, 1896-12-28

Memphis. Tenn, Dec. 27.-A specia
to the Commercial Appeal from Birm
ingham. Ala, says:
Friends in human form wrecked tn,
birmingham Mineral passenger train
No. 10 at Cahaba river bridge. 81 miles
from here. at $50 o'clock this morn,
ing, and q lives were lost. That mum
Der of bodies have been recovered from
the wreck and further search may swell
the list of dead.
The wreck is regarded as almost Ger.
tainly accomplished by the removal Of
a rail on the middle spar of the trestle
This derailed the train, which caused
1t to fall down the two spans and pre-
cipitated it into the river, 10 feet be-
low. The wreck was the worst thai
has ever occurred in the state, and the
survivors are so few and are so badly
hurt that they are unable to give any
detailed description of how it happen
ed. 1t 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 BURNING,
ham Mineral road.
Conductor Connel, who probably
| knnu haitian than anuhnI,- nl-n ,, -
how many passengers were aboard, is
dead. 1t is thought, however. there
were not exceeding 25 or 80. But one
passenger purchased a ticket at Birm>
ingham.
1LL-FATED TRAIN.
The Inflated train was a local mas,
senger. which left here at $50 a. m.
and was scheduled to make a circuit
of the Birmingham Mineral. which. is
a branch line of the Louisville and
Nashville road, reaching the mining
towns in the district. The train, con,
sisting of an engine, a baggage car and
two coaches, left here at $50 a. III.
and went to Taco. on the main line OF
the Louisville and Nashville. There it
switched off to the Birmingham Min,
eral track and went to Quincy, from
Quincy to Blocton.
The Mineral trains operate over the
Southern railways Briarfield, Brocton
and Birmingham branch. under a con
tract arrangement. Six miles south OF
Quincy is the Cahaba river, a 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 IN Zach
side. Its entire length is 800 feet, and
the length of the span where the wreck
occurred is ITO feet. The bridge was
built only four years ago and was re,
garded as a very safe structure.
DOWN TO DEATH.
The main span and the spar just be-
yond it, both made of iron, gave way
and precipitated the entire train into
the river. The 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 afterwards 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 to Hargrove, a telegraph sta
ton four, miles from the Cahaba river,
by a farmer who said that while pass
ing neal the place he heard a crash.
Going nearer he saw the two spans OF
the bridge broken out. He hen dis
covered the burning ~wreckage in the
shallow water below. He could hear
the groans Of the wounded and dying
but without waiting to e further he
rode horseback to Hargrove as rapidly
as he could, where the operator tele-
graphed to Birmingham and Blocton
for relief. Meanwhile a few country
people gathered at. the scene to render
what aid they could, but 1t was too late
to do much.
Nine people had gotten out and the
others had been burned up IN the
wreckage.
When the relief train arrived from
Birmingham there was little need fol
the army of physicians that had gone
along. The wounded were quickly at