The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-05-25
VIVID ACCOUNTS OF
WRECK ON |. & N.
Mr. CantreIl and Captain Baker
Tell of Experiences
M MIRACULOUS ESCAPES
One Woman Was Pulled From Water
BY Her Hair Just In Time to
Prevent Her Being
Drowned.
MIRACULOUS ESCAPES

J. G. Capuell, assistant general freight
agent of the Seaboard, with headquarters
in Birmingham, who was injured in the
Louisville and Nashville wreck near CO.
lumbia, Tenn, Tuesday morning, went to
Browns inhrmary yesterday. his foot is
badly cut and he was severely Jared and
bruised by his experience. He will be in
the hospital several days.
Several other passengers who were on
the sleepers and who stopped over in
Birmingham, have returned TO their homes
as the physicians who examined them
here stated that their bruises and cuts
might result seriously if they did not
take a rest.
Mr.. Cantrel gives a very vivid account
of the narrow escape he had from being
killed, and afterwards from drowning
He said:
II was in the center of the last sleep
er. When the abutment gave way the
sleeper broke in two at the center one
part falling into the main channel OF the
stream and the other end into the back
water ON the right of the embankment. l
was in the lower berth, and when the
car split in the center it threw me up
against the berth, and | was pinned there
by the debris and the upper berth. 1t
was a long time before L could be re-
leased. Several men with axes finally cut
me out of the place. l was pretty severely
cut by the glass from the window and
my body is bruised in several places.
After looking at the wreck | am as
tonished that score of people were not
injured severely or killed. 1t was miraeu-
lous, and | cannot understand it at all"
Captain Bakers Statement.
Capt. j. w. Baker of Nashville, presi-
dent of the Ensley Land company, was
in the same car with Mr.. Cantrell, and
there were about nineteen others In the
sleeper. All escaped serious injury Mr.
Baker gave the following account of the
wreck yesterday;
"As l understand it, the engineer felt
the bridge giving way under the engine
and he threw open the throttle and tried
to get the train across before the bridge
collapsed. He succeeded in getting all the
train except the last two sleepers out of
danger The first sleeper passed over
safely, and the second one passed before
the bridge gave way, but it was thrown
over on it's side in the baekwater to the
right of the tracks, when the third and
last sleeper went down.
"Our sleeper, which was the last, had
evidently just gotten over the abutment
when 1t gave way The middle of the
sleeper came down on top OF the abut-
ment and split in two in the middle. One
end fell back in the main channel of
and the front end fell into the back
water.
MIR Cantrell was caught b. the debris
and pinned down for some time until we
cut him out. A minutes after the first
crash someone followed that all danger
was passed and to take our time In get
ting out. We were dressing with some de-
gree of leisure when he called again, and
told us to hurry as fast as possible as
a freight train was following us and
would come head end into the wreck in a
minute. We all hurried out of the car
and 1t was fortunate that we did, as the
water rose rapidly. and In few minutes
it would have been exceedingly difficult
to get out. 1t Is even doubtful II we
could have gotten out. as the water rose
so fast. The Misses Clements were in the
berth opposite mine, and we saw that
they got out and did what we could to
aid them. A lady and gentleman in the
berth over Mr.. Cantrell escaped without
injury.
Ladys Marrow Escape.
'One lady in the second sleeper, which
had only five passengers, had the mar
rowest escape of any one. The Tour or
five men in the sleeper were climbing out
as the water was rising rapidly. One
of them happened to look back and saw
this lady's hair floating on the top of
the water lie hurried back and vast
Just in time to pull her head above the
water. She was almost Unconscious. BY
the time he had done this the means OK
exit was cut off and he had to break ms
way through the top of the sleeper ana
pull her out in that way. 1t was heroic
deed This sleeper had turned over Oh
it's side and rolled into the back water.
I'VE though at first that we were not
going to be able to flag the freight train
in time to prevent ts running into the
wreck, but just before 1t arrived we saw
a countryman, who lived near. going down
the track to flag it. We were on the
south side of the creek and the freight
train was coming from the north. 1t was
Impossible to cross the creek, the water
was very high and it was "a raging tor
rent.
For, the life of me I cannot see how
we all escaped alive. The train was going
at a tremendous rate OF speed and that
alone would have been seeming cause for
several to have been killed in such an
accident
I'VE all had to leave the sleeper with
out any clothing except that which we
MARA xvao ring while i'm he'd THE naOule on