Speeding through the sheeted rain and blinding lightning at 40 miles an hour, “The Exposition Limited, No. 38,” at 7:54 o’clock Friday night crashed into twenty runaway freight cars a mile from here. Death for Engineer Charles Hudgins, serious injury for several of the train crew, miraculous escape from a terrible fate for scores of passengers, and total destruction for the entire passenger train followed.It is certain now that no human agency could have prevented the accident after the cars broke loose. Many hours afterwards, the lifeless body of brave Engineer Hudgins was dug from the upturned engine cab. He crouched at the lever, with one hand grasping it still—showing that he had given his life grandly in an effort to save others. And it was not a bootless sacrifice, for to his last efforts belongs the credit for saving scores of passengers.Drawhead BrokeA long freight had drawn up at Powder Springs to take the siding for the passenger train. Flagmen were sent in both directions. An angle cock to an air brake broke suddenly; then a drawhead pulled out, and twenty cars raced away down the grade. Before this happened, conductor J. C. Kelly had set the brakes on the caboose and five cars. But the wild cars gained motion swiftly, though Conductor Kelly was madly setting brakes on other cars. But it did not appear to check the speed. The flagman was passed, and the runaways came to a stop half a mile away at the bottom of the hill. Before anyone could stop the passenger, the headlight flashed around a curve and the train leaped on the runaway freight cars.Flames Followed ImpactThe impact was frightful. Like a giant done to death, the engine staggered, reeled, and plunged upside down in the mud, carrying Engineer Hudgins with it. With the engine off the track, the first baggage car tore ahead, the mail car following, piling up on the crumpled freight cars. Almost instantly, flames burst from the piled-up wreckage, attacking the whole passenger train. Passengers tumbled into the stormy night. Five cars of the limited and several freight cars were totally destroyed. About 300 sacks of mail were burned, together with a large amount of baggage belonging to the passengers. Many passengers walked through the driving storm to Powder Springs to take an incoming Southern train, while others waited for the wrecking train. The injured were brought to Atlanta and carried to Grady Hospital. Robert T. Sexton, of New York, was the only passenger injured, and he received only some bruises.Wreck Cleared AwayAfter working all night and Saturday morning, the wrecking crew sent out from Atlanta has managed to clear up most of the wreckage, and Seaboard officials at Powder Springs expect that trains will be passing over their own rail by Saturday afternoon. The engine, which dealt death to Engineer Charles Hudgins, is lying on its side at the foot of the bank, and the same is true of some of the wrecked passenger cars. All morning, the scene of the wreck was visited by curious crowds of people from Powder Springs, and the center of attraction was the ponderous locomotive under which the engineer died. All during Saturday morning, Seaboard trains were sent over the tracks of the Southern, and it was said that Seaboard freight trains would be held in Atlanta until the wreckage was sufficiently cleared to use the Seaboard tracks.