The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-09-29
TRAIN JUMPS
FROM RACK
Nine Men Killed and Seven
Wounded.
BOY INSANE FROM HORROR
An Official Statement by Vice-Presidcnt
Finley, ofthe Southern Road-Most
ofthe Dead Are Postal
Clerks.
BOY INSANE FROM HORROR
Especial to The Times Dispatch)

\ r.
DANvILLE, VA, Sept. 2s.-south
| bound train No. 81 OF the Southern Rail
| way Jumped tie track yesterday after
| noon at 2:5D o'clock and fell through the
! Stillhouse t,sstle, short distance north
| Of this city. on the Virginia Midland d.
vision of the sy3ten, and without mo-
| nents warning the entire train was pre-
| cipitated to the bottom of the ravine,
about fifty feet deep, and practically de-
molished. Nine persons were Killed and
seven others were badly injured, one
probably fatally.
The dead are: Engineer j. A. Broadly,
saltsvlle, va; Fireman a. j, Clapp,
Greensboro, N. c.: Conductor j Blair,
Danvllle Va; Mall Clerk j. l.. Thomp-
son. Washington d. c.; Mail Clerk S.
Chambers. midland. Va; Mall Click D.
r. Flory, Midland, Va; Mail Clerk P. N.
Augenbrlght, Mount Clinton, Val Flag
man ]. s. Moody, son Of Mall Clerk
Thompson.
The injured are: Mall Clerks Louis w.
spiers. Manassas. Va; Frank e. Brooks,
Charlottesville. Va; Percival lnden-
mauer, Washington; Charles =. Reames,
Culpeper, Va; Jennings j Dunlap. Wash
lngton, D. c.; NJ. C. Maupin. Charlottes-
vile. Va, and j. Harrison Thompson,
ST. Luke Va.
THE WRECKED TRAIN.
The train was bound for New Orleans,
La, and was known as the Southern mall
express. IT left Washington yesterday
morning at o'clock. carrying local and
Northern mail for Southern points. 1t
was made up of four mail cars and one
express car. The run from Washington
to Danville ordinarily consumes about SIX
hours AS No. 81 is a mail train 1t Is re-
oured to keep to the schedule as closely
as possible. It's speed yesterday was not
above the ordinary. and as it approached
Danviile Engineer Broadly who lost his
l.fe. reduced the speed to about thirty
miles an hour, as REQUIRED by his orders.
Just north of Stillhouse ravlne the
track takes a sudden turn. This curve
had been passed and the train was APP
preaching the trestle When within a
hundred feet from the trestle the engine
Jumped the tracks and ran along the
cross-ties. AS 1t was about to pass onto
the bridge the engine careered, striking
the wooden supports of the bridge struc-
ture. The impact was terrific. Four
supports, each thirteen feet long. were
greatly weakened and gave way under
the weight of the engine
The engine fell through the opening,
| followed by the five cars, and landed
in the mud at the bottom of the creek.
| The engine was partly buried by the
weight of the cars which fell on top of
it. Although the engine was not badly
damaged the cars were reduced to a
great mass of broken wood and twisted
| steel and iron.
WRECK TAEs FIRE.
When the cars struck the bottom OF
the ravine the mail bags from the mall
cars were torn to pieces. and letters and
parcels flew in every direction. The
wreckage Immediately took fire, but the
flames were extinguished before they
| gained any Roadway by the fire depart
ment of Danvile, Va, which had been
| summoned. No mail, 1t is thought, was
| destroyed The contents OF the express
car were scattered about in great con-
| fusion, and were practically destroyed.
Several thousands of people quickly
| gathered and began the rescue work. The
bodies Of nine persons, who had appar-
emily suffered instant death, were found.
| AS these were beyond human aid, the
! rescuers turned their attention to the
injured They We're quickly placed on
stretchers and removed to the hospital
at Danville. In the meantime Superin-
| tendent Coapman and a large force OF
men arrived at the scence of the wreck
from Danville. The superintendent took
Immediate charge and directed the work
OF recovering the bodies. The bodies OF
the engineer and firemen were found
beside the engine showing that they had
made no attempt to jump as the train
went down. The bodies Of the mail clerks
We're found under mail bags and other
portions Of the debris
Mail Clerk Spier is considered to be
the most seriously injured, and no hope Is
| entertained for his recovery. He sustain
ed injuries to his spine and head. All the
other clerks reported to have been hurt
are expected to recover
THE TRAFFIC BLOCKED.
AS soon as the rescue work had been
! completed Superintendent Chapman and
| his force began to clear away the wreck
age. which completely blocked traffic over
that division of the system until this
morning. The mail sacks and loose mail
We're gathered UP and placed In a secure
place. All the debris of the cars was cleared
away. but 1t was impossible to pull the
engine from the mud. While the clearing