The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-12-28


An examination OF the engine shows
that Engineer White had shut on the
steam and reversed before It went down,
Indicating that he saw danger ahead as
he approached the bridge. ana tried to
stop his train, His charrCh body WAS
found with his harh on the throttle. The
survivors all agree that the train lcrt
the crack and bumped along the ties and
then with n crash plunged through Tho
bridge Expert engineers say that there
Is every Indication that rail- was re-
moved which deraIled the train and
caused It to pull down thr bridge. The
sS-tlcs show marks Of the wheels. TO
add 10 this, Is tho fact that three men
tried 10 wreck n Southern railway train
near Henry Ellen, fifteen miles east OF
here, five days ago. by removing II rail
on trcstlc ninety feet high The flst
express LEFT the track, but tho engineer
managed by superhuman efforts 10 stop
Il before It tore down the trestlc. This
was degarded IA a most remarkable es-
cape. In this case, three men were seen
running from the place and n crowhac
with which the spikes had been with
drawn was found.
The scene Of both accidents are In n
wild. mountainous country.
Among those known to have been on
board the train lrG the following:
Frank White. engineer. Birmingham.
\. p. COnueil. conductor, BirminS-
ham.
George Carney, Nagman, BIrmlnE.
ham.
Jim Bowling, bagEaScmlSterr B!rm-
InSham.
Andrew Brys0r. BlOc:oa
]. ". Hoffer. Bloctou.
VIII Dusteu. Bl0cton.
NJ. +. Clarke. Bl0cton.
@. Jackson, BloctCn
John McGInnIs.
Peter ThurS'OI.
JOhr Gallagher
The following have 50 far been identl-
fled:
Frank White. OF BirmInsham. cugIn-
Ger. nGcd forty, leaves a wife and five
children.
4. P. Conuell, OF Helena. Conductor,
aged thIrty-siN. lca"es wife and two
children.
George Carney of Birmingham, flag
man, leaves wife and child.
James Boiling OF Guthrie. Ny. South
crn eNpcreSs messenger aged twenty
five.
VIII Webb, residence unknown, identI-
Mrs. Henry iandberrS, Of BirminS-
ham. and two children.
Ge0rge. Williams. of Ero0kwoOd, Ala.
J.. ". Marin. Of BrnOkwaod, Ala.
Seventeen other bodies have not yet
been Identified.
Twcniy-Icren Dead.
a relief train with Superintendent
Frazier. OF the Southern road. and eight
tralued physicians, nurses and supplies,
left here AZ 10 o'clock this morning for
the scene Cr the HloctOn wreck. This
train returned at O'clock tonight with
twrnty-Seven bodies. These CorpseS are
NOW at the several undertaking cstab-
lishmeuts In this city, awaiting idenuit-
cation. All the bodies, however, are
chnrred beyond recognition.
The railroad company tonight fur-
nIshed n list OF sixteen identified dead
In addition 10 those named. making In
all ,wcnty-onr dead. Instead of twenty
seven, rs heretofore stated. Following
are the names OF the injured; Henry
iandberry. OF birmingham. Louisville
&: Nashville conductor, seriously; i. Il,
Cckels, or Helena, slightly; Sam Spcn-
Ger. fireman, arm broken: Andrew Bry-
son. OF Blocton. fatally Miss Booth. OF
BloctOn. slightly; Mrs. Powers child
from Blocton. slightly; Mira. Walker
slightly; Mrs. Walkers three children
escaped practically uuinjurcd.
Another Report.
\ Louisville dispatch says:
Reports 20 superIn tcndent OF trans
portation George Evans. OF the LoniS-
VILE q Nashville railway. Indicate tina;
the fatalities in to-day's disaster near
Birmingham, Alabama, will number NJ
least twenty-five. OF the total NUMBER
or persons, crew and passengers, on the
train. but nine escaped and the number
Of dead can only bc COnjcCturcd. for
no one knows cxnctiy how many people
there were on the trnin. The fact that
the train was destroyed bv fire almost
Immediately after the accident and nc
fore TrcckinG trains could reach Inc
scene. also adds to the uncertainty IN
this point, MS many bodies were barn.
ed beyond rccOuuISIun and some may
have been tutall. destroyed.
The train was n small local pasaen'
ger, which. starting from Birmingham
ut s =. m. runs 20 a point near Liurney
then goes over q connecting Of trnCh
controlled by the Southern Railway
and known 4" the BrirrHclI, Blcctun q
BiFnlluEUIfn lOAus
The train returns TO the Louisville 6
Nashville traCiSs ut BloCton and make.
the return t"ir 60 Birmingham. after q
circuit touching numerous mining
towns In that region. BctUCrn Gurney
and BIucton, the trnclts cross he Ca.
habl river. an uHinpor;lnt stream
which except IN time Of heavy rains, Il
uuitn shallow TIL" bridge was about
ninety feet high with two hund"rt
foot span in the middle and approachr!
several hundred frCt long.
Into the bed Of the cAhabn The un'
fortunate plsscn gers ana crew wcr'
plunged. That 2ny one escaped Will
life IS llttlc short Of miraculous. Al
most Immediately the train, which con.
sisted OF an cuHInen q combination
bl SGagr and express car and twt
coaches. took fire, Increasing the hos
rOr OF the calamity That any live!
were saved Is pJubhbly due to the fac
that the crash was heard by the tclc'
graph operator at IlnrGn, three mile!
from The rIvcr. II" reported this to III,
trnin dispatcher about 8:lj o'clock anC
half hour laSCr the news that the trnlI
had gone down was carried to liiOctOn
SIX miles uwny, by n native. who nlst
heard the nOiso. 4 relief train, bearing
nil the physicians OF liiOCt0n and Ahon
nfty citizens. was made mp huriicdlS
and sent to the SCcne Of the wreck
closely followed By others from Br
minSham and RcsHcmcr.
hnOihr Accident.
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