The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-12-28
TRAIN LEAPS FROM A TRESTl.E
THIRTY OR MORE LIVES LOST NEAR
BIRMINGHAM.

The TrestIe 12O Feet High and 700
Feet LOng-The Train Smashed on
the Rocks Below and Fire Breaks
Out Among the Wreckage-Many
of the Victims So Badly Burned oS
to BE UnrecOGnizable-AR Rail Re-
moved by Wreckcrs.
Birmingham, Ala, Dec. 27.-One of the
most disastrous wrecks in the history of
southern railroads happened thirty miles
south of here this morning at 1850 O. clock,
in which twenty-eight persons were killed
outright and ten others injured, two of
whom will die.
The Inflated train was a Louisville and
Nashville accommodation, which runs
from here to Blocton, a distance of forty
miles.
The train left here at $50 o'clock In
charge of Engineer Frank White and CoG-
ductor A. p. Connel -Four miles north of
Blocton the entire train, made up of an
engine, baggage and two passenger coach
es, crashed through a bridge 200 feet long
and 100 feet high. into the Cahaba river.
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. Immediately the wreck
took fire, the water being only
about three feet Deep, and be-
fore sufficient help could be secured
unfortunate passengers and trainmen who
were pinioned under the debris were burn
ed to death in sight of other unfortunates.
Some of the passengers not so badly
hurt, ged to crawl out and do all
they could in assisting Others but with
little success.
The dead are:
Frank White, engineer, of Birmingham.
George Carney. fiagman, of Birmingham.
A. p. Connell, conductor of Birming-
ham.
Tom Streeter colored porter, of Birm-
ingham.
Jordan Powell, wife and eight children,
of Blocton.
of Birmingham.
James Boiling, express messenger of
Guthrie, Ky.
l.. w. Martin, Brookwood.
Bruce Philips. Blocton.
S. w. Tibbs and wife, Campbelltown.
Andrew Bryson, Blocton.
George Glendall, Helena
Four others unidentified.
The injured are
E1d ward Echols, slightly
Henry Hanbury. ribs broken.
Powell, child feet badly burned
Mrs. Walker of Blocton, internally. will
die.
Mrs Walkers three children, slightly.
Miss Booth, Blocton, internally will die.
Stan Stewart, arm broken.
The bridge was a ponderous wooden
structure, with an iron span of 200 feet in
lhe center, and just at the beginning of
the iron work train wreckers had pulled
the spikes and removed one of the rails
When the engineer discovered this as
was evident from the position 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 evidence showed that
train wreckers had been at work
AS soon as news was received here
both the Louisville and Nashville and
Southern railroads sent out relief trains
loaded with physicians and others and
eVerything possible was done for those
4 VINO had been fortunate enough to get ont
lrom reach of the flames, which qu;ckl ;,
consumed all of the coaches and a. mart
4 oil the bridge Many of the killed were
charred beyond recognition.
me exact number who perished will
never be known. but it is thought that it
viii reach thirty-five.
10 cap the climax one of the relief
'ralns which left here ran into the rear
END of the wrecking train which was stop
ped about $50 feet from the bridge and
came near knocking it in on top of the
burning train
IN this accident the following were in
s. jured:
Sam Eastis, will die
William Rast, will die.
wood Campbell leg broken
charles Elston, legs badly hurt.
John Rittenberry. ankle brolran