The herald., 1896-12-28

6a0iy f&jureds They include one FAMILY
conslstfne eof q man, wife and two
children. They were put upon one oil
the relief trains after receiving medical
& attention, and were taken to Birming-
ham, reaching that place at o'clock
this evening.
- on the approaches of the same bridge
this AFTERNOON another fatal accident oc-
CURED. A bridge carpenter was killed
and several persons injured by COLI
wrecking trains sent to rescue the VIC
tins of the first accident.
THE WORK OF FIENDS.
:; MEMPHIS, Tenn, Dec. GA spe-
cial to the Commercial-Appeal from
Birmingham, Ala, says:
Fiends in human form wrecked the
Birmingham Mineral passenger train,
No. A, at Cahaba river bridge, twenty
seven miles from here, at 1850 o'clock
this morning, and twenty-five lives were
lost. That number of bodies have been
recovered, and further search may swell
THE list of dead.
The wreck is regarded as almost cer-
tainly accomplished by the removal of
q rail on the middle span of the trestle.
This derailed the train, which caused
1t to fall down the two spans and pre-
cipitated it 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 it happened. 1t is
not known, and may never be ascertain
ed, 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 Birmingham Min
eral road.
Conductor Kennel, who probably knew
better than anyone else how many pas
sengers were aboard, is dead. 1t is
thought, however. there We're not eX
ceeding twenty or thirty. But one pas
senger purchased a ticket at Birming
ham.
The Inflated train was a local pas
senger which left here at $3.50 a. m.. and
was scheduled to make the circuit of
the Birmingham Mineral. which is a
branch line of the Louisville and Nash
ville reaching the mining towns in the
district.
The train. consisting of an engine,
baggage car and two coaches, left here
at $50 a. m. and went to Tacco on the
main line OF the Louisville and Nashville.
There it switched off to the Birming-
ham Mineral track and went to Guerney
and from there to Blocton.
The Mineral trains operate over the
Southern railways Brarfield. Blocton
and Birmingham branch, under a con-
tract arrangement Six miles south of
Guerney is the Cahaba river, shallow
mountain stream, which has a depth
at this time of only three OF four feet.
This river is spanned by an iron bridge
with wooden trestles on each 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 regarded as a
4 very safe structure. The main span, and
the span just beyond it, 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
thruOgh the main span. The entire
wreck took fire soon afterward and was
rapidly burned. Nine persons only
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
tion four miles from tta Cahaba river,
by farmer. who said that while pass
ing near the place he heard a crash.
Going nearer. he saw that two spans of
the bridge were broken out. He then
discovered the burning wreckage in the
shallow water below. He could hear
the groans of the wounded and dying,
but without waiting to see further, he
rode on horseback to Hargrove as rap
Idly as he could. where the operator tel
egraphed to Birmingham and Blocton
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 gotten out
and the rest had been burned in the
wreckage. When the relief train from
Birmingham arrived there was little
need for the army of physicians that
had gone along. The wounded were
quickly attended TO and then sent to
BlOcton for further attention. The work
of taking out the dead was entered upon.
Nothing was left of the wreckage but
the smouldering remains. which had
burned to the waters edge. Charred
corpses were packed in between the
iron framework 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 in a row on the
river bank. At o'clock twenty bodies
had been found, and no more were in
sight. 1t is possible however, that there
are others under the wreckage, and also
that some may be hidden in the water
OF the survivors Sam Spencer was the
only one OF the train crew who escaped
alive. He was the colored fireman. He
Bumped from the engine while it was
IN midair and landed in the water some
tdistance from where the engine fell
His only injury was a broken arm.
He left the scene for Blocton almost
immediately after the wreck on foot
apparently crazed with fright. The
railroad officials have not yet been able
to see him and get statement.
OF the survivors three We're children
all Of whom had their feet burned and
tmashed, and Iady who had both feet
icrushed. Their names have not yet beer
saearned. The other three men were
Henry Handberry, a conductor from
Birmingham, who was taking his wife
tand two children out for ride around
Hhe circuit, and Will Gardner and An
fdrew Bryson, miners from BlOcton
3iandberry was on the same seat will
his wife and children when the crash
vcame. The latter three We're killed anS
NE was pinned down and would have
ybeen burned alive had he not been res
cued by Bryson and Gardner. These
two men also saved the unkonwn wo
dnan and three children, who were like
wise pinned and appealing piteously
for help, but by the time they had res
cued these five persons the heat wa.
50 intense that they were compelled t,
desist from their work of rescue. 1t i.
thought that fully three-fourths of TIL,
dead were killed outright in the crash
while the other five were pinioned dowl
and cremated. Gardner and Brysor
were both badly hurt, while Handberr,
will probably die. The flames had com