Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1903-02-16
WORK OF TRAIN wREcKERs.

rank and Engineer and Fireman
IxiIIed-PostaI Clerks Injured
The Florida limited express train over
the Southern Railway which left this
c;ty Saturday night, was wrecked at
Ravensworth, ten miles below Alex
andria at 1915 O'Clock by running into a
misplaced switch. A report of the
wreck was soon received here and a
wrecking train, with physicians, was
sent to Ravensworth with all haste. 1t
was charged that the switch had been
misplaced by train wreckers and one
man found near the scene of the wreck
was taken in custody and held on sus-
picion. He subsequently proved his in
nocence. The Alexandria police depart
ment was requested to send men to the
scene, and accordingly Officers Fer
guson and Lyles, together with
several doctors, left for Ravensworth on
the wrecking train about 2 o'clock.
The news at first was meagre. 1t
was known, however, that Engineer
John Purvis and Fireman Walter
Wigginton, the latter colored, were
killed, but the fate of the passengers was
not ascertaiued until hours later when
it was found they had escaped with a
severe shaking up. Investigation devel-
oped the fact that the catastrophe was
of malicious origin. Other trains of the
Southern had passed that point short
time before, and the switch was in good
order. After the Inflated Florida limited
had been thrown onto the open spur,
by which the engine, tender, mail, and
baggage coaches were derailed and over
turned, killing the engineer and firemen
and injuring the two railway postal
clerks, it was found that the lock of the
switch leading onto the spur had been
broken and the parts taken away, to en-
able the dastardly perpetrator to throw
the switch.
The train consisted of one of the new
passenger engines, No. 1872; mail car,
an express car, a combination car, and
three sleepers-the "Rio Grande," the
Woodland" and the "Salem." 1t
left Alexandria at 1853 and was closely
followed by two other fast trains
Chesapeake and Ohio, No. 5, and
Southern train, No. 81. As the Florida
limited rounded the reverse curve at
Ravensworth, Engineer Purvis sud
denly applied the emergency brake,
and it is presumed that as he came in
sight of the signal target at Ravens
worth he saw that the switch light was
not burning and suspected that all was
not right The train was going at a
rapid rate of speed, but the prompt ac-
ton of the engineer brought it to stop
within a little more than its own
length, but not before the engine and
mail car had left the rails at the ex-
IRENE end of the short spur track at the
station. The engine turned to the
right and ran half way down a steep
embankment, where it was buried sew
eral feet deep in the earth, still retain
ing an upright position. The tender
and its cargo of coal piled onto the cab
of the engine, instantly killing, in all
probability, the engineer and fireman.
The mail car broke from the tender and
turned over to the left, on the main
track. The express car followed the
course of the engine, but did not turn
over.
Victor P. Hammer and n. w.
Borden, the postal clerks, live in Wash
ington. When the mail car left the
main track these men were thrown
violently against the pouch rails on one
side of the car, only to be hurled
forcibly back as the car turned over and
rolled partly into the ditch. Hammer
was severely cut about the face and
sustained serious conclusion of the
brain; Borden escaped with a badly
sprained arm and numerous bruises.
All of the passengers, most of whom
had retired for the night, were shaken
up by the sudden stopping of the train,
but none was injured. In fact, the
sleepers did not even leave the rails.
The news of the accident reached Alex
andria from Burkes station, two and a
half miles south of Ravensworth.
A special train left here, bearing sew
eral railroad officials, Drs. NJ. W..
O'Brien and Arthur Snowden, two
policemen, and wrecking crew. Soon
after the arrival of this train at the
scene of the accident the policemen
questioned the man who had carried the
news of the wreck to Burkes station.
He stated that his name was John Nor
ris, and was until recently fireman ON
the Southern. He said that he was riding
in the engine cab, when suddenly En-
gineer Purvis applied the emergency
brake and closed the throttle. He did
not recollect anything else for some time,
when he found himself lying on the
ground near the wrecked engine. AS
soon as he could collect his thoughts, he
said, he figured on the nearest telegraph
Office. Ditchley is only a mile away to
the north, but he knew that the trains
following could not enter the block until
No. 3S had been reported as having
cleared, so he started on a run fol
Burkes, in order to stop any northbound
train that might be due. The engineer
of the relief train identified Morris and
informed the policemen that a shor
while before No. S3 left Alexandria HI
was talking with him in the roundhous'
in Alexandria.
Immediately after the accident Con
ductor Loving examined the switch ligh
which stands on an upright beam abou
ten feet from the ground. The lamp wa
warm, as though it had only recently beef