| From the Southern Crisis (Jackson, Miss.) |
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| February 26, 1863 |
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| The Railroad Disaster at Chunkey Bridge |
| Full Particulars -- Names of the dead
recovered -- Statement of the Section Master on the Railroad |
| We left Meridian on a freight
train {on the Southern of Mississippi RR} at 12:30 P. M. on Wednesday, with about one hundred passengers
on board, most of whom were soldiers, and ran cautiously until we
reached the west Chunkey bridge, where a white man and some negroes
displayed the danger signal, and the train halted. In company with the
engineer and conductor, we examined the bridge, and found one bent had
been carried off, and the water within a few inches of the girders on
which the ties laid. The conductor thought the train could pass over
and at once told all the passengers to walk across for fear of
accident, which they did, and the train followed. When the engine ran
upon the weaker portion of the bridge, the superstructure sunk down
several inches under the locomotive, but rose up level again after it
had gone over. The road having been washed away in several places
ahead of us, we were detained at Hickey station until repairs could be
made. On passing the section house, the conductor cautioned the
section master to warn the next train of the danger, which he said he
would do. The next morning a freight train left Meridian at the usual
time (about 3 o'clock) and was due about daylight, at which time it
arrived and ran into the bridge. |
| Soon as we learned of the
accident our train started down with all the men that could be found
at Hickey station, three miles distant, and found about fifty men
standing on either side of the bridge, but nothing being done to
rescue the bodies, or the baggage that was floating about amongst the
drift. One lady only had been taken out when we arrived. |
| From passengers on board, the
unfortunate train we learned that every precaution was taken by the
conductor and engineer to prevent accident, and that in addition to
running unusually slow that went forward and examined all the bridges
except the one at which the disaster occurred. |
| At the house of Mr. Temples,
about a mile from the bridge, are several wounded men, amongst whom is
Mr. W. R. Norman, an aged and very intelligent and prominent
gentleman, who resides near Hickey station. He fully corroborates the
statement of the other passengers in regard to the care and caution
used by the conductor, before reaching the last Chunky bridge, at
which time, he says, they were running faster than at any previous.
When the train ran off the track, he was in the car nearest the
engine, and he thinks that not more than three escaped out of that
car. He went to the bottom, in about fifteen feet of water, but rose
to the surface with the fragments of the broken car, and with great
difficulty succeeded in getting to the shore. His collar-bone is
broken, his leg badly hurt, and he is injured internally, but will
recover. |
| From all the information we
can get, there were upwards of forty men in the second car, and there
is no doubt that over fifty persons perish in the disaster. Shortly
after we reached the wreck it was suggested that something should be
done to recover the bodies of the drowned men, and get the baggage,
then floating about with the drift-wood out of the water. It was
agreed that Capt. J. M. Walsh, of the 35th Mississippi, should take
charge of the bodies and baggage that might be rescued. He at once
entered upon his duty, assisted by several men of his own choice, and
with them still remains in charge. |
| There being no boat or skiff
at the place, a rude raft was made and launched, but the rapid current
prevented its use further than to get a small amount of floating
baggage. Dan. S. Carter, the engineer of our train, Mr. J. N. Couch,
the conductor, and other railroad men, rendered prompt and efficient
assistance. |
| The wreck presented a
frightful appearance. The engine is out of sight in deep water, with
the box cars, crushed to pieces, lying directly upon it, portions of
which are now above water, while three more, laden with barrels,
boxes, etc., in the stream, are piled up in "confusion worse
confounded." |
| The body of Mr. Beauchamp, the
engineer, was taken to Forest, where he leaves a wife. |
| The remains of Mr. Toles, in
care of his faithful servant Bill, passed down the road to his home in
Louisiana. |
| The following list embraces
the names of those taken out up to Sunday morning: |
| S. A. Holt, 2d Louisiana |
| W. P. Grayson, citizen |
| D. B. Taylor, Co. A, 12th Miss. |
| Chas. W. Bradley, 12th Miss. |
| One body unknown supposed to be from East
Tenn. |
| H. C. Thompson, Reg't unknown |
| M. J. Slaughter, Co. G, 3d Tennessee |
| R. M. Gammeli, Co. K, 35thth Mississippi |
| Charles Kliffmuller, Eufaula, Ala. |
| Isaac Beaucham, Engineer S. R. R. |
| Negro, fireman |
| Minor Butler, Co. I, 27th Fla. |
| Major W. H. Lilly, 12th Miss. |
| J. F. McGoock, Co. H, 33d Miss. |
| H. A. Young, soldier, Eufaula, Ala. |
| Charles McDonald, Co. G, 59th Tenn. |
| M. D. Roden, soldier, Reg't unknown |
| Y. A. Cunningham, soldier. Regiment unknown |
| Wm. Clark, Co. E, 35th Miss. |
| John Hill, 21st Arkansas |
| A. Scarborough, soldier |
| W. E. Toles, Bayou Sara, and
one soldier, with an order to Geo. Page; and Enoch Ward, to report for
duty to the 3d Tennessee regiment. This, and the above unknown, are
probably the persons named in the order. |
| Upon the person of W. P.
Grayson upwards of $80,000 was found, Lieut. Armes discovering $41,000
in an old haversack just as we were about to bury his remains. There
are but five men seriously wounded, and all will, according to the
opinions of the physicians, recover. They are at the house of Mr.
Temple and being well cared for. |
| Mr. Armes, the chief engineer
on the railroad, came up on Friday, and at once commenced his
arrangements for removing the wreck and repairing the bridge. |
| In a conversation with Mr. A.
F. Temple, the section master, he made the following statement: |
| "On Monday morning after
the rains of the day previous I took three hands, all I had in my
employ, and with the hand car went over the whole line of my section,
which is eight miles long, attending to shoving the drift from the
different bridges. I was at the bridge where the accident occurred
twice in the forenoon and twice in the evening. I visited the bridges
four times a day, and there was no drift at all against the bridge
until between nine and ten o'clock on the morning of Wednesday. Had
been to this bridge four times each day. By three o'clock, P. M., on
Wednesday, the drift had accumulated so thick and the streams so much
swollen, that I could not move it with a dozen hands, had they been
with me. The Chunkey was then at its highest, and the bridge had
sagged down stream about six inches, where the current was the
strongest. I worked there about one hour. Meantime one of the bents
passed out, and with it a large portion of the drift. The evening
freight train was then due and laying at the station just below. There
were several men at the bridge at the time, and I asked Mr. Green
Harris, one of my neighbors, to stop the approaching train, which he
did, while I returned to the section house. As the train ran slowly,
the conductor told me to be sure to notify the train that would leave
Meridian at three the next morning, of the danger at the bridge. I
said I would do so, and took my hand-car immediately and went to the
water tank where Mr. Hardy, an employee of the road, was working. I
told him to stop the trains at the tank and not let them pass, as the
road was all torn up and two other trains were then at Hickory Station
and could get no further, and that one bent was out of the bridge and
they could not cross. 'I live so far off that I cannot be here myself'
was the reply. Then I told him to be sure and keep a negro there for
the purpose. I then returned to the bridge and found that the water
had fallen about two inches. I then dug a hole in the middle of the
track and put up a thick pole about as near as I could tell 150 yards
from the bridge. This is the usual method of stopping trains when
danger is ahead. Unable to do any more good I returned to the section
house at dark. The next morning I had the hands up before daylight,
and was just going out on the road to work, having full confidence
that Hardy would not let the trains pass the tank. Just as I started
out I met a man running up the road with the news of the accident.
Some of them are hurt, and I told them to go up to my house and
everything possible should be done for them." |
| Wherever the fault may lie,
and whoever may be culpable in this terrible disaster, the officers of
the Railroad Company, high in authority, will have to bear a large
share. Their section men are furnished with neither flags or signal
lights, nor a sufficient number of hands to keep the road in anything
like repair. To believe that one old man with three negro men, one of
whom is sick most of his time, can keep eight miles and fifteen
bridges on such a road in good order is simply ridiculous. |
| D. H. H. |
| Hickory Station, S. R. R., Feb. 22, 1863 |
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| The Chunkey River Disaster |
| List of the Wounded |
| From Mr. M. J. Carney, who was
a passenger on the train which was precipitated into Chunkey river on
Thursday evening last, we learn some additional particulars of the
disaster. He thinks at least eighty persons were lost, and possibly
more. The river being much swollen, and the current very rapid, the
bodies of many of the victims were not recovered. We give below a list
of the names and rank of those whose bodies have been taken from the
river: |
| M. J. Slaughter, Co. G, 3d Tennessee |
| R. M. Gammeli, Co. K, 35th Mississippi |
| C. Macleer, soldier |
| S. A. Holt, 2d Louisiana |
| Bedford Brown, Co. D, 41st Tennessee |
| W. E. ?oles, Washington Artillery,
Woodville, Miss. |
| Isaac Beecham, Engineer S. R. R. |
| John Hill, 21st Arkansas |
| Major W. H. Lilly, 12th Miss. |
| Mind Butler, Co. I, 27th Fla. |
| J. F. McGoock, Co. H, 33d Miss. |
| H. A. Young, soldier, Eufaula, Ala. |
| Charles McDonald, Co. G, 59th Tenn. |
| M. ? Roden, soldier, Reg't unknown |
| Y. A. Cunningham, soldier. Regiment unknown |
| W. P. Grayson, New Orleans, Government
Agent. ($83,000 found on his person -- in the hands of Gen. Kirby
Smith) |
| Chas. W. Bradley, 12th Miss. |
| One body unknown, supposed to be from Tenn. |
| H. C. Thompson, Reg't unknown |
| Wm. Clark, Co. E, 35th Miss. |
| "Ed.," (slave) property of Mr.
Grisson |
| Four more bodies were found, which could
not be identified. |
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