Evening journal., 1896-12-28
OVtR TWEATY VICTIMS
Frightful Disaster on an Ala
bama Railroad.
PLUNGED HBADLoNe TO DEATH

NlroeAANuN IAllIAtO Nitlk lndt HIS CNtl Z
taken place in this state occurred on the |
Birmingham Mineral road. The wreck oc
CURED at what is known as the Cahaba
bridge, about 25 miles from Birmingham |
between Guerney and Blocton. The bridge |
is about 900 feet long and about 100 feet
high. The train jumped the track and
plunged off the trestle 60 the rocks below |
AS 20 the number of passengers on board, |
the reports con .lict but the best obtain |
able Information places the number at %
to 80. Nine were tal-cn out alive, but in a
dying condition. The wreck caught fire,
and many Vi Tins were burned 10 death.
The wreck regarded as almost certain
ly accomplished by the removal Of a rail
on the middle span of the trestle This de-
rallied the train, which caused it to fall
down the two spans and prccipitated it
into the river 40 feet below. The surviv-
ors are so few and are so badly hurt that
they are unable to give any detailed de-
scriptiOns of how 10 all happened. 1t is
not known and may never be ascertained
just how many passengers were on the
train. Most of them were miners and resi-
dents of mining towns in this district
who had round trip holiday tickets and
were returning to their homes along the
line of the Birmingham Mineral railroad.
Conductor A. p. Connell who probably
knew better than anybody else as to how
many passengers were aboard, is dead. II
is thought however, that there were not
more than % or 30. Only one passenger
purchased a ticket at Birmingham
On Holiday outing.
The i'll fated train was local passenger
and was scheduled to make a circuit of the
birmingham Mineral, which is a branch
line Of the Louisville and Nashville, reach
ing all the important mining towns in
the district. The train, consisting of an
engine, baggage car and two coaches, went
to Taccoa, on the main line Of the Louis
vile ana Nashville. There it switched off
TO the birmingham Mineral track and
went to Gurnee, from Gurnoe to Blocton.
The Mineral trains operate over the South
ern railways Brierleld Blocton and Bir-
mingham branch under a contract arrange
mont Six miles south Of Gurnee is the
Cahaba river shallow mountain stream,
which has a depth at this time of only
about thrco or four feet This river is
spanned by an iron bridge with wooden
trcstles on each side It's entire length is
800 feet and the length of the main span,
where the wreck occurred is 10 feet.
The bridge was built only about four
years ago and was regarded as very
strong structure. The main span and the
span Just beyond 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 curs piled upon each other through
tho main span. The entire wreck took fire
soon afterward and was rapidly burned to
tho water edge. Nine persons alore es-
capped alive from all who went down, and
several of them will probably die. The
first news of the wreck was brought ia
Hargrove a telegraph station four miles
from the Cahaba river by farmer, who
said that while passing rear the place he
heard a crash. Going nearer, he saw the
two spans of the bridge broken out HI
then discovered the burning wreckage in
the shallow water below. He could heai
the groans of the wounded and dying, but
without waiting to see further he rode Is
horse rapidly to Hargrove, where the oper
ator telegraphed 10 Birmingham and Bloc
ton for relief Meanwhile a few country
people gathered at the scene to render vhai
aid they could, but it was too late to dc
much Nine people had gotten out, anC
the others hid been burned up in th'
wreckage When the relief train from Bir
mingham arrived there was little neol
for the army Of physicians that had gonl
along. The wounded were quickly attend
ed to and then sent to Blocton for furthe
attention The work Of taking out tn
dead was entered upon.
Nothing left of the Wreckaee.
Nothing was left of the wreckage bu
the smoldering remains, which had burne
to the waters edge. Charred corpses wer
racked in between the iron framewor
where the seats had been. Most of the boo
les had been burned beyond recognition
Some had their heads burned Off and
others nothing was left but the mere ske
A fIal ,.,t.
were taken out and laid IN row on tn
river bank.
OF the survivors Sam Spencer was III
only one of the train crew that escape
alive. He was the colored fireman. II
jumped from the engine while it was
midair and landed in the water some di
tance from where the engine fell. His OF
ly injury was a broken arm. He left Il
scene for Blocton on foot almost immed
ately after the wreck, apparently craze
with fright.
OF the eight other survivors three wei
children, all of whom had their feet burr
ed and mashed, and a lady, who had bot
feet crushed. The other three were Hem
Hanberry, conductor from Birmingham
who was taking his wife and two childre
out for ride around the circuit, and Wi
Gardner and Andrew Bryson miners fro
BloctOn Handberry was on the same SCI
with his wife ana children when the era.
came. The latter three were killed, and
was pinned down and would have bee
burned alive had he not been rescued
Bryson and Gardner These two men all
saved an unknown woman and three chi
dren, who were likewise pinned and a
pealing piteously for help, but by the tin
they had rescued these five persons q
heat had become so intense that they we
compelled TO dosist in their work of rcscu
Killed Outright or Cremated.
Il is Thought that fully three-fourths
the dead were killed outright in the cras
while the other five were pinned dov
and cremated. Gardner and Bryson we
both badly hurt, while .Handberry W
probably die
Gardner says when he felt the ears lea
the track he looked out ana saw three sa
age looking mon rushing from a hidi
place down toward the waters edge. al
that after the wreck they went throu
r. a.