Virginia gazette. [volume] (Williamsburg, Va.) 1893-192?, 1905-08-26
PLUNGED TO DEATH
Loaded Excursion Train Goes lats
Open Draw Bridge
cARELESSNEss OF TEE ENGINEER


Norfolk. Va. speciai-Owing 20 ths
inability OF Engineer ID. T. REG 20
control his air areaSs. an excursion
train from Kinston. y. c.. bound 20
this city. plunged through an open
draw In a bridge over the western
branch % the Elizabeth river az Bruce
station. eight miles from Norfolk.
Thursday afternoon. and a hair hun
drcd persons. mostly negroes. we're
drowned. Dp 90 a late hour Thursday
night only seven bodies had been IT,
covered from the wreckagc. The list
~ injured so far a. can De ascertain
ga. numbers nearly one hundred.
E though most q these are slightly hurt
A large number % physicians from
I this and nearby cities have sone % ths
scene.
Only Two White Victims
Among the victims. the only Wits
ones were Edward Jcli1e. managcr q
f the excursion. and Edward Forbes.
Who assisted him. both o. Greenvtlie.
y. G.
The Merritt wrcck.ng rEanigation
dispatched an expedition 90 the scene
Tor tae purpose 90 raising the sunSen
cars. which Tie in about IS fe-t % wa
Ger Unul tho cars are raised. no accu-
rate estimate ~ the number ~ dead
can be- given.
The train was composed oc an en-
CINE and slN passenger cars The en-
zine and two cars went through the
draw. leaving the four rear cars On
the track. one ear was completely sub
merged and the othcr partly submerg-
, ed Nothing ia visible q the locomo-
1--WE. not even the smoke stack. it -
, believed every occupant OF the nrst
. car persisted. The dead can be gotten
, out only by diving under the car
: Struggle Terrible 90 See
q The scene following the wreck waa
/, one ~ indescrihable horror. with TIA
> shrickinF ~ men. women and child
j. ren. who were drowning struggling
out ~ the partly submerged coach and
p noaUur ln the river.
= The passengers who were uniuiurei
p Immediately started % rescue those
- imprisoned In The cars. Norfolk and
& Portsmouth, were cummunicate
a with and the physicians were sent out
~ on a wrccklng train. Many people In
n the neighhorhoot went % the seems
a. 90 The wreck and helped in the rescue
n The injured were taken % the cacl
n- embankment and were attended Their
a. by the physicians.
H. Collins Ferguson. the col0red britg
IS. tender Of the Atlantic Coast Line, va
a knocked from the bridge by the In
"a pact and killed Engineer Reig an
In . Fireman Alfred Cooper. colored. q.
A. capped by jumping
AZ Trains before ard Behind.
hs The wrecked train LEFT kinstou.
is c.. az o'clock Thursday mornln
he with 1865 cOl0red eNcursionists z,
Ta a. 60 81. Hr.a AZ u
ie- folk at 4 o'clock the same day. FL
Ia lowing this train was another excu
I'D sion over the same road bringing 81
on excnrsionists from Rocky Mount. y.
me Preceding the wrecked train was st
uo- another excursion train carrying son
~. 900 merchants and others from AuEu
Ing "a. Ca. Charleston 8. G. and Iacksc
ing Vile. Fla bound to baltimore. Phi
lil- delpha and New York for the "a
ing chase OF faL goods.
,th- The nrst train arrived az 8.
un- O'Clock Thursday morning without
,as- cident and the Augusta. lacksonvi
and Charleston merchants ali left
the the North Thursday nisht by wat
i've The Rocky Mount excursionlsts a
OF the survivors of the wreck ~
\ Of brought here over the Norfolk g. We
lers ern-
.ud- Engineer couldn't Explain.
pro- The Atlantic Coast Line officials
the a. a loss t0 know Why Engineer Re
cum failed to stop his train before com
llle- 90 the draw, as required by the ru
of the road An Investigation OF
that cause Of the wreck will be made
OF once. and the responsibility pia
1900 where II belongs
tive Reigs. himself. could make no
in PLANTATION. He was brought 20
men. folk. He was taken from the barge
how the shoulders ~ three men. He en-
i the Ell the hospital ambulance on
alive knees. crawled &c pillow tn the z
cen and buried bis head In H. He G
% de- only tell that his name was s
rhole Reigs and that his home was in
very ! Radford. Va. He could not give
the cause OF the disaster. and the al
.iOns- lance was hurried AZ once 20 the