The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-04-17
Train Ran Into an Open Switch at Castle
 berry. PASSENGERS NOT INJURED H. L. Donovan of Mobile Was !. Killed Instantly. Debris Caught Fire and Engaged Attention of Trainmen for Some Time-surgeons Were Sent
 to the Scene from
 Montgomery.

 section of southbound passenger train No. 3, which was wrecked at Castleberry at 3:o5 o'clock yesterday morning. is in precarious condition at Montgomery hospital.
 At late hour last night the attending surgeon pronounced his condition some what more favorable than it had been.
 The body of Major Knox, the negro fire- man, who died on the engine. is in the parlors of a Montgomery undertaken awaiting shipment this morning to Ches- ter, s. C., the home of his family.
 The remains of H. L. Donovan, the rail way mail clerk who was killed outright, were taken to his home in Mobile for in- torment.
 The train struck an open switch at Cas- tleberry. d miles south of Montgomery, turned over and the debris caught fire.
 In the wreck. H. L. Donovan, a railway mail clerk of Mobile, and Major Knox. the negro fireman, were killed. Engineer Jack Wright was probably fatally injured and Allen Eaton of New Orleans and E. M. Beyer of Ocean Springs. Miss, rail- way mail clerks, were scalded. The wreck was caused by switch being left open, it is believed, by the crew of southbound freight train No. 13, Conduct or w. S. Dunn in charge. which reached Castleberry just ahead of tn fieying pas senger train.
 The train, which does not stop at Cas- tleberry. was travelling at a good rate of speed when it struck what is known as the cut off, switch just opposite the Matthews Hotel. The switch was open. The engine turned to the westward and fell a mass of debris across the main | track. Six of the seven cars of the train careened and turned over. Several freight cars standing on an adjacent sidetrack were demolished.
 Trainmen and passengers immediately began to fight the fast spreading flames. | They were joined in this work by citizens of Castleberry and the fire was gotten under control. The search for dead and injured was then begun.
 | The first car was the one assigned to carry the mails. It was torn practically to splinters. Four railway clerks were in the car, all of whom were more or less hurt H. l.. Donovan was instantly killed while in the act of catching a mall bag from the crane. Eaton and Beyers were | palnIully BCdIQeu, WHlIe JOHH CldtSh oi New Orleans was slightly bruised.
 News of the wreck was telegraphed to Montgomery. Chief Train Dispatcher | Frank Young and Superintendent J. l Mckinney were called and wreckine crews were ordered out The wreckins
 train from Montgomery left at Ak I o'clock. on board of which was Superin'
 tendent Mckinney and DTS. J. L. Castor
 and Robert Goldthwaite.
 The officials reached the scene of the
 wreck about o'clock and Superintendent
 Mckinney took personal charge Of
 large force of workmen who began clear
 ing away the debris and building tracf so that traffic would not be delayed great ly.
 ) Meanwhile Castleberry surgeons were giving their attention to the injured ones In this work they were joined py th' two Montgomery surgeons.
 | On the Louisville and Nashville pas | senuer train No. which arrived in Mont
 gomery yesterday afternoon at llo O cloci
 was the body of Major Knox and Engl neer Jack Wright, his head crushed ant } his hody bruised. He was accompanied by DTS. Gaston and Goldthwaite. capt Jefferson M. Falkner, District Attorne! of the LOulSVllle anu -NetSANAiiS . and George W. Jones, Assistant Distrlc , Attorney. were also on the train. l Superintendent Mckinney, who wen 1 down on the wrecker, remained at Gas
 tleberry.
 At the railway station MT. Wright wa met by an ambulance, which conveye 3 him to his home. 621 Jefferson Street. ' number of friends of the injured engi
 neer were at the depot. MT. Wright wa unconscious.
 Later in the afternoon MT. Wright wa taken to a Montgomery hospital, wher \ an operation was performed. At lat hour last night he was still unconscious Dr. Gayton who performed the oper ation, said last night:
 .JTnder the circumsta ices l consider tn < condition of MT. Wright favorable. II Is. of course, in a serious condition bu do no think there Is any lmmediat danger. The right side of his head badly crushed and the left side is para l"zed. He IS als" slightly s2lldfd an suffered q number of small contusions. Besides MT Wright. the negro fire man and Mail Clerk Donovan, who wer killed no one was seriously hurt. E. M Beyer and Allen Eaton were both slight ly scalded and were taken to Mobile E Not a passenger was hurt" Dr. Gaston said that when he arrive N at Castleberry, all that the cltlzehs the little town could do had been don'
 MT. Wright had been taken to hous near the scene of the wreck, where h was given every comfort. Mrs. Jack Wright wife of the injure engineer. left yesterday morning at o'clock for the scene of the wreck. bv
 met the train bearing her husband Montgomery, and returned with hin
 Since that time she has been at his bet
 side.
 The skull of the negro fireman wa
 completely crushed. He had relatives
 Montgomery and was respected by bot
 negroes and white people.
 The body of Donovan was taken
 Mobile, as were the passengers, who wel N on the wrecked train.
 M Captain Falkner said yesterday afte
 noon that so far as he knew respons
 bility for the wreck had not been ike
 Railroad men. he said, were of the opil
 lon that the switch was left open
 the crew of freight train No. 13, but
 had been unable to see the engineer
 conductor of that train. The company,
 said. would carefully sift the matter. The news of the wreck created conside
 able excitement in Montgomery yeste
 day morning and there were many e