Evening star., 1959-06-29


afternoon blast at 4:30 pm.
of flame over some ITS persons
in a recreation area below a
. river trestle the train was
crossing.
Earlier figures had set the
death toll at 10. but an Asso-
ciated Press check Of all hos
pitfalls and funeral homes in
nearby Savannah-where vic:
tins we're taken-showed II.
including two children who died
today. All have been identified.
The Red Cross also listed II
dead and said 1t had received
only two calls concerning miss
ing persons. Names Of the lat
ter were not available.
Many Others Injured
!, Many more were injured in
the fiery catastrophe and Sa-
.vannah hospitals still had Is
persons receiving treatment.
Memorial Hospital said flve Of
its patients we're In poor to ex-
.tremely poor condition.
Disaster units began drag
ging operations at the scene
and were trying to stretch
strong nets across the Ogee-
chee to catch any bodies car
ried downstream by the swift
current.
!. A. T. Linton. director of res
cue operations. said the river
current just below the tranquil
recreation area was so strong
his crews were having trouble
getting dragging hooks down.
Seven Of the dead were re-
lated 10 w. w. Beasley and an
eighth was a boy reared by
Mr.. Beasley. They we're on q
family reunion outing.
Two Cars Explode
Two bank cars became gi-
gantic fame -throwers, spewing
blazing butane over the fun
seekers in the area below the
30-foot high wooden trestle.
The railroad said the explo-
sion Of one butane tanker set
of q second loaded with TO-
900 gallons Of the cooking and
heating fuel. Two trainmen
were injured In the blast and
the pileup Of freight cars near
the end Of the long train.
The blast turned the Ogee-
'chee River bank into blackened
ruins several hundred yards
from the trestle. It caught
some Of the victims in the
water. others on the bank,
! Children scared by the flames
floundered in the river or ran
. screaming from the spot.
A second but lesser explosion
came after rescuers reached the
scene near this East Georgis
town about 10 miles northwes,
Of Savannah.
Most Of the 124 cars in the
freight had cleared the trestle
before the crash. None fell
in the water. but several pilet
up on the bank and burnec
throughout the night. Some o.
the boxcars were telescoped
! and flatcars dangled from a rs.
foot-long break at the end o.
the 250-yard-long span.
=. The journal on one OF thu
cars apparently broke and tum'
.bled several boxcars and twt
butane gas tanks onto th'
.riverbank. Some observer
thought the trestle gave way
Sparks caused by the wreck
may have ignited the gas
f, turning the area into a raginl
inferno. The spot is a favorit'
for family outings. and somt
believed the escaping gas ma!
have been ignited by a river
bank campfire.
Seaboard headquarters ir
Richmond, Va, said today II
cars Of the train were involved
Is catching fire. The butant
tankers were the 10th and lltt
cars from the rear Of the train
the railroad said.
Tells of Explosion
THE explosion came over tn,
water with a big boom, ane
after that you could hear chill,
dren screaming and yelling,
said David Parker Of Savan
nah. one of the injured. II
was awful after 1t happened
not to be able to save the chill,
dren, but there was just moth.
ing to do"
Mr.. Parkor. who suffered Sc.
we're back burns, said he be.
lieved the train jumped tn,
tracks as it crossed the trestle
Il thought it was going tn,