Warren sheaf., 1896-12-31
PLUNGE OF A TRAIN.
It Goes Through Trestle on an
Alabama Railway.
Tho Disaster Caused BY Wreckers who,
It IL Said, Rob Dead and Wounded-
Twenty-EiGht Persons Killed;
I'D Ten Hart.

the most disastrous wrecks in the his
tory OF southern railroads happened 36
miles south of hers Sunday morning
at 1850 o'clock, in which % persons
were killed outright and ten others in
jured, two of whom will die. The
ill-fated train was q Louisville g. Nash
vile one, which runs from here to
Blockton, distance Of 40 miles. The
train left here at $50 a.. m in charge
of Engineer Frank White and Con-
ductor A. P. Connell. Four miles north
of Blocton the entire train. made up
of an engine, baggage and two passen-
ger coaches. crashed through bridge
700 feet long and 120 feet high into the
Cahaba river.
Wreck Takes Fire.
1t is the belief that the wreck was
caused by iends for the purpose of rob-
berry. A rail had been removed from the
track. and when the engine struck this
800 feet of the bridge gave way and
went down with the train. Immediate
ly the wreck took fire, the water being
only about three feet deep. and before
sufficient help could be secured the un-
fortunate passengers and trainmen who
were pinioned under the debris were
burned to death in sight of other un-
fortunate victims of the disaster. Some
OF the passengers not so badly hurt
managed to crawl out and do all they
could in assisting the others. but with
little avail. The dead are:
The Victims.
Frank White. engineer. Of birmingham.
George Carney, fireman, of Birmingham:
A. P. Connel1, conductor, of Birmingham:
Tom Streeter, colored porter, of B!rming-
ham: Jordan Powell. wife and eight chill
dren. OF Blocton; Mrs. Henry Hanberry and
two children, of Birmingham: James Boil
Ing, express messenger, of Guthrie, KY:
L. w. Martin, of Brookwood; Bruce
Phillips. of Blocton; S. w. Tibbs and wife,
of Campbelltown; Andrew Bryson. of Bloc
ton; George Glendall, Helena; four others
unidentified.
The injured are: Ed Echols, slightly;
Henry Hanbury. ribs broken; Powell child
feet badly burned; Mrs. Walker. OF Bloc
ton. internally. will die; Mrs Walkers
three children. slightly: Miss Booth, Bloc
broken.
The bridge was ponderous wooden
structure with an iron span of 200 feet
in the center, and just at the begin
ming 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 carry down the bridge. Every evil
dence showed that train wreckers had
been at work.
The engine fell at right angles to
the line of the bridge, with the cars
piled on top of it and around it. Engi-
neer White was found with his charred
hand still grasping the throttle.
The Fireman's Escape.
The only one of the train crew that
escaped with his life from the wreck
was the colored fireman, Sam Spencer.
He jumped from the engine while it was
in midair, and, falling into the river,
escaped almost by a miracle with only
a broken arm. Wild with fright, he
fled for the nearest station to give the
alarm, but ere he reached there a farm
er passing saw the condition of affairs
and went to telegraph station with
his horse at full speed. Wires were sent
to Birmingham and relief train went
to the scene, but ere it reached there
the flames had done all of their work.