With a tremendous crash and without a moment's warning, a portion of a rock train and a locomotive plunged through the 41 feet high trestle leading up to the steel work of the Columbia, Newberry, and Laurens railroad bridge across the Broad river yesterday afternoon at 1:30 o'clock and found a resting place on the island in the river. Several lives were crushed out and the scene was one of horror. The fearful accident was due to no weakness of the trestle work, but to the derailment or collapse of one of the heavily laden rock cars, this simply tearing down the trestle for a distance of possibly 200 feet. The engine went with the falling trestle and landed fully 200 feet from the point where it left the trestle work, evidently being hurled through the air as if from a catapult. Only two days ago the trestle force, which is kept at work on the trestle and bridge on an average of nine months out of the year, turned the trestle over to the road with the report that it was in perfect condition. It had been throughly overhauled, new heart timber being put in place of every piece that showed the slightest signs of weakness. Engineer Charles Ellis, after a thorough examination, gave it as his opinion that the accident was due to no fault to the trestle, but was caused by the collapse or derailment of one of the cars, something calculated to tear down any trestle ever built.
Four lives were lost so far as knows. The dead are:

It is possible the other bodies may be under the large pile of debris, but not at all likely. All the victims must have been instantly killed. Two of the bodies were badly mutillated. The crash was heard up in the city. This was due to the fact that the two flat cars that went through the bridge were heavily loaded with granite, which, when once the trestle began too give way made its destruction a mere matter of seconds. Hundreds of people went over from the city at once, and among them were the officials of the road, but it was well nigh impossible to reach the scene. By walking the bridge one could go as far as the break, but a descent therefrom was hazardous. A representative of The Stateaccompanied Railroad Commissioners Evans and Garris across in a batteau and after getting aground on rocks several times. The scene was a pitiable one. The mass of wreckage lay against the rock pier of the iron bridge. The engine was on its side to the right of the pier, the steam escaping from it. There were merely remnants of the cab, and but few pieces of the tender could be found. The iron work of the engine was twisted and torn; and portions could be picked up in any direction. Nearby lay the body of the dead engineer and beside it was that of the negro fireman. The engineer had not had time to release the throttle and the bar had held his arm to the firebox; the back of his head was gone. The fireman's body was just by the ashbox, partially in water when found. Along the line where the trestle had been the front of the pier was piled in an indescribable mass upon the timber that had composed the trestle, stands and track, the remnants of the two flat cars and the granite with which they were loaded. Each car was broken into two parts and one was upside down; both were stripped of trucks. On one of the trucks was a broken wheel, which may have been the cause of the disaster. The collapsing trestle with its great weight had struck the butt of the steel bridge, but the structure was practically uninjured, as was also the pier. The crossties in the end of the bridge were jammed together so tightly as to make a solid floor foe about 10 or 11 feet. The rails ripped of(sp) the crossties, came down from the standing portion of the trestle to the wreckage. The island hereabouts is covered with willows and cane growth, and to this due no doubt the saving of at least one life. The train that went through the structure was one composed of C.N.&L. Engine No. 1, just a few days out of the shops with Engineer Weathersbee at the throttle, and five flat cars loaded with granite, in charge of Conductor Dawson. It was coming from the rock quarry just across the river and was moving backwards, the engine being in the rear. Conductor Dawson was standing on one of the first three cars. On the cars next the engine were Will Bates, a white fireman of the C.N.&L. And James Watson, the negro in charge of the explosives at the quarry. Before leaving the quarry two negro boys who had been over to carry dinner buckets tried to get aboard but were put off. They must have gotten back on the train in some way, for both were among the dead. When the train started across the bridge at not more than 10 miles an hour, a regular freight train followed at a distance of 100 yards. Roadmaster W.H.Shelley, of the C.N.&L. Road was riding on the engine of this train and was an eyewitness to the disaster. He says when the rock train reached the highest point of the trestle and three cars had gotten on the steel bridge, he noticed that something had gone wrong with one of the cars next to the engine. In a second more the crash came, the three first cars with Conductor Dawson going ahead on the bridge. In less time than it takes to tell it the engine seemed to fly through the air towards the pier in the distance, being hurled forward by the falling supports of the double decked trestle. Then the steam and dust rose and all was quiet. The following freight train was at once stopped and the crew rushed down to save life, if life were left in those who had gone down with the train. The engineer and fireman were found as stated: both were beyond aid. In a short time the body of J.H. Martin, a negro boy: with the head horribly mutilated, being almost decapitated, was found. On the other side the body of Stewart Martin, the other colored boy, was found. When Jim Watson, who was standing on one of the cars felt the collapse starting, he jumped to his right through the air. Though it was about 42 feet to the ground, the negro struck some willows, breaking his descent. He was bruised and more or less hurt, but was able to get away. The rescuers found that there was a man under the pile of wreckage. It proved to be the white fireman, Mr. Will Bates. All hands went to work and it took half an hour to extricate him. AS if by a miracle he had escaped. He was slightly bruised and his nerves were out of sort, but he was uninjured. He soon climbed up the bridge and came on to the city. The dead were covered with bushes and the news was sent to the city, in a short time a force of men was at work clearing the wreckage preparatory to the rebuilding of the trestle. Boats were secured and the bodies were taken to the bank of the canal. Undertaker Van Metre was sent for and by 6 o'clock his wagons arrived and removed the dead to their respective homes. The dead engineer lived in a pretty little cottage home on Gervais street nearly opposite the Coast Line depot. There his mangled remains were taken to the stricken young wife and three little ones. He had brought the down passenger train in the day before and a short time before going over to the quarry yesterday morning was talking of exchanging runs with some othe engineer. When his body was taken from under his engine his watch was still running though it was so hot that one could scarcely hold it. The railroad commissioners carefully examined the trestle and the timber and looked carefully into the details. The found that a large portion of the timber in the wreckage was pretty new. President Childs was terribly shocked by the disaaster; he know that the trestle haad just been put in thorough repair and was at a loss to understand the accident at first, but on getting the news he immediatly arranged with the Southern Railway officials for his down passenger train thus approaching Newberry to come into the city over the Southern trestle from Newberry. This the train did, reaching the city only 10 minutes late. Mr Childs at once went to the scene of the wreck and did everything in his power. He also wired the A.C.L. wrecking and construction forces and made arrangements for the running of the passenger trains over the Southern tracks to Newberry until the break can be repaired. A force will be kept at work night and day until the construction is reestablished. The butt of the bridge is not injured much. The loss to the company so far an the rolling stock and the trestling are concerned, will hardly exceed $6,000, but the interruption to traffic and the necessity of running over other tracks will make it much greater. Mr. Childs greatly deplores the loss of life, fells that the company did not cause it by any lack of attention to the condition of its road bed or trestle. Coroner Green took charge of the bodies and summoned a jury of inquest. As soon as the remains had been viewed their removal was authorized. During the afternoon the three cars that escaped the plunge were brought on into the city. Thousands of people got within sight of the broken bridge but only a few of them managed to get across on the island. This is by far the worst wreck that has occurred so near the city in many years. Last night the coroner's inquest was held in Magistrate Smith's offices. Offered the testimony of Conductor Dawson, his flagman, who was with him and Civil Engineer Charles Eith were taken. The jury was still discussing the (unreadable) at midnight, one or two wishing to charge negligence in the verdict and Coroner Green was arranging to have the body of the dead fireman shipped to Newberry this morning ans those bodies of the dead boys to Alston. The verdict was reached at 1 a.m. and was as follows: