The River Falls times. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1894-1933, 1896-12-29

Birmingham. Ala. Dec. 29-E'iends
in human form wrecked Birmingham
Mineral passenger train No 40 at Ca
haba river bridge, twenty-seven miles
from here, at $50 o'clock this morning,
and twenty-one lives were lost. That
number of bodies have been recovered
from the wreck, and further search
may swell the number of dead. The
wreck is regarded as almost certainly
accomplished by the removal of rail
on the middle span of the treStle. This
derailed the train and precipitated it
into the river, 10 feet below. The
wreck was the worst that has ever oc-
Cured in the state. and the survivors
are so few. and are so badly hurt, that
they are unable to give any detailed
description Of how it all happened.
1t is not known and may never be as
certained just how many passengers
were on the train. Most of them were
miners and residents of mining towns
in this district, who had round-trip
holiday tickets and were returning to
their homes along the line of the Bir-
mingham Mineral road.
Conductor A. F. Connell, who prob
ably knew better than anybody else
as to how many passengers were OH
board. Is dead 1t is thought. how
ever. that there We're not exceeding 30
or 35. But one passenger purchased
ticket a Birmingham.
Only Nine Escaped Alive.
The engine landed on its side almost
at right angles with the track. The
cars piled upon each other through the
main span. The entire wreck took fire
soon afterward and was rapidly
burned to the waters edge. Nine per-
sons alone escaped alive from all who
went down. and several of them will
probably die.
When the relief train from Birming-
ham arrived there was little need of
the army of physicians that had gone
along The wounded were quickly at
tended to and then sent to BloctOn for
further attention. The work of TAX
ing out the dead was entered upon.
Nothing was left of the wreckage but
the smouldering remains which had
burned to the waters edge. Charred
corpses were packed in between the
iron frame work where the seats had
been. Most of the bodies had been
burned beyond recognition. Some had
their heads burned off and of others
nothing remained but the mere skele-
ton. AS rapidly as possible the re-
mains were taken out anu III III III
row on the river bank.
Dead and Injured Robbed.
DR.. Ray. Blocton physician who at.
tended Gardner, one of the survivors,
telegraphs the statement made by
Gardner as to the cause of the wreck.
Gardner SAYS when he felt the cars
leave the track he looked out and saw
tire savage looking men rushing from
hiding place down toward the
waters edge. and that after the wreck
they went through the wreckage. rob-
hing the dead and wounded. and then
fed to the woods. They did the work
quickly and offered no assistance
whatever in the way of rescning the
imprisoned and injured passengers.
This story, however. has not yet been
corroborated. but other facts tend to
show that it was the work of train
wreckerS.
An examination of the engine shows
that Engineer White had shut off the
steam and reversed before it went
down. indicating that he saw danger
ahead and tried to stop his train.
His charred body was found with his
hand OH the throttle. The survivors
I'll agree that the train left the track
and bumped along the ties and then
with a crash plunged through the
bridge. Expert engineers say that
there is every indication that rail
was removed which derailed the train
and caused it to pull down the
bridge. The cross-ties show marks of
the wheels. 10 add to this is the fact
that three men tried to wreck South
ern railway train near Henry Ellen,
fifteen miles east of here, five days ago
by removing a rail on a treStle ninety
feet high. The fast express left the
track but the engineer managed by
superhuman efforts to stop it before
1t tore down the treStle. This was re-
garded as most remarkable escape.
In this case three men were seen run
ming from The place. and crowbar,
with which the spikes had been with
drawn, was found.
Killed and Injured
The railroad company has furnished
the following list of dead:
James Boiling, Guthrie. Ky. express
messenger: Frank White. Birming
ham. engineer; A. F. Connell. Helena,
conductor: George Carney. Birming
ham, fiagman: r. Webb. Birmingham;
Bruce Phillips. Blocton; l.. w. Martin,
Brookwood. Ala: Mrs. Henry Hand
berry and two children. r. H. Bloant,
Birmingham; Miss Ada Powers. DR..
L. n Powers, Mrs. Emma Powers and
two children. Mrs. r. Little, Mr. Gard
ner. Mrs Gardner. Miss Gardner,
Blocton: enc unidentified body, but
supposed to be Tom Struther, a col
ored porter.
The following are the injured Henry
Handberry birmingham. Louisville
& Nashville conductor: seriously. Il.
E. Eckles. Helena; slightly. Sam