The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-12-28
TRIM
PLUNGED 10 FEET.

iron framework where the seats had
been. Most of the bodies had been
burned beyond recognition. Some had
their heads burned off, and Of others
nothing was left but the mere skeleton.
AS rapidly as possible the remains were
taken out and laid in a row on the
river bank.
At 4 o'clock twenty bodies had been
found and no more were in sight. 1t is
possible however, that there are others
under the wreckage and also that some
may be hid by the water. OF the sur
vivors Sam Spencer was the only one
Of the train crew that escaped alive.
He was the colored fireman. He jumped
from the engine while it was in mid
air and landed in the water some dis
tance from where the engine fell. His
only injury was a broken arm. He left
the scene for Blocton on foot almost
Immediately after the wreck, apparent
ly crazed with fright. The railroad Of
ficials have not yet been able to see
him and get statement.
Of the eight other survivors three
were children, all of whom had their
feet burned and mashed, and a lady
who had both feet crushed. Their
names have not yet been learned. The
other three were Henry Handberry, a
conductor from Birmingham who was
taking his wife and two children out
for a ride around the circuit, and Will
Gardner and Andrew Bryson, miners
from BlOctOn.. Handberry was on the
same seat with his wife and children
when the crash came. The latter three
were killed, and he was pinned down
and would have been burned alive had
he not been rescued by Bryson and
Gardner. These two men also saved
the unknown woman and three chill
dren, who were likewise pinned and
appealing piteously for help, but by
the time they had rescued these five
persons the heat had become so intense
that they were compelled to desist in
their work Of rescue. 1t is thought
that fully three-fourths of the dead
were killed outright in the crash, while
the other five were pinioned down and
cremated. Gardner and Bryson were
both badly hurt, while Handberry will
probably die
The flames had completed the work
of destruction before any help arrived.
The country around the scene of the
accident is sparsely settled, and the
few farmers who heard of the wreck
and went to the scene arrived too late
to be Of any assistance except to the
survivors.
DR.. Ray, a Blocton physician who at
tended Gardner, one of the survivors,
telegraphs tonight 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 three saVage-loOking men rushing
from hiding place down towards the
waters edge and that after the wreck
they went through the wreckage.
ROBBED DEAD AND WOUNDED,
and then fed to the woods They did
their work quickly, and offered no as
siStance whatever in the way of rescu-
ing the imprisoned and injured passen-
gers. This story, however, has not yet
been corroborated, but other facts tend
to show that it was the work Of train
wreckers.
that Engineer White had shut off the
steam and reversed before it went
down, indicating that he saN danger
ahead as he approached the bridge,
and tried to stop the train. His
charred body was found with his hand
on the throttle The survivors all
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 a rail was re-
moved, which derailed the train and
caused it to pull down the bridge. The
cross ties show marks of the wheels
To add to this is the fact that three
men tried to wreck a Southern railway
train near Henry Ellen, fifteen miles
east of here, five days ago, by remov-
ing rail ON a trestle ninety feet high
The fast express left the track, but
the engineer managed by superhuman
efforts to stop it before it tore down
the trestle. This was regarded as a
most remarkable escape. In this case
three men were seen running from the
place, and crow bar with which the
spikes had been withdraw was found
The scenes of both accidents are in
a wild, mountainous country.
A relief train with Superintendent
Frazier, of the Southern road, and
eight physicians, trained nurses and
supplies, left here at 10 o'clock this
morning for the scene of the Blocton
wreck This train returned at o'clock
tonight with tWenty-seven bodies
These cOrpses are AoW at the several
undertaking establishments in this
city, awaiting identification. All Of the
be dies, however, are charred beyond
recognition
The relief train from the scene Of
the wreck at Cahaba river reached
Birmingham at 9 o'clock tonight, bring
ing ten corpses and three injured per
sons. Ten other dead bodies were left
at Blocton, where the deceased resided.
and one at Brookwood.
Another serious wreck occurred near
Cahaba river bridge at l o'clock this
afternoon. A wrecXing train, which
had gone to the relief of the ill-fated
passenger train, was standing on the
line when it was run into by a con-
struction train from BIRMINGHAM
which was on its way with men and
timbers to rebuild the destroyed Ca
haba river bridge. Jim Estis, of Boyles,
was fatally crushed, and several work
men more or less hurt