Birmingham age-herald., 1895-01-10
INTO AN OPEN SWITCH At a Tremendous Speed Plunged
 8 Passenger Train AT STEELE'S, ON THE A. G. S. Engineer Elliott's Rare Pres enCe of Mind AvertS a
 Catastrophe.
T STEELE'S, ON THE A. G. S.

Yesterday morning at 12:14 o'clock, at Steele's station, forty- nine miles north of here, Queen and Crescent southbound pas senger train No. 1, which is solid vesti- buled and carries through sleepers from Cincinnati to Chattanooga, New Orleans and Birmingham, dashed into an open switch and was wrecked.
 The damage was great, the finest engine on the road being torn up badly and three coaches very much damaged. Besides, three persons were hurt, one of whom is likely to die.
 here at 1O:l5, and was taken from the Gin cinnati Southern by the Alabama Great Southern two hours and thirty seven min utes late.
 The train was made up of mail. bag gage and express, first and second- class coach and three sleepers, all vestbuled.
 These were attached to Alabama Great Southern compound locomotive No. 115, which is the finest engine in the south.
 The train was in charge of Conductor M. A. Ford and the engine in charge of Henry Elliott, competent and reliable engineer, who has been in the service of the com pany for many years.
 The train being behind time was rum ming at high rate of speed in order to make up all the time possible.
 When within short distance of the sid- ing at Steel s station Engineer Elliott dis covered switch open. In an instant he applied his brakes, reversed his engine, called to his fireman to jump, and they leaped for their lives.
 Quicker than it takes to tell it the train, the speed of which had been reduced con- sideraby, crashed into a string of coal cars, winch formed part of north bound freight train No. 40. The crash was heavy, as the train was running about forty five miles an hour when it struck the cars.
 Immediately after the crash the mail car caught fire from stove that overturned. The fire was extinguished by the train crew, who went to work on it before 1t got to burning very much. The engine, mail and baggage cars were all piled up together and were badly damaged.
 On mail car 107 a tramp was stealing ride, and, wonderful to gay, he was not hurt beyond few scratches and a general shake up. As soon as the wreck happened the crew rushed 10 the front end and began a search for he engineer and fireman, who were found on either side of the train.
 The scene being nine miles from tele- graph station messenger had 10 be sent down to Whitney, from which place tue first news was received There was some delay in getting message to the local office, for the messenger experience con- siderable di fficulty in finding the operator.
 
 first news was received here, and a special was made up at once, upon which Super intendept Frazer and Surgeon Morris were carried 10 the scene. The wrecker and crew followed this special about one hour later.
 As soon as the special arrived the injured engineer, Henry Elliott, and fireman, Roy Johnson, were cared for.
 Elliott had his upper lip and nose cut and was bruised up slightly. Otherwise he was ipIt Ia toy fn hnn in Chattanooga.
 Johnson was bruised and cut ou the head and is injured internally. He was brought to the city and taken to the Bir- mingham iufrmary in an unconscious condition.
 As soon as the wrecking crew arrived work was begun at clearing away the debris, but the track was not cleared until a late hour last night. Trains No. 1, 2 and 6 yesterday were run over the Southern via Anniston and Attalla.
 The exact cause of the ccident is yet un- known, but it is supposedito have been the work of some vandal who had a grudge against the road, for ten minutes before the wreck occurred ap engine and some cars attached had passed over the switch, which was then closed.
 Besides general shake up in the front of the train the passengers were uudisturbed. Some of the passengers in the rear sleeper were not even walked up.
 
 passed and signed the following resolu- lions, extending heartfelt thanks to the engineer and fireman for their bravery:
 We, the passengers aboard the Queen and Crescent train which met with such an awful collision this morning at 12:10 o'clock at Steel's station, take this method of extending our sincere and everlasting thanks to the engineer and fireman for their bravery and forethought, which is absolutely due to our lives being saved. k-A t.,sS t.s rssy dons that oond pc dons pro viding for our safety. We do most ear nestly dsplore the accident which befell them in the earnest discharge of their duty, which beyond any question saved our lives. Looking beyond human help we see also are, and Who took care of us in this sad accident. To the families and friends of ths noble engineer and fireman we. extend our heartfelt sympathies, and trust they inflicted in the fall discharge of thelr duty.
 M B Neece, Huntsville;J Shields, Gin cinnati, o; A H Pratt, Barre, Vt; H Bittner, Chicago; T Snyder, Louisiana; B Cohn, Milwaukee; 8 B Alexander, Mis- oiivspr, Esa., Alabama; W R Houehton, Birmingham; Q 0 Medley, Missouri; W c Caruthers, Cincinnati, Hamilton and Day ton railroad; Levi Rose, Ohio; w H Bep- Ter, Pennsyivania; B B Goss, Pennsyl.. vanla; hlcnaros, AiaDAma; Medlock, Arkansas; F NJ Denney, Missouri; E Sullivan, New York; J c Johnson, Ohio; George Passe, Bir- mingham, Ala; John Roquet, Ohio; Thomas Duffy, Ohio; Charles Anderson, Kentucky; M H Aldrecht, Alabama; w O Phillips, Birmingham, Ala; Charles Man nos, Greece; D Sterner, Ohio; H M Crea. ger, Cincinnati, O.. J L Smith Iowa; J F Cain, Texas; Wesley Freeman, Georgia; Urias Freeman, Georgia; H F Smith, Ohio; John Lee, China; R Hjorth, Wisconsin! Thomas Keith, Texas.
 HIS CONDITION UNCHANGED. fl
 At o'clock this Ydorning the condition of Johnson, the infared fireman, was un- WANTING MORE CONsULs.