The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1896-12-28
|ONLY NINE
ESCAPED.
Train LOADED With PaSSen.
gers Plunged From
a Bridge.
Frightful Accident Resulting In
Many Deaths On an Alabama
Railroad.
UNFORTUNATE.S LNCLNERATED.
Gang Of Train Robbers Believed to Have
Caused the Terrible Catastrophe
UNFORTUNATES LNCLNERATED.
Gang OF Train Robbers Believed to Have
Caused the Terrible Catastrophe-H
Bodies Were Recovered.

Birmingham. Ala, Dec. 2S.-Fiends In
human form wrecked Birmingham
Mineral passenger, No. 40. at Cahaba
river bridge, u miles from here yester-
dey morning and 20 lives were lost. That
from the wreck, and further search may
increase the list Of dead.
The wreck is regarded az almost GER
tainly accomplished by the removal of
q rail on the middle span on the trestle.
This derailed the train, which caused
1t to knock down the two spans and pre-
cipitated II INTO the river, 110 feet below.
The wreck was the worst that 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 1t ell happened. II
is not known and may never be ascer-
tanned 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 holiday
tickets, and were returning to their
homes
Conductor A. p. Connell, who probably
knew better than anybody else as to
how many passengers were aboard
Is dead. 1t Is thought however that
there were not exceeding 25 or go But
one passenger purchased a ticket at
birmingham.
The train consisted Of an engine, bag
gage car and two coaches Six miles
south OF Gurnee 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 on
both sides. Its entire length is 800 feet,
and the main span where the wreck oc :
Cured is ITO feet. The bridge was built
only four years ago, and was regarded
as very strong structure. The main
span and the span just beyond il, both
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 afterward
and was rapidly burned to the waters
edge.
Only nine persons 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 near the place he heard a crash.
Going nearer he saw the two spans Of
the bridge broken out He then dis
covered the burning wreckage i'm the
shallow water below. He could hear the
groans of the wounded and dying, but
without waiting to see more he rode
rapidly to Hargrove, where the operator
telegraphed to Birmingham and Bloc
ton for relief
Meanwhile a few country people
gathered at the scene to render what aid
they could. but it was too late to do
much. Nine people had crawled out
and the others had been burned in the
wreckage. When the relief train fror,
birmingham arrived there was little
need for physicians. The wounded were
quickly attended TO and then sent to
Blocton. The work OF taking out the
dead was then begun. Nothing was left
of the wreckage but the smouldering re-
mains. Charred corpses were packed jr
between the iron frame work 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 i'm a row on tbe river
bank.
At 4 o'clock 20 bodies had been
found and no more were in sight. 1t
is possible however. that there are others