Evening star., 1896-12-28
BRIDGE SPAN GAVE WAY
Terrible Fall Of Passenger Train in Ala
hama.
Tyventy-One Persons Killed or Burnes
to Dcath--wreckers Are Charx.
ed With the Dfsaste

birmingham Mineral railroad, q branch line
of the Louisville and Nashville. was thrown
from the bridge over the Cahaba river,
twenty-seven miles from Birmingham. Ala.
yesterday morning and twenty-one passen-
gers were killed and eight others badly
hurt.
At 5:30 o'clock last night the railroad
officials at Birmingham received a telegram
from DR.. Ray Of Bfocton, one Of the first
physicians to reach the wreck. He said
that one of the survivors whom he attend
ed made the statement that when the car
jumped the track on the bridge he saw
three savage looking men run down the
river bank, and that after the wreck these
men went through the debris, robbed the
dead and dying and fed to the woods.
The railroad officials are positive that a
rail was removed from the track The cross
ties on the side Of the main span show
that the spikes were drawn out while they
remain intact on the other side.
About o'clock yesterday afternoon a
wrecking train bound for the scene of the
accident. loaded with bridge timbers. col
lided with another wreeking train only a
short distance from the Cahaba river.
James Estes, a bridge foreman, was crush
ed to death and another bridge workman
had both legs broken.
The Disaster.
The train that fell was the Blocton ac-
commodation. No. 40. of the Birmingham
Mineral railroad. branch line of the Louis
Vile and Nashville, which extends to all the
mines and furnaces In the Birmingham dis
trict. Leaving Birmingham at $40 am
the trim. consisting of an engine. baggage
car anf two coaches. went to Tuccoa, thir-
teen miles south of Birmingham on the
river line of the Louisville and Nashville.
FROM there 1t goes to Gurner. on the Bir-
mingham Mineral track. From Gurner, to
Rfocton it uses the Southern railway tracks
SIX miles south of Gurner the railroad
crosses the Cahaba river on a trestle no
Ieet long The river spar is of iron and is
200 feet long and no feet high. The river
Is mountain stream. This span gave way
as the train was crossing it, and the engine
and ali the cars went to the bottom of III.
river below.
The first news of the wreck was brought
10 Harsrove, small telegram station four
miles north of the river. by a farmer. who
n'ppehed 70 5e passing rear the scene CT
the accident just after it occurred. He no.
iiced that the middle span of the bridge
was missing. Approaching closer, he cb-
served the train burning up in the river be-
10" ana could hear the cries of the wound
ca ana dying mingled with the Kissing of
the steam coming from the wreck
Giving the Alarm.
Without waiting further he gave ou. the
"orG to farmers residing nearby and hasten
ed to Hargrove to telegraph to Birmine-
doctors were sent from Birmingham and a
fourth from Blocton Meanwhile the conn
try people had gathered to render what as
sistance they could
1t was soon found tnat almost every
person on the train had been killed and
their bodies in most cases burned The
rescuers arrived too late to be of much
service. except In caring for the wounded
persons who managed to get out of the
wreck alive. These were four men, three
cm'oreh, one woman and the coIored fire.
man. Those who survived the catastro-
phe were so craZed from fright and main
from their injuries that they were unable
20 give any intelligent account Of how it
all happened.
Fireman Spencer sprang from the loco
motive as 1t was in mid air going down,
and alighted in the water unintured ex-
cept for a broken arm. AS soon as ne
to Blocton. eight miles away, to give the
news. not knowing the farmer had already
Informed the railroad people.
The Cars Took Fire.
Physicians who returned from the scene
say that the sight which met their gaze
when the first relief train arrived was
beyond description. There were
red hot stoves In all the cars and no sooner
had the wreck occurred than the debris
took fire. Soon the entire mass was in a
blaze and 1t burned to the waters edge,
The water not being over three or four feet
deep. 1t Is supposed that most of those
killed met death before the fire reached
them. though the survivors say that sew
eral who were only injured and were pin
Toned down were burned to death, as they
could hear piteous appeals for help COM
ing from several directions. Those few
who were not killed outright and were
able to release themselves from the
were SO badly injured that they
could render but little aid to their less
fortunate fellows.
The train that fell was a local express
making a circuit of the mining district
The passengers were nearly all mine work.
ers and residents of the mining towns in
this district.
stories of the Survivors.
The survivors tell terrible stories of the
disaster. Henry Handberry, whose wife
and two children were near him, says that
he was forced to see them burned to death
before his eyes. They were all on the
seat together and all were pinioned down.
managed after a hard struggle
to release himself. His wife and children
pleaded piteously for rescue, and, though
badly burt, he tried to release them, but the
flames closed In and he was forced 10
flee for his own life and leave his loved
ones to their fate.
The three children of Mrs. Walker were
all caught under seat with timbers piled
above them, but the iron frames of the
seat kept the timbers off of them, and
they all crawled out through a small hole
and escaped with only slight bruises
Neither Mrs. Powers nor her two children
were killed outright: all were pinioned
down and burned to death. The last
heard of the woman she was praying. The
survivors believe that fully half the killed
died from cremation.
The Killed and Injured.
The railroad company last night furnish
ed the following as the list of dead:
James Boiling Of Guthrie, KY, Southern
express messenger: Frank White of Bing-
hamton. engineer; A. p. Connell of Helena,
George Carney of Birmingham,
nagman; d. Webb of Birmingham; Bruce
Phillips of Biocton: L. W. Martin. Brook
wood. Ala; Mrs. Henry Handberry. Bir-
mingham: two children of Handberry; X.
H. Bloant Of Birmingham, colored minister;
Miss Ada Powers Of BlOcton; DR.. G. Pow
ers of Blocton. Mrs. Emma Powers. Bloc
ton: two children of Mrs. Powers; Mrs. r.
Little, Blocton; Mr.. Gardner, Blocton; Mrs.
Gardner. Blocton; Miss Gardner. Blocton;
one unidentified body. supposed to be Tom
colored porter.
The following are the injured:
Henry Handberry of Birmingham,
Louisville and Nashville conductor, Sc
rio,isly E. E. Eckels of Helena. slightly;
Sc m Stuart. fireman, arm broker; Andrew
Bryson of Blocton. fatally; Miss Booth Of
Blocton. slightly; Mrs. Walker. slightly;
Mrs. Powers child. from Blocton. slightly.
Mrs. Walkers three children escaped
uninjured.