The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-12-28

MEMPHIS. Tenn. Dec IA special 20
the Commercial Appeal from BirLins
ham. Ala. says:
Flends In human form wrecked the Biz
nlir CHAM Mineral Passenger gralIs No. . al
Caa46A river Bridge. tssngy-seven miles
from hsEe. a. z.A c'c.uek this morning.
and tEseEzty -oDe lives were lost A4lat nanl-
ber Of bodies have been recovered nd fur
theF search may swell the list % dead.
The wreck Is regarded a. almost Ger
tainly accomplished by the removal of a
raN or the middle span % the trestie-
Tal1 asraf3sd the train. which caused Il
q fan aown the two spans and prcciDi
tated K into the river 10 feet below. The
wreck Sas nc WORST that has never oc-
CURED IN he state. nd the survivors are
80 fex aaa 50 badly huFt taas taey are
unable % give any detailed description u
h0w Il happened
IL Is nol known. and may never De as
certsi n-d flsf boa many passe gers were
on the train. Most of them Mere miners
and residents of mining t0Nns n this dis
trict. wfo had round Tip tickets and were
returning 70 their homes along the line
OF the BirmlHg lam Mineral road.
The flt-fatea train Was a s0Sal passen-
ger. whicA LETT here a. $50 a. n. and was
scheduled 20 make a cifcult Of the Biz
miugham Mineral, which is q branch line
os the Louisville & Nashville. reaching ghs
lttrlu< towns n tA~ a42aEslt- Inc eESaAAts
consisting os ar engine, baggage car
and tws coaches. EFT hers a. s.se s. "a.
and went 20 Taeco. 81 tie nain ane of
the Louisville NASHVILLE. There *
switched on TO tae Birmingham Mineral
track and went 10 Carney. and from there
20 Blaefou.
Tae Mineral trains operate over the
southern railways Brisr6el1. Riocton &
Birrpin CHAM branch ugier a contract S.x
ftrs p OF = "a ff5.f
r.ver. a sass.cN moua.aiu sEream which
has depth AZ this time % -yeSsr ~ only
about three or four feet This river -
srauned hy an ron bridge. wlsa wooden
tresti~s on each side lis entzre iength IS
$40 faeg. and the length OF the span where
the wreck occurred Is Iie feet The bridge
Was h5I.it only four years ago, and was re-
gaTle3 a. very safe structure.
When the wreck occurred TIE main span
and the span ius1 beyond Il. both iron.
gave WAY. and preclpdtatea the entire
traln into the RIVER. The engine landed on
its SIDE almost a. rlght angles with eae
track. The ears piled ~ on each otaer
through she main span. The entire wreck
4oOk tire soon afterwards and was rapidly
burned to ehs waters e3ke. Sgne persons
aion@ escaped alive from ali who went
down. and several % them VII probably
DE.
Tire arsg news of the wreck waS brought
60 HsFgroVe. tclegruph station four
ru lses fram fae Caha}sa river by farmer.
who sad taat 1hiie passing near the place
ne heard crash. Geiu1 Dearer be saw
she two spans of the bridge broken out
lie tben discovered tle burning wreckage
tn the saaIsaa water below. he eoniS hear
thc wrcsns - Fte woanaea ard dying 6Qt
wilhogt waiting to see further ne rode
horseh8eE 80 Hargroye as rap-dly as DE
could. where thc operator te,ngrapled 80
birmingham and Blpctou foE relief
Meanw nlIe a few country pcaple Eala~
erred a. s31s ssene to refs5rf ehas aid they
cowld nut 4g was too lsse 10 - m8ch Nine
Teop.e bad gotten osIt. au4 sae rest had
besn burned up IN the wreekaee
Waen the RELIEF train from b rsusf n
arrived. there w8s Egtle neta for the array
1T PHYSICIANS shar bad gau~ atonw rhe
wounded were oH.ek.y attended 70. ard
then se0t 90 BAoetoa f9r farvAer attention.
Tile aofk - taking 0ut the dead was en-
tered upoa. S0sAiaS aAs IefS or the
NrecAsEe 5u' ssnouk k8eTsng remains
C,harret coruasa were packed In tsENeen
the 3ron Framework vshe-e che se@ts had
beer ard most 81 fAe asasfses had tssen
burned Beyond reoa@uttou. S5ne bad
their heads burned ~. ard - Others no,h-
fnx a.ss lsft hut the rfrrra ske.@tosa
As raplih as possible the remains were
takcn o8t ard laid in row an the river
hank At 50 clock twen3y bodies hsa been
feuna And 10 nsors were ia ssEht II Is
possible however. rhst there are others
under the wTeckaEe- aad also that some
uasy 81 hid ta the water.
ore - the survivors. Sara Speacsr vas
the an1y one - TIRE train crew wao ESCAPED
alive lie vas the resars~f arennan. Ws
uupa1 frou ire engiae whlla II was "a
Tnfaaf@ ans landed "a ths water sarne
distance sr-ra wher0 tba eHsssna feM fFSs
nalv fnturv was 4 brakru ARA Hs laft
ths xeene fer E3nc3oa oa fset almost snl-
Tn~dfats1v sfte~ ere wreck apparently
crsu~s w}ta fr7gat. TIE railway ogBcis3s
haFe nat yst Seen ah.s - see him aaa
get statement
~ fna ether survivors three werr chill
.Irea a. ot - Eann haH the}e faet hirnes
ass8 erzshas asa a aav wha had bssa
feaE crushed Tsle3r nEEnas hREN nat vet
heea ass~ua3 TAere were also three uaen.
Henry HAns8aurw centaetar tr1Fu Htr-
.riseaszn wha W&s saA8nE atS wife ana
rwrs chnsren uuS for a rfte aro-lad tha
rsr-sit aaa w-tH t5a0Saer sua An6~ew
fsrysan Hsfosrs fToan Baaetaa- HansEnrrg
wss ca fhe saeua seat w8ta als HsEs zrt
-hEsrsa mhan the erssA eEzze. THa tAgter
ta.rsa aara kfszea ans8 he wss rsaref down
ana eeaaEf A&xA ho@n @sGrUe4 sieve hNd be
net ts@~s. rescued ny fTysaa ara Gsnscer.
Tnesn tsn naan alss saved tae uns@8wn
vroaaan aa& theee ehil3rea- whe we're hss-
wtse rsnne& down ard sEsgesttas sgtesaS,v
ssr he}n hut by ere ssEae fsey na3 Teseiss3
shess gVs seEsens gse aeat Hysa asseozs
- Intense fhaF sasH were enEsspa4sa Is
sfae thrlr wo-N - rescae-
IL Il snaaEh2 tnst fasIF fhree~ foarths
81 sha ae4a we0e k.aezt sssFr4Nat ta .ae
.-rass. whsan tHe esAer 5vs MaeEm nfoae8
ssfSssa ara eg@zmaEe3. tsarsHa ar &ea ssrvs-sa
usss hassn hadfv h4Tg vase fE@1,gaH-e
49, cFaazafV dts.
--ae azases hsa camytesest gha werS dt
acszrses8ez before Aag sesa arrived. ghs
ec1zEry &zagc9 sne scs1s * tAe <cSsSseEs