Evening journal., 1903-09-28
FAST MAIL TRAIN
DROPS 70 FEET
Plunges From High Trestle
While Running at High
Rate of Speed
NINE KILLED AND SEVEN INJURED
While Running at High Speed Engine
Jumped Track and Carried Five
Cars With It-Rodies Of Victims
Crushed to chastly Degree.

Charlotte. N. c., Sept 2S.-Whiie
running at high rate of speed, train
No. 81, on the Southern railway, the
south-bound fast mail train, jumped
from a trestle 7s digh, half mile
north OF Va, and was almost
demolished OF the crew Of 16 men,
including mail carriers. on the train,
nine were killed and seven injured.
The dead are: Engineer J. A. Broadly,
Saltsville, Va; Fireman Clarence
White. Conductor Tom Blair, Danville,
Va; J. L. Thompson, Washington,
D. c.; W. T. Chambers, Midland, Va;
d. T. Flory, Nokesville, Va; P. N.
Ardanwright. Mount Clinton. Va;
Flagman A. G. Clapp, Greensboro, N.
c., and a boy named Thompson.
The injured are: Mail Clerk Louis
W. Spiers. Manassas. Va; Frank E.
Brooks, Charlottesville, Va; Percival
Indenmaur, Washington, d. c.; Charles
E. Reames, Culpepper, Va; jennings
j. Dunlap, Washington. D. c.; M. G..
Maupin, Charlottesville, Va; ]. Harri-
son Thompson, st. Luke. Va.
All of the injured men are seri-
ously hurt and have been taken to the
hospital in Danville. The recovery OF
Mail Clerk Spiers is not expected, and
other clerks are thought TO have re-
ceiyed mortal injuries.
The trestle where the accident oc-
CURED is 500 feet long and is located
on a sharp curve. Engineer Broadly
was a new man on that division Of
the Southern, and it is said he came
to the curve at a very high rate Of
speed
The engine had gone only about 30
feet on the trestle when it sDrang
from the track, carrying with it four
mail cars and an express car. The
tresue. a woodeA structure, also gave
whxsfex a space Of so feet.
4, ~ ~ foot OF the trestle is a shallow
-, ~. IT. a rockyVboftom. Striking
NJ las .le engine and cars were reduced
Il ts - mass of twisted iron and steel and
pieces of splintered wood. AS the
cars went down they touched the
sides of the Riverside Cotton MILL
} which is very close to the trestle.
All the dead men we're killed In
stantly, It is thought, and all were
greatly mutilated. The skin and hair
on the engineer and fireman were torH
of by the impact Of the steam engine.
Several thousand people were soon
Rt the scene of the wreck. Nc one
on any of the cars had made an effort
to jump, and the bodies Of all those
4 killed we're found In the wreckage OF
d the different cars to which they be-
longed. Ladies' who drove out to the
wreck from Danville tainted at the
sight OF the bodies, some of which
Z we're crushed to a CHASTITY degree. It
seemed miraculous that any one should
have escaped. for each car falling
with the engine bounded from 1t and
completely collapsed after striking the
rocks at the foot of the trestle. All
the express matter in the express car
was practically destroyed, except six
crates full of can-ry birds. None of the
birds was hurt. though the crates were
IN the thickest OF the debris. All un.
official opinions that have been ascer-
tanned agree in giving only one cause
for the wreck-the high speed of the
train on the sharp curve Train No
p7 was running about an hour behind
Time. It is thought that the engineer
being unfamiliar with the road did
not take into consideration the dan.
ger of coming on the curve with such
great velocity.
The mail bags in all tho mail cars
we're broken open and the letters and
packages were scattered, but It Is be
Iieved that none were lost. Fire. which
appeared in the wreckage shortly af
ter It occurred, was quickly extin
Euished by the Danville fire depart
ment.