Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-12-29
THROUGH CAHABA BRIDGE
Plunged Birmingham Mineral
Passenger Train.
TWENTY-oNE LIVES LOST
And the Remaining Eleven Either Fatally or
Seriously Injured.
MANY PEOPLE WERE eRoMA1ED ALIVE
While Those Injured Were Powerless to
Render Them Assistanoe-Most Hor-
rible Wreck in the History of
Alabama-List of Fatalities.

Alabama-List of Fatalities.
One of the most horrible railroad
wrecks in the history of Alabama oc-
CURED Sunday morning on the Birming-
ham Mineral railroad at Cahaba river.
An entire passenger train, consisting of
an engine, combination baggage car and
two passenger cars, plunged through the
bridge, distance of 110 feet, killing
twenty-one and injuring eight people, all
of the former, with the exception of the
engineer being cremated.
What really caused the horrible tragedy
will never be known, but the general
supposition is that train wreckers had
hand in it.
Enough is known, however to tend to
the latter belief as experienced railroad
men, who were early at the scene, say
there is sufficient evidence to show that
one rail had been removed entirely, while
the ponderous engine is reversed where
she lies, though this latter is evidence
barely sufficient to lead one to believe
that there is in existence a living being
who would do so hellsh a. deed for the
sake of gain.
THE DEAD.
Following is list of the dead:
A. P. CONNELL, of Birmingham, con-
ductor.
FRANK WHITE, of Birmingham, en-
gineer.
JAMES BOWLING, of Guthrie, KY,
express messenger.
GEORGE CARNEY, of Birmingham
fiagman.
r. WEBB, engine watchman at Tocoa
BRUCE PHILLIPS, Of Bloeton.
Of Rro0l<wOOd.
MRS. H M. HANBURRY, of Birming-
ham, and two children.
MISS ADA POWERS, of Blocton.
d.. J. POWELL, of Blocton.
MRS. EMMA POWELL, of Blocton,
MRS. r. LITTLE, of Blocton.
TOM GARDNER, of Helena.
MRS. S. J. GIfEDAIjL, of Helena.
MISS GARDNER, Bloeton.
REV. H. r. BLOUNT, colored, Birm-
ingham.
Unknown person. impossible to iden-
tify.
INJURED.
The injured are:
Henry Hanburry, of Birmingham,
seriously injured.
q. Echels, of Helena, slightly hurt.
Will Gardner, of Blocton, slightly hurt
Start Stewart, colored fireman, arm
broken.
A. W. Bryson, of Blocton, fatally in
jured.
Child of Mrs Powers, slightly injured
Mrs. Walker, of Blocton, slightly hurt
THE TRAIN.
The Inflated train was No. Al, of the
Birmingham Mineral railroad, which
left this city at $50 a. m, and was In
charge of as trusty a crew as ever man.
aged a train
Engineer White, noted for coolness and
thorough reliability, was in charge of
the engine, and there remained when
it made the fatal plunge. Conductor
Connell was also known to have been
thoroughly reliable, as was Flagman
Carney and Baggagemaster Bowling.
Mr. Connell was not the regular con-
ductor, he having only that morning
relieved Conductor Rutherford, who was
not well enough to go on that trip.
THE SCENE OF THE HOLOCAUST.
The place where the terrible wreck oc-
Cured is between Gurnee and Blocton,
eight miles from the former station.
The road between these places was form
erly the old Briarfield, Blocton and Bir-
mingham railroad, owned and operated
by the Southern railway. 1t was only
recently that this road was used by the
Birmingham Mineral, the same having
been done to form a continuous, or belt
route from this city to Blocton and re-
turn. M
The train left Gurnee at 7:27 on time,
nee crossing.
THE BRIDGE.
The bridge over which the train had
started is 1900 feet from end to end,
spanning Cahaba river, The abutments
on either side are of wood, while the
bridge proper. 45O feet long, Is Of iron.
At the central point of the bridge the
height over the water is 110 feet. The
stream Is not very deep, though the
banks at this point are high. The struc-
ture was said to be a good one, as full
train loads of coal have passed over 1t
ago. The iron work rested on four mon
ster stone pillars, one on either bank and
two in the stream.
AN AWFUL CRASH.
When the train fell through the bridge
an awful crash was heard four miles
away at Hargrove by Mr.. Cox, a tele-
graph operator, who, not seeing the
train, imagined that 1t was caused by a
train going through the bridge.
WAS 1T THE WORK OF FIENDS?
Start Stewart. the fireman, who will
remember the awful catastrophe until his
dying day, says the engine left the track
and began humping along the ties, and
when past the middle span broke through
the bridge He jumped for his life and
thus escaped, but was saved only by
miracle, as the distance he dropped Is
something awful to comprehend. He Is
now at Wilson & Browns infirmary, but
cannot tell If rail had been removed
from the bridge.
HOW THE CARS FELL.
Almost simultaneously with the going
down of the engine the three cars went
down on this side of the pier. In their
terrible fall the cars never turned over,
but on reaching the water were literally
broken into kindIing wood, many OF the
unfortunate victims being crushed by
timbers and iron work, How any one
escaped from the cars alive Is hardly
to be realized. Those who were able to
extricate themselves after the fall did
30, but were poweriess to aid their fell
lows. -
THE NEWS BEARER.
Mr.. e. Eckels, one of the passengers.