Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1905-08-19


at present of getting at the figures.
The eXcursionists here have returned
home and no one here knows the mum.
Der in the ears.
According to statement of the CHI
gincer's as given to Constable john J.
Thompson he had no orders to stop at
the bridge and rs this was his first trip
on this lhe he knew nothing of the
bridge, that lie saw no signal and that
he was running at schedule time. Mr.
Thompson rescued and dressed the ill.,
iurics OF the wounded.
A small flag. l2x1i, nearer dirty
white than rcd, was used in an at
tempt to flag down the train as it adj
vanccd towards the bridge at the rate
Of twenty-five miles an hour. Mr..
Thompson has a remnant Of the flag
and a person standing fifty feet from
the flag could not tell whether il was
white or rcd.
Refused to Ferry Wounded.
Constable John j. Thompson, who
was one of the rcscucrs. said he
reached the scene of the wreck I'M
mcdiatcly after the crash. lie request
cd Captain Walker. of the tugboat
Glendale. to convey the wounded from
the western side Of tho Western
Branch to the eastern side, so that
they might he more easily conveyed to
Norfolk and Portsmouth for medical
treatment.
Captain Walker refused" said Mr.
Thompson, ito lend this assistance
He gave as his excuse that lie had no
license to carry passengers"
The tug had in tow log raft which
had Just passed through the draw into
which the engine and cars made their
deadly plunge. Mr. Thompson has been
! on the scene all night assisting in
, many ways in the work of rcscuing
Many uf the estimates place the loss
ut over one hundred; even the most
conservative range between fifty and
branch contains many dead bodies no
one who has viewed the wreck doubts.
Blame has been attached to the rail
road company. because of the manner
| III which the first car was taken from
the water. This coach WAS slnntins,
into the water and wa3 mostly sub:
! naturally reached dry land at a steep
slant. AS result, seats. cushions,
etc, were washed out, and il is claim
cd that n large numisr of the bodies
have been washed away by the sweep
of the tide.
A well known citizen is authority for
The statement thn' diver. in min
u,c's trim, brougp two bodies to the
lsurface and announced that there
J., were moro BEND. An evident de-
sire Of the raillad to conceal the true
;. extent Of the nlamity has been evil
dent throughtt, as was shown Thurs
|, dav night VIII Train Dispatcher b. L.
Hughes rayDut the statement, dated
Il $40 o'clocthat only two people had
been killed
IL Seveuodics Had Been Found
Long pre- this time, as can he tes
F" tilted to- hundreds of people, many
of whoarc connected with the rail.
road icn lifclcss bodies had been
placc BOARD relief train. This ar
raw f,odics was Witnessed by hund.
reds citizens before the train dis
natl gave out his Statement" and
cords at SCOTS undertaking cs.
tpihment will bear this declaration
q photographs already taken also
" ~ seven lifclcss bodies stretched on
W" beach. and these were taken i'm
early afternoon of the tragedy.
swept down the stream are the re.
hains of many and statements of tho
divers are to the effect that a large
quantity of them arc so mutilatcd that
recognition will he difficult, if not i'm.
possible. Strenuous claims were
made that the railroad people made
the grossest mistake in the removal of
the first submerged car, details Of
which have been given.
: In Total Disregard of Friends.
In the opinion Of many it WINS done
with total disregard for the negroes
who had been waiting to identify and
attend to The bodies of friends and
relatives.