Information Gathered 1998 From 1900 Train Wreck

"The last accident at Camp Creek on June 22 , 1900." The railroad bridge over Camp Creek washed out as the train was crossing. The creek had flooded as a result of three weeks of continuous rain.



By historical researcher, John Quinn.

The year is 1900 on June 23rd at 9:54 p.m. The horror came quickly and suddenly as engineer Sulllivan made his way around the bend. He saw that the trestle at the Camp Creek bridge had been washed completely away. Eyewitness accounts that engineer Sullivan Had applied his brakes, but it was too late. The train plunged into the swelled Camp Creek killing 39 victims. Only seven survived., The original engine was known as engine 851 and the McDonough towns people renamed it Old Number Seven. This was not the first this accident that happened with Engine 851. Engine 851 had previously been in several other accidents before during which many people had lost their lives. On that tragic night engineer Sullivan was warned not to leave Macon due to the 23 days of non-stop rain that had occurred here in McDonough. He told his supervisor, " We will be in Atlanta eating breakfast or in hell." Engineer Sullivan was found dead at the scene, this location off Ivey Edwards Road and highway 42.


The train, consisting of Southern engine No. 7 with two coaches and a Pullman sleeper car attached, departed Macon, Georgia at 7:10 PM with railroad engineer J.T. Sullivan at the controls. Sullivan was not supposed to be the engineer that night, but the scheduled engineer's daughter had come down with pneumonia. Sullivan agreed to fill in for his fellow engineer. The train arrived in McDonough on time, where it usually would be coupled with a connecting train from Columbus, Georgia, which would then in turn be hauled north to Atlanta. However, by no small miracle for those on board, the train from Columbus did not arrive on time, and No. 7 departed north towards Atlanta without its usual load of passengers. It was raining heavily and some passengers were nervous about traveling in such adverse weather. When Sullivan was told of this he remarked, "We'll either be having breakfast in Atlanta or Hell." He received orders to leave McDonough and head north at around 9:45 PM.

Shortly after leaving McDonough, No. 7 came upon the Camp Creek trestle. The trestle's brick supports had been washed away by the raging waters of the creek, which had been fed by more than two weeks of continuous rain. The engineer saw this and applied the brakes, but it was too late. The bridge collapsed under the weight of the train, sending No. 7 crashing into the rushing water. Shortly after hitting the water, the locomotive burst into flames, followed by the two coaches. Only the Pullman car remained unburned. All 10 of the survivors were in the Pullman car at the time of the crash, as there were no survivors from the locomotive and first two cars, which had splintered upon impact.

The flagman, J.J. Quinlan, was the first of the survivors to successfully scale the muddy embankment, and quickly procured a length of rope that was then used to save two women from Boston. He then ran into town to alert the local telegraph operator before passing out on the floor of the telegraph office.

TC Carter's had broken bones during the train wreck, At 9:54 pm, June 23 1900 after weeks of relentless rain, an horrific accident occurred in McDonough resulting in the lost of over three dozen lives. Saturated with water the embankment of Camp Creek Trestle gave way as Train No. 7 bound for Atlanta attempted to cross. The engine fell into the culvert dragging all other cars into the rushing waters below. Fire and water trapped some survivors; while others tried desperately to find a way to help them. Over three dozen were dead, most of the bodies trapped beneath the wreckage. Some were swept downstream into total darkness. Dazed, the survivors watched one lone man illuminated by the light of the burning Pullman car, struggle to climb the 50 foot high muddy banks to seek help, only to slide back down time after time. After much effort he finally reached the top and began his two mile journey to reach the McDonough train depot, to get help and stop an oncoming freight train from sure destruction. All cars burned up except for the Pullman car. TC Carter, Porter of the Pullman Car on the fateful night of June 23, 1900, needs to be remembered for his heroic actions that prevented additional loss of life on that tragic date . In spite of personal injuries his concern was for the safety of the surviving passengers.

The entire male population of McDonough was quickly mobilized shortly after Quinlan delivered the news of the wreck. However, they were unable to assist those who may have still been alive in the cars because of the flames. Word was sent out to Atlanta of the crash, and a train with doctors and ministers arrived the next morning.

The bodies of the dead were not able to be recovered until the next morning when the flames died out. Many of the dead were disfiguringly crushed and charred, and identification was dependent on the documents in their pockets. The bodies of those without identifying documents were laid out in the McDonough town square for families to come and identify their loved ones. Some claim this has resulted in the square being haunted.

Deceased

WILLIAM A. BARCLAY, Conductor, Atlanta

J. E. WOOD, Conductor, Atlanta

J. A. HUNNICUT, Conductor, Atlanta

J. T. SULLIVAN, Engineer

W. W. BONNETT, baggage master, Atlanta

T. E. MADDOX, cotton buyer, Atlanta

W. J. PATE, Atlanta.

12 year old son of W. J. Pate, Atlanta

H. R. CRESSINAS, Pullman conductor

GEORGE W. FLOURNOY, Atlanta

D. C. HIGHTOWER, Stockbridge, Ga

W. W. SPARK, Macon, Ga

ELDER HENSON, traveling man, believed to be of Florida

J. R. FLORIDA, Nashville, Tenn

W. O. ELLIS, bridgeman, Stockbridge

D. Y. GRIFFITH, supervisor

J. H. RHODE, flagman

JOHN BRANTLEY, white

WILL GREEN, extra fireman

W. L. MORRISETT, pump repairer.

W. R. LAWRENCE, foreman extra gang.

ED. BYRD, black fireman, Atlanta.

ROBERT SPENCER, train porter

Four Bodies Unidentified

Eight black Section Hands



***************** List of survivors

JESSE L. ROHR of Baltimore

WALTER POPE of Atlanta

J. C. FLYNN of Atlanta

MISS MARY B. MERRITT, of Boston, Mass

MISS CLARA ALDEN, of Boston, Mass

E. SCHRINER, of Chattanooga, Tenn

E. T. MACK, of Chattanooga, Tenn

J. J. QUINLAN, flagman.

T. C. CARTER, Pullman porter.

HANDY TOMLINSON

Whole Car Load Of Travelers Killed. The New York Times (New York City). 1900-06-25.