Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1903-07-09
THE RECENT ACCIDENT.

! Accident Due to Misleading OF Or
Neutrality-suspicious. cad-Some re-
mains UnrecOgniZabie.
The terrible accident and loss OF lie
at Rockfsh, on the Southern Railway,
Tuesday afternoon, isstill the chief topic
of conversation. As the details of the
horror are received and its appalling
nature more and more realized, many
stand aghast, especially railroad men,
who are thrown into reveries by such
catastrophes when they contemplate the
fact that their mission is to take their
lives into their own hands day and
night.
What little remained of Charles f.
Davis, the engineer of the Inflated pas
senger train, arrived in this city about
nine o'clock last night and was taken to
Domaine & Sons undertaking establish
ment. The remains had been prepared
for burial and placed in a casket. There
was nothing, however, exposed TO view,
as only parts of what had formerly COM
posed the physical structure of the I'M
fortunate engineer had been gathered,
and the gruesome spectacle was viewed
by a number of friends and acquaint-
ances of the deceased, among them
railroad men whose cogitations were
apparent to all The body was recovered
from beneath the wreck Of bis engine at
IL O'Clock yesterday morning. 1t was
a charred mass and almost unrecogniz-
able. Mr.. Davis had fallen beneath
the frebox, and was literally burned to
death, as is shown by the contracted
limbs. The deceased was about 81
years of age. He was a member OF
Mount Vernon Royal Arch CHAPTER,
Old Dominion Commandery, Knights
Templar and Andrew Jackson Lodge,
A., f. and A. NJ; the Knights of
Honor, the Brotherhood of Locomotive
Engineers, and several other organiza-
tions. He is survived by his widow,
who resides at POI south Payne street.
Engineer James Mccormack, who was
killed while riding on the engine with
Mr.. Davis, formerly lived in this city
where he was we'll known. Baggagemas-
ter J. w. Payne lives at 1918 King
street. As stated in the Gazette, he ar
rived here yesterday afternoon, Mr..
Payne's injuries are painful, but not Sc
rious. James Arnold, the colored por-
ter of the passenger train, lived on Orc
noco street He is survived by widow
and several children. His remains have
been brought to his home.
At Perley & Sons undertaking estab-
lishmen in Charlottesville Tuesday night
there were collected what was estimated
the remains of "a persons. When the
work of preparing the dead for burial
was finished, at 5 O'Clock yesterday
morning, it was foundIthat there were 22.
The miscount resulted from the mangled
condition of many and the misjoining of
parts in the hurry and confusion attend
ing the arrival of the victims at the I'M
dertaker's.
There are many painful incidents in |
with such a wholesale loss OF
life. 1t is said that some little children
whose fathers and mother we're killed
are in Charlottesville where they are be-
ing kindly cared for. They are children
of Russian or Austrian parents and are
orphans in a strange country unable to
speak the language of those who are do
ing everything possible for their comfort.
The accident was the direct result, it
is said, of the misleading of orders by
Capt w. B. Brubeck, of Charlottesville,
conductor of the local freight. 1t is said
that Engineer Hale failed to comprehend
the orders. While his instructions mott
fed him that the fast train was twenty
minutes late, he read an hour and TWEEN
ty minutes late, and when the express
arrived at Rockfsh the switch was open
from the siding to the main line. The
freight engine was on the frog and the
train on the side track when the passen-
ger train rounded the curve less than a
hundred yards away. The train came
around the bend in the line at this point
and through the cut at the high speed,
it is said, of nearly seventy miles an
hour. The impact precipitated both
engines to opposite sides of the track
and as stated yesterday, caused the two
front cars to telescope the day coaches.
In a twinkling more than score of
persons were instantly killed and almost
as many manned and injured in various
ways.