The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1903-09-28
FAST NAIL TRAIN WRECKED
NINE KILLED AND SEVEN IN
JURED ON SOUTHERN r.. r.
Running al High Rate of Speed the
Train Leaps from TrestIe Seventy
fsve Feet High Near DanviIIs, Va
Not one OF sas Crew Eacaped-AII OF
tho Inj ured Seriously Hurt and some
OF Them WIN Die.

Charlotte, N. c., Sept. 27.-While run
ming at high rate Of speed the South
ern Railways southbound fast mail
train jumped from a trestle seventy-five
feet high, half a mile north of Danville,
Va, this afternoon and was almost de-
molished OF the crew sixteen men, in
Guiding mail carriers, on the train, nine
We're killed and seven injured. The
dead: E.4@e
Engineer j. A. Brody, saltsville.
Fireman A. G.. Clapp, Greensboro. n. c.
Conductor Tom Blair. Central. n. G..
Mail Clerks ], L. Thompson. Washington;
w. I. Chambers, Midland, Va; d. I. Flor
ry, Nokesville, Va; P. N. Ardanwright,
Mount Clinton, Va.
Flagman G. s. Moody. Raleigh, n. G. .
Twelve year old son Of ]. L. Thompson.
The injured are: .5 .
Mail Clerks Louis w. Spier. Manassas,
Va; Frank E. Brooks, Charlottesville, Va;
Perciyal Indenmauer, Washington; Charles
T.. Reames Culpepper. Va; Jennings ]. Dun
lap Washington; NJ. G. Maupin, Charlottes-
vile, Va, and ]. Harrison Thompson, st.
Luke. Va.
All of the injured men are seriously
hurt. and have been taken to the hos
pital in DanvilIe. The recovery of Mail
Clerk Spiers is not expected, and other
clerks are thought to have received
mortal injuries.
The trestle where the accident oc-
Cured Is 500 feet long and is located on
sharp curve. Engineer Brody was a
new man on that division of the South
ern and 1t is said he came to the curve
at very high rate Of speed.
~, n s,I,n
feet on the trestle when it sprang from
the track, carrying with it four mail
cars and an express car. The trestle,
a wooden structure. also gave way for
a space of fifty feet ,5s.:.s (
At the foot Of the trestle is a shallow
stream with rocky bottom. Striking
this the engine and cars were reduced
to d 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 trestie.
Several thousand people were soon at
the scene Of the wreck. No one on
any OF the cars had made an effort to
jump and the bodies of all those killed
were found in the wreckage of the diff
ferent cars to which they belonged. It@
seemed miraculous that any one shoslld
have escaped. for each car falling with
the engine bounded from 1t and COM
p1etely 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 canary birds. None Of the
birds was hurt though the crates were
in the thickest of the debris. All unof-
fetal opinions that have been ascertain
ed agree In giving only one cause for
the Wreck-tl1e high speed of the train
on the sharp curve. The train was run
ming about an hour behind time. 1t is
thought that the engineer being unfa-
1niliar with the road, did not take into
consideration the danger Of coming on
the curve with such great velocity.
The mail bags in all the mail cars
were torn open and the letters and
packages were scattered, but it is be-
Iieved none IS lost Fire. which APP
peared In the Wreckage shortly after it
occurred. was quickly extinguished by
] the DanviIle fire department. d
The Inflated train was the regular
ma. train which carried mail from
eastern points TO the west and south
west, coming over the Southern Rail-
way from Washington to Atlanta. No
passengers were. carried on the train
between the two points, the train being
made up Of an express car and three or
four mail cars.
The time card Of the train calls for
a fast schedule and stops are made on
ly for change Of engines.