The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-12-04
Two Men Killed and Nine
Others Badly Injured
FREIGHT CREW is TO BLAME
Internationally Left Car Loaded With
Machinery Standing on Main Track
and Passenger Train Crashed
Into the Obstruction.

Chattanooga, December 8.-In a COLI
sion on the Cincinnati Southern railroad
at sunbright. Tenn, this morning about
O'Clock, the fast passenger train from
Cincinnati to Chattanooga was derailed
and five coaches burned. Two men were
killed, a negro tramp fatally injured, and
eight men seriously injured.
The dead:
Frank Elliott fireman of Chattanooga.
Richard Helm, express messenger, Gov
ington, Ky.
Fatally injured: Fred Mathis, negro
tramp.
Seriously injured: John T. Eassen.
chief mail clerk. Danvllle. KY. COM
pound fracture of leg and large gashes
In head; NJ. C. Caddell, mail clerk So
merset, KY. leg and arm broken and face
badly cut: w. w Smith. mail clerk Har-
riman, back dislocated and head and
shoulders cut and bruised; J. w. Fowler,
engineer, Chattanooga, internally injured
In abdomen and Bruised Frank Connors,
engineer, Somerset, KY, left side and leg
badly scalaeds and cut on head; Owen
Curd; fireman, Somerset, KY, left arm
dislocated and head cut and bruised; j.
V. Taylor baggagemaster, Chattanooga,
right shoulder dislocated.
No passengers were injured.
Freight Train on Main Line.
A long freight train, in charge of En-
gineer John Thomas and Conductor q. J.
Ship, was on the main line at Sunbright.
about four minutes before the passenger
train was due to pass that point, and In
order to clear the track the engineer OF
the freight ran into a siding just few
hundred yards from Sunbright. Owing to
the fact that the train was very nearly
due the freight engineer ran with more
than the ordinary spead, and while rum
ming at the rate of eight miles an hour,
the train struck string of cars that had
been left on the siding.
Fearing that some of their own cars
might have become detached, En-
gineer Thomas and Conductor Shipp went
the entire length of their train and found
that 1t was all right, but neglected to
see what effect their collision had had
upon the cars which had been standing
on the siding. This neglect was the cause
of the disaster. A car heavily laden with
machinery was detached from these
cars and ran down the siding until 1t
reached the main track. and stopped
with about half its length across.
The passenger train was drawn by
two locomotives and crashed into the
freight car while running at great
speed.
Locomotives Demolished.
The locomotives were demolished and
the seven coaches were derailed Almost
instanstly the mail and express cars
caught fire from the locomotives. and
these two cars, with the baggage car and
two day coaches, were completely de-
stroyed.
The two Pullman cars were not dam
aged.
Frank Elliott of Chattanooga, who was
fireman on the second engine, was
pinoned down in the mass of wreckage,
and Richard Helm, the express messen-
ger, was badly injured, and both were
burned to DEATH
The engineers of both engines and five
other members of the train crew, were
badly injured; and an unknown negro
tramp was fatally hurt.
Relief trains from Chattanooga and
Somerset hurried to the scene with ply
sicians, and the injured were promptly
cared for. As soon as possible the in
jured were taken to their homes. The
track was cleared and traffic resumed in
a few hours.