The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1903-02-23
Woodward Ore Tran Backed Into
Dummy al Brighton Station
PASSENGERS ABLE TO
GO TO THEIR HOMES
Engineer of Dummy States That His
Fireman Tagged Crossing and
That There Was no Train
in Sight.

Ten people were injured last night about
$3.50 o'clock by an ore train of the Wood
ward Iron company backing into Bes-
semer dummy at Woodward station,
sometimes called Brighton. No one was
fatally, not even seriously hurt. and all
were able to go home. The injured are
White.
ARTHUR D. HAYES, Sl2 Second ave-
nue. Birmingham leg and back bruised
CHARLES II. IRMLER. 22S North
Ninteenth street head cut.
w. SHREDDER. Cullman, bruised in
ternally.
]. E. FUNDERBURG, conductor of
dummy, Birmingham, face and ear cut
Two Italian women, names not known,
heads cut.
Coored.
CHARLES JOHNSON. Ensley, face
cut.
SQUIRE THOMAS. Birmingham. head
and hip bruised.
r. A. MAHoNEY. Birmingham, leg
bruised.
r. A. RICHARDS, Birmingham, body
bruised.
Had just Started.
From the best information obtainabe
last night the dummy had just started
away from Woodward station for Bir-
mingham and the engine baggage car
and half of the first coach had passed
the ceossing of the Woodward companys
mine track when an ore train backed into
two coaches and knocked them off the
track. Both turned over and the in
iuries were received then. 1t seemed
marvellous that no one was more serious
ly hurt than they We're. The ore tram
was not moving very rapidly at the time
and this accounts for the fact that no
one was injured.
The dummy left Bessemer at S:15 o'clock
and was well loaded with people return
ing to Birmingham and intermediate
points from a day in Bessemer 1t con-
sisted of an engine, tender, baggage car
and two coaches.
Cause Not Known.
The cause of the ore train backing into
the dummy is not known. The fireman of
the dummy had tagged the crossing, as Is
required, and gave the engineer the sig
nal to go ahead. He did SO and the dunn
my was barely in motion before the coll
lision came. 1t is not f1own whether
there was a light on the rear of the ore
train.
The crossing is right at Woodward sta
ton on the dummy line.
r. r. Engineers Statement.
The statements Of Engineer Henry
Thompson, Front Conductor Allgood and
Rear Conductor Funderburg all coincide.
The following is the statemen' of the en-
gineer made to j. b. McClary, general
manager of the railway department, over
the telephone, and it is confirmed by both
the conductors:
Il had stopped at Woodward station,
otherwise known as Brighton, two or
three minutes to let some passengers off.
AS is the rule, the fireman tagged the
crossing and saw nothing coming either
way The crossing is directly at the sta
ton | started the train and had just
pulled the engine and baggage car past
the crossing, and the first coach was on
the CROSSING when the Woodward ore
train backed into IT, knocking IT off the
track and pulling the rear coach with it.
Both turned over. One man Is injured,
but no bones are broken. and several 9TH
ers are more or less bruised"
special train was sent to Woodward
as soon as possible and the debris clean
cd away 1t was in charge of Superin-
tendent Harris. who was accompanied by
Master of Trains Hewlett and Train Dis
patcher Lowry. DR.. J. C. LeGrande the
company physician, also went to attend
to the wounds of any who needed 1t.
The injured and bruised were cared for
by DR.. Edmundson of Woodward. in
few minutes after the wreck. With the
special train was a wrecking car and
crew.
Mr. McClary stated last night that there
were two conductors on every dummy,
one on the front coach and the other on
the rear coach