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HURLED FROM A BRIDGE.A Passoiifirer Train Falls Eightj Feet Into a Creek.Over a Score Killed and Manj Seriously Injured,A dispatch from Statesville. N-. C., savs The most terrible railroad disaster tnat has ever happened in North Carolina occurred on a rec**nt morning at Boston's Bridge, which crosses Third Creek,two miles West of this place. jThe westbound passenger train on theWestern North Carolina Railroad (No. which had passed Statesville on time lt;at 1:4' A. M.)t was hurled from the bridge, a distance of about 100 feet, the engine, tender, baggage and second-class car, the first-das^ coach, the Pullman car and the private car of Superintendent Bridge ail going down into the creek.The train was composed of a luggage and mail c',r, second and first clas- coaches. Pull , man sleeper, and Superintendent Bridget-private ear. Daisy. The sleeper, which was from Goldsboro, usually contains a good ! nuralier ot passengers from Northern points, and last night was no exception.The run to Statesville wa- made on time, a distance of twenty-five miles, but just after leaving Statesville there is a higfc Stone bridge spaaing Third Creek, anc down into this creek plunged tin entire train, a distance of at leas! Sixty-five feet, wrecking the whole train anc carrying death and destruction with it Twenty passeogers were killed outright nine seriously injured, and about twenty badly bruised and shaken up.The scene at the wreck was awful. Th« night wa« dismal, and to add to the horror of the situation, the water in the creek was up It was only through the heroic effort* of those who had hurried to the scene ol the wreck that the injured were nol drowned.The accident was caused by the spreading ©I the rails. The bridge was not injured and trains are running on schedule time. Twenty dead bodies are now lying in a warehouse at Statesville. The injured are having the best of care at private houses and hotels.A drummer named George Brawley, from Atlanta, and one or two other passengers who made their way from the wreck alive, came to town and gave the news of the disaster. The town was .soon aroused and citizens and vehicles hastened to the scene of the wreck and began the work of rescue. Some of the passengers had crawled from the car windows, and were perched on the tops. The cars were cut open, and as many of the passengers as could bo found were dragged out dead, dying and some alive and others mortally injured.By daylight 2000 people were on theground. 'Ihe dead and injured were brought to town, the injured comfortably quartered at the hotel and private houses, wnere they could receive medical aid. The dead wera laid side by side in a long row on tne floor of a large tobacco warehouse, where the bodies were identified and tagged.It was impossible to say on the morning after the acident how many wera killed and drowned. Up to twenty-five minutes past five o’clock twenty dead bodies had been taken from the wreck and the second class car hud not been reached, which is partially under the water. Twenty-five is not an overestimate of the number killed.Dr. Sikes, who was killed, had just been assigned to missionary work in China, and was to have left for that country on September 2(1 next. He was married.The Moores, who were killed, are prominent in literary and social circles, and are well known throughout the South. They were returning from a summering in the Blue Mountains.The train fell from the north side of the track. The engine lies on the embankment ou the west side of the creek, the first class car on top of the second class and Superintendent Bridge’s car partially covers the sleeperIt is supposed that as the engine was running forty miles an hour on down grade. It struck the bridge and the rails spread. The ends of the ties are rotten at the approach, end this was probably the cause of the accident.
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Fisherman And Farmer
Edenton, North Carolina, US
Fri, Sep 11, 1891
Page 3
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USA 11 Dec 2021
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