The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1903-02-05
A HORRIBLE FATE.
A WHOLE FAMILY DROWNED IN
THE MISSISSIPPI.
An Immigrant Car Plunged Into the
River at the Vicksburg Incline.
\ Very Sad Story.

River at the NiCkSDurS Incline.
\ Very Sad Story.
At an early hour Monday was
known to many in Shreveport that an
immigrant car had plunged into the
Mississippi river at Vicksburg and that
family of six had been drowned in
sight of number of people who could
give no assistance The Picayune's spe-
cia1 correspondent at Vieksburg gives
the details as follows:
Nicksburg, Miss, Feb. III. H. Land
of Newton, Miss, and all of his family
of six. foated about, dead inclosed in a
box. car, which had broke loose from tire
switch engine OH the Vicksburg, Shreva-
port and Pacific incline tonight shortly
alter O'Clock. and ran down the in
cline, over the transfer boat Delta and
into the Mississippi river.
The accident is without parallel in
this section, and brave hearted railroad
men are now standing almost transfixed
| with CONSERVATION at the very awful
lness. Of the situation. The last heard of
| Land was his sllrieks for assistance.
which twenty men, standing helplessly
| by, could not give him Acting Super
lintendent Dabney, who was in the place
lof Superintendent Ford, at the head of
a force of willing workers, for hours.
was endeavoring to remove the bodies
| from the car as it noatea around the
river, sometimes showing itself hallway
above the surface Of the water, and then
going under, being drawn to the surface
again by the ropes the railroad men sue
ceeded in getting around it, He did not
succeed until 10 o'clock to night.
]. Fl. Land is supposed to be poor
farmer from Newton, who is thuoght to
have had his family III the e1nigrant car
with him when he was plunged to death.
The river is, hard to work in, and
great caution had to be taken so that the
men would not get mixed up in dread
full eddy just where the car floats.
The big transfer boat Pelican, thel
new boat which has not yet been in
service, les just III the rear of where
the floating car lies, the old boat being
still in service. The new boat is ready
to be commissioned next week.
Your correspondent, who was the
only newspaper man to go right to the
scene tonight, found Yard Master Dunn,
who told the following story of the ac-
cident
i was present when switch engine
No. 4o4, in charge OF Engineer Mooney,
started to back half dozen cars down
the incline. How the cars broke loose |
can not say, but they started and few
down the incline, which is about 200
yards long, at a rapid rate, and there
was no way to stop their fight heard |
screams from the man in the car, but |
whether there were more people in the
car with him | can not say. he car ran
over the transfer boat and clear through |
her back end and dropped off her stern
into the river, where it broke loose from
the others and f1oated about in the river
for several hundred feet
he men stood around and could not
do anything and it was awful not to be
able to give any assistance.
From man who says he say the way
bills of freight train No. 81, your cor
respondent learns that Land had his
family with him, and he had car or so
of stock moving from Newton, Miss, to
Monroe, La.
Several doctors went down to the
transfer station, but they were of mol
service. as no sounds were heard FROM
the unfort,1nates in the car after a sllortl
time after the accident
Acting Superintendent Dabney has
the wrecking train on the scene, and isl
now engaged in pulling out the cars in
the water, but it is thought that it will
be impossible to get at the car in which
the people are until morning
The Nicksb,ug, Shreveport and Pal
cif1c transfer iieline is q peculiarly sit
aafed plaee,lIt IS about two miles below
tie CITY prope and the trans Of this
toad have q descend preeipnauss is,-