Omaha daily bee., 1896-12-28
bNtbuL VI LIZ W IA Il
Frightful Plunge of Passenger Train in
Northern Alabama.
SCORE OR MORE PERSONS MEET DEATH
Only Small Number Escape from the
Shattered Wreck,
DEBRIS BURNS WITH MANY WOUNDED
Little Work for the Surgeons to Do When
They Arrive.
ATTRIBUTE THE AFFAIR TO WRECKERS
Several Men Appear and Rob the
Dying and Dead and Escape TO
the Woods with Their
booty.
3RIS BURNS WITH MANY WOUNDED
Little Work for the Surgeons to Do When
They Arrive.
TRIBUTE THE AFFAIR TO WRECKERS

Dying and Dead and Escape TO
the Woods with Their
booty.
MEMPHIS Dec. 27.--A special to the Com-
mercial-Appeal from Birmingham, Ala, says:
The Birmingham Mineral passenger train
No. 40 was wrecked at the bridge, twenty
miles west from here, this morning and
twenty persons were killed. That many
bodies have been recovered and further
search may swell the list of dead. The
wreck is regarded as almost certainly ac-
complished by the removal Of a rail on the
middle span of the trcstle. This derailod
.he train, which caused 1t to fall down tho
two spans and precipitated it into the river
10 feet below. The wreck was the worst
that has ever occurred in the state and tho
survivors are so few and are so badly hurt
that they are unable to give any detailed
description of how It happened. II is not
known and may never be ascertained 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 tickets and were returning to their
homes along the line Of the birmingham
Mineral road
Conductor Connell, who probably knew
better than anybody else as to how many
passengers were aboard is dead. 1t is
thought however, there weru not exceeding
twenty-five or thirty. But one passenger
purchased ticket at Birmingham
LIST OF THE VICTIMS.
The railroad company tonight furnished the
following as the list of dead:
JAMES BOILING of Guthrie, KY South
ern express messenger.
FRANK WHITE of Birmingham, engineer.
A. p CONNELL of Helena, conductor.
GEORGE CARNEY of Birmingham, flag
man.
r. WEBB of Birmingham.
BRUCE PHILLIPS. Of Blocton.
L. w. MARTIN of Brookwood, Ala.
MRS. HENRY HANDBERRY and TWO
CHILDREN, Birmingham.
r. II. BLOANT of Birmingham, colored
minister.
MISS ADA POWERS of Blocton.
MRS. EMMA POWERS and TWO chill
DREN Blocton.
DIR. l.. N POWERS of Blocton.
MRS. II. LITTLE, Blocton.
MIR. GARDNER, BloCton. '
MRS. GARDNER Blocton.
MISS GARDNER, Blocton.
ONE UNIDENTIFIED BODY, but sop
posed to be TOM STRUTHER, n colorel
porter
This makes twenty-one killed, instead of
twenty-sevon as prevously reported. This
mistake the railroad officials say, arose from
the fact that tWonty-SevCn was the number
reported as having been removed from the
wreck dead and alive up to p. IN.
InjuTed
Henry Handberry of Birmingham, Louis
Vile d Nashville conductor, serious.
T. Il. Echels of Helena, slightly.
Sam Spencer fireman, arm broken.
Andrew Bryson, BloCton, fatally.
Miss Booth Of Blocton, slightly.
Mrs. Powers child from Bocton, slightly.
Mrs. Walker, slightly.
Mrs. Walkers three children escaped prac-
tically uninjured.
The relief train from the scene of the
wreck at Cahaha river reached Birmingham
at 8 o'clock tonight, bringing ten corpScs
and three injured persons. Ten other dead
bodies were left at Blocton, where the de-
ceased resided, and one at Brnotwood.
The Inflated train was local passenger
which left here at 6:30 a. IN. and was
scheduled to make a circuit OF the Birning-
ham Mineral line, which is a branch line Of
the Louisville d Nashville road reaching
the mining towns in the district. The train,
consisting of an engine, baggage car and
two coaches, left here at $3.50 a IN. and went
to Tacco, on the main line Of the Louisville
q Nashville. There it switched Off to the
Birmingham Mineral track and went to Cur
ney, and from Gurney to Blocton.
SCENE OF THE WRECK.
The mineral train operates over the South
ern Railways Brarfeld, Blocton & Blrming-
ham branch under a contract arrangement.
Six miles south OF Gurney lis the Cahaba
river, shallow mountain stream, which has
a depth at this time OF only about three or
four feet. This river Is spanned by an iron
bridge with wooden trestles on each side.
Its entire length is 500 feet and the length
OF the main span where the wreck occurred
is 40 feet. The bridge was built only four
years ago and was regarded as a very safe
structure. The main span and the span
just beyond 1t, both made of iron, gave way
.f..tla ia ~, ~
river Thd 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 after
ward and was rapidly burned to the waters
edge. Nine persons alone escaped alive from
all who went down and several of them Will
probably die.
The first news of the wreck was brought
70 Hargroye, a telegraph station four miles
from the Cahaba river by farmer, who said
that while passing near the place he heard
a crash Going nearer he saw the two spans
of the bridge broken out. lie then dis
covered the burning wreck in the shallow
water below.
and dying, but without waiting to SEQ
further, he rode horseback to Hargrove as
rapidly as possible, where the operator
telegTaphed for aid, Meanwhile a few peo-
pie gathered at the scene to render what
aid they could, but It was TOO late to do
much Nine people had gotten out, and the
others had been burned in the wreckag6.
When the wrecking train from Birmingham
arrived there was little need for the small
army Of physicians that had come along.
The wounded were quickly attended to and
then sent to Blocton for further atten-
tiOn.
REMOVING THE REMAINS.
The work of taking out the dead was en-
tered upon. Nothing was left Of the wreck
age but the smouldering remains which had
burned to the waters edge. CharTed corpses
we're packed between the iron framework
where the seats had been. Most of tho
bodies had been burned beyond recognition.
Some had their heads burned off and of 9TH
ers nothing was left but the more skeeton.
AS rapidly as pCe6lble tho 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. II 10
possible. however, that there are others
under the wreckage, and also that some
may be hidden by the water
OF the survivors Sam Spencer was tho
only one OF the train crew that escaped
alive lie was the coored fireman. He
Jumped from the engine while 1t was In mid
air and landed In the water some distance