision of the Kansas City Spe-
cial and Southland at Nahunta, Ga,
were taken to a Waycross, Ga, hos
pitol, but none was said to be hurt
severely.
The baggage and mail cars Of the
Kansas City Special were derailed,
| but the rest of the train proceeded
after about an hours delay. All.
steel equipment probably prevented
| heavy loss of life, the dispatcher's
office at Savannah said.
The Southland, the crack Louis
vile and Nashville train from Jack
sonville to Cincinnati, left Jackson
vile at $40 p. M, over the Atlantic
Coast Line tracks. 1t crosses to the
Central of Georgia at Albany, Ga.
and from Atlanta to Cincinnati goes
over the Louisville and Nashville
tracks. The Kansas City Special left
five minutes after the Southland.
travelling ever the Atlantic Coast
Line tracks to Jesup, Ca, where it
crosses to the Southern tracks for
Kansas City.
! Information at the Savannah dis
patcher's office indicated Engineer
! Evans had run past red light sig
nal. The Southland had stopped to
cross over to the Albany line, ac-
| cording to the dispatcher's office. The
Kansas City Special, it was est1-
! mated, had slowed down to 20 or rs
miles an hour for the railroad cross
ing where the crash occurred.
BOTH JUMPED, FIREMAN
ON EVANS ENGINE SAYS
MACON, Ga, Nov. 29.-The Kan
sas City Special train over the
Southern railway, wrecked last night
at Nahunta, Ga, arrived at Macon
at 1870 o'clock this morning, bring
ing the body of Engineer John II.
Evans, Of Macon, the only person
killed. Engineer Evans lived at Ma
con. His negro fireman, named
H cks, accompanied the body to Ma
con. The negro was not hurt with
the exception of a few bruises. Inc
negro said he and Engineer Evans
both jumped just before collldlnS
with the rear end Of the Southland.
The body of the engineer was
moved to d local undertaking estab'
lishment.
COAST LINE LAUNCHES
OFFICIAL INVESTIGATION
SAVANNAH, Ga, Nov. 29.-H. r.
Youngblood, law agent for the At"
lantic Coast Line railway here, left
at $3.50 o'clock this morning for the
scene of the wreck of the Southern
railway near Nahunta, Ga, to make
a complete investigation.
E. C. Clarke, chief dispatcher. of
the Atlantic Coast Line here, stated
this morning that only about four
or five passengers were hurt on the
L. and N. Southland and these were
taken to Waycross for treatment Of
minor injuries.
ENGINEER EVANS DEAD
BEFORE CRASH, is THEORY
ALBANY, Ga, Nov. 29.-Members
Of the crew of the Southland L. and
n. Florida tourist train, which was
in a collision with the Southern rail-
ways Kansas City-Florida Special.
last night at Nahunta, Ca, expressed
belief that John d. Evans, of Macon,
Ga, engineer on the Southern train,
was dead before his train ran into
the rear end of the Southland.
This belief, it is reported among
railroad men here. is based on the
alleged fact that the Southern train
ran over torpedoes and past flare
signals placed by the crew Of the
Southland to protect it while making
the transfer at the Nahunta junction
to the Albany-Brunswick line of the
Atlantic Coast Line. The Southland,
it is stated here, was making a de-
tour by way of Nahunta because of
an obstruction on the straight line
between Folkston and Waycross.