Butts County GaArchives News.....Fast Train Dashed Over Burning Bridge February 1901
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Don Bankston http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00024.html#0005864 January 6, 2013, 7:58 pm

Jackson Argus February 1901
Fast Train Dashed Over Burning Bridge
Passengers Have Thrilling Experience Monday Night at Trestle Over Yellow Water 
Creek.
The Southern passenger train from Macon, which is scheduled to pass here at 8;20 
at night, had quite an exciting experience last Monday night at the trestle over 
Yellow Water creek, about one mile north of this place.
The train being about fifteen minutes late was making a high rate of speed in 
order to arrive in Atlanta on time, and when Engineer Pittman rounded the curve 
through a sharp cut on the edge of the trestle he was horrified to see beyond 
him a mass of fire which was rapidly undermining the bridge.
Acting upon his first impulse he reversed his engine and threw on airbrakes.  
The flames were only a few feet in front of the engine, however and seeing that 
it would be impossible to stop he decided to take the last chance, and moving 
rapidly forward he passed with the entire train through the curling flames to a 
point several hundred yards beyond.
As soon as the train had cleared the trestle Engineer Pittman together with 
Conductor Temple and a number of passengers went back to the trestle and 
succeeded in putting out the fire, and all agreed that had the train been many 
minutes later the crew and the fifty passengers might have suffered a more 
horrible fate than befell the ill-fated people of the Camp Creek wreck.
The engineer stated that his natural instinct of self-preservation might have 
prompted him to jump from the flying engine, but he realized his responsibility 
and acted for the best.
The train was not injured in the least, and beyond being severely frightened 
none of the passengers experienced any inconvenience.
The fire was supposed to have originated from the coals of an engine passing 
sometime before.
Jackson Argus – Week of February 1, 1901


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