The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1896-12-30
A Railroad Massacre.

o'clock this morning on the Birmingham
Mineral Road. The road is loop that
goes all over this part Of the country,
taking in the mines and furnaces. The
wreck occurred at the Cshaba bridge,
about so miles from Birmingham, De
tween Guernee and Blocton. The bridge
is about 1000 feet long and about 100 feet
high. The train jumped the track from
some unknown cause and plunged off the
trestle to the rocks below.
AS to the number of passengers on
board the reports conflict, but as near as
can be ascertained twentythree were
killed, and only one man, the fireman,
escaped alive. Later reports places the
number of passengers aboard the ill-fated
train at from thirty to thirty-five, and only
two escaped. It is said that seven OF
them were taken out alive, but in dying
condition. The wreck caught fire and
many unfortunate victims we're burned
to death.
The scene of the wreck presented
most heart-rending and sickening spec
tacle. The cars were smashed to splin-
ters on the rocks fully 100 feet below the
track from which the train had been
hurled. The groans of the injured and
the lamentations of those who crowded
around were pitiable in the extreme.
Physicians from Birmingham and vi
cinity gave every aid in alleviating the
suffering Of those who escaped with life.
The bridge was ponderous wood
structure with an iron span Of two hun
dred feet in the centre and just at the be.
ginning of the iron work train wreckers
had pulled the spikes and removed one
Of the rails. When the engineer discov-
cred this, as was evident from the posi-
ton of his throttle and reverse lever, he
Immediately attempted to stop. but was
running at such rate of speed as to car
ry down the bridge. Every evidence
showed that train wreckers had been at
work.
AS soon as the news was received here
both the Louisville & Nashville and South
ern railroads sent out relief trains loaded
with physicians and others, and every
thing possible was done for those who
were fortunate enough to get out ofreach
of the flames, which quickly consumed
all of the coaches and part of the
bridge. Many of those killed were COM
pletely charrsd beyond recognition.
The exact number who perlshed will
never be known, but it is thought that it
will reach thirty-five.
To cap the climax one of the relief
trains, which left here, ran into the rear
end of the wrecking train, which was
stopped about one hundred and fifty feet
from the bridge, and came near knocking
it on top of the burning train.
In this accident the following were in
jured: Sam Eastis, will die; William
Rast, will die; Wood Campbell, leg bro
ken; Charles Elston, legs badly hurt;
John R;ttenberry, ankle broken.
ANOTHER ACCOUNT.
BIRMINGHAM, ALA, December 81
One of the most disastrous wrecks in the
history of the Southern railroads happen
ed thirty-six miles south of here this
morning at 7:30 o'clock in which twenty
eight persons were killed outright and
ten others injured, two of whom will die.
The ill-fated train was Louisville &
Nashville accommodation which runs
from here to Blocton, distance of forty
miles.
The train left here at $50 in charge of
Engineer Frank White and Conductor A.
P. Connell. Four miles north of Blocton
the entire train, made Up of an engine,
baggage and two passenger coaches,
crashed through bridge seven hundred
feet long and one hundred and twenty
feet high into the Cahaba River.
A rail hal been removed from the
track, and when the engine struck this
three hundred and sixty feet of the
bridge gave way and went down with the
train. Immediately the wreck took fire,
the water being only about three feet
deep, and before sufficient help could be
obtained the unfortunate passengers and
trainmen who were pinioned under the
debris were burned to death in sight Of
the other unfortunates.
Some of the passengers not so badly
hurt managed to crawl out and do all
they could in assisting others, but IL was
Of little avail.
The dead are: Frank White. engineer,
of Birmingham; George Carney, flagman,
of Birmingham; Tom Streeter, colored,
of birmingham; a. P. Conrell, conductor,
of Birmingham; Jordon Powell, wife and
eight children, of Blocton; Mrs. Henry
Hanberry and two children, of Birming
ham; James Boiling, express messenger,
of Guthrie, Ky; L. w. Martin, of Brook
wood; Bruce Philips, of Bloctop; S. W.
Tibbs and wife, of Campbelltown; Au-
drew Bryson, Of Blocton; George Glen
dali, of Helena, and four others, uniden-
tilted.
The injured are: Ed Echols, slightly:
Henry Hanberry, ribs broken; Powell
child, feet badly burned; Mrs. Walker, of
Blocton, internally injured, will die;
Mrs. Walkers three children, slightly;
Miss Booth, of Blocton, internally, will
die; Stan Stewart, arm broken.
ATLANTA, GA, December 27.-A spe-
cial to the Constitution from birmingham
says the bodies Of twenty-seven have
been taken from the wreck at Bloctop,
nine survivors, all badly injured. Many
of the bodies are 80 badly burned that
they cannot be recognized. The train
contained men, women and children liv-
ing at the mines, who had gone to Bir-
mingham to spend Christmas and were
returning home.
Genuine Fiction OF the Law.