Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-18
Latest Details Of Yesterdays
Accident Near Norfolk.
PROVES TO BE A HORROR
DIVERS AT WORK REMOVING
BODIES FROM RIVER.
Carload Of Unfortunates, Men, Women
and Children, Found Drowned in
Submerged Car.

o clock this morning there were only twelve
known dead taken from the wreck Of the
Atlantic Coast Line railways Kingston and
Greenville. N. c.. excursion train. though
there are some eighty Of the colored excur-
sionists yet missing. and-the probabilities
are that the bodies of many of these will
be found In the bottom of the river after
all dragging has been completed.
The Merritt & Chapman Derrick and
Wrecking Company raised the two sub
merged cars. but as they did so the ends
fell out Of the cars. and what dead were
therein went to the bottom of the river
with debris from the interior of the
coaches.
The river is now being dragged. and 1t is
expected that number of bodies will be
taken from the water before night. The
latest victims to be found are an unknown
colored man and unknown colored woman
1t having been impossible up to this time
to identify either. These bodies We're taken
from the water this morning.
The Known Dead.
The only white persons known to be dead
up to this time are w. E. jolly, the pro-
moter Of the excursion, and his young
nephew. Edward Forbes.
The other ten are three unknown and the
following: Nancy Pervis of Ayden, N c.;
Rosson PEBBLES of Greenville, Sidney
Thomas of Greenville David Smith of
Greenvile. Jack Atkinson of Pitt county
N. c.; John Marble of Greenville, Mary
Jones of Greenville.
There some 90 or 60 OF these IHu ex-
curs1onists who have come to Norfolk either
slightly injured or bruised. There are
t"enty-three injured at the hospitals with
Twelve known dead. which leaves between
seventy and eighty of the excursionists vet
missing. and 1t is believed that large ma
1orfty of these are at the bottom of the
river.
A revised list of the injured is now being
mace up as fast as possible.
No Statement From Railway.
The Atlantic Coast Line officials have
given out no statement in the matter, but
Cleveland Thompson, an eyewitness, says
that the small danger flag which was
placed on the track to warn the approach
ing kinston train that the draw was open,
though formerly red flag had faded al
most completely white from continuous use
during the last five years.
1t was Engineer s. B. Regis first run over
the Atlantic Coast Line to Norfolk he hav-
ing just come from East Radford Va to
this line. his former employment having
been with the Norfolk and Western railway.
He did not know that he was approa ching
a draw at the time. The faded danger
flag. 1t is declared, was so small that the
engineer did not see 1t, and when he saw
the stop sign, just before he reached the
trestle leading to the draw, his train. which
was moving thirty-five miles an hour, could
not be stopped in time, though he made
every effort to make the danger brakes
work.
Danger Flag Was Small
The small. unseen danger flag is said to
have been only 100 yards from the trestle
which Is a short one. The tug for which
the draw had been opened was just in the
act of passing through when the train
dashed into the water. The tug reversed
her engines quickly and just avoided being
caught by the engine.
Cleveland Thompson declares that En-
gineer Reig remained by his engine up to
the very last and did not jump, as first re-
ported. He went down with the engine and
was badly injured about the head and body.
He is now in the Sarah Leigh Hospital here
and may recover.
j. ]. Thompson, aged sixty years, a
farmer and father Of Cleveland Thompson,
rushed with an ak to the scene of the wreck
and leapfng twenty feet to the top of the
second coach cut a hole in the top OF the
car and rescued thilty-five people just be-
fore the car dropped into the water and be-
came almost completely submerged.
A Carload Of Dead.
At noon today the Merritt & Chapman
Derrick Wrecking Companys divers went
to the bottom Of the river at the scene of
the Atlantic Coast Line wreck In the western
branch Of the Elizabeth river, and found
carload Of dead men. women and children,
these being the victims in the first car be-
hind the engine. whose bodies went into
the river when the end Of the car dropped
out as 1t was raised by derrlcks this morn
ing
Engineer s. E. Reig will live. according
to latest reports from Sarah Leigh Hos
pital. He will make a statement within a
week. Today he is dazed and depressed.
His answers to those who question him
sometimes vague and generally unsatis-
factory.
II had no stops to make" he repeated
Were there any signals indicating that
the draw was open?" he was asked.
Il don't know" was his vague reply.
The Engineer Interrogated.
The house physician at Sarah Leigh Hos
pital. who was present when Engineer Reig
was Intercepted for the Associated Press
suggested that it would be useless to query
him further.
Said the physician: HE is suffering from
his injuries and he is mentally depressed.
Anything he will say now will be unsatis-
factory: have seen many such cases.
''In his present condition the engineer is
suffering under the impression that the
world holds him responsible for the lives
that were lost. 1t weighs upon him. and
he can give no one a satisfactory state
ment. 1t will be a week perhaps before he
will be able to talk satisfactorily. Anything
when his mind becomes more clear"
Reig Is seriously injured. He has a slight
fracture Of the skull near the base of the
brain and he Is severely cut over the left
eye. He is badly bruised about the body
and may have suffered internal injuries.
The work of raising the carload of dead
bodies found in the river will begin at once,
Report is Questioned.
1t is now stated in Norfolk that the re-
port to the effect that divers founr q car
load OF bodies on the bottom Of the river at
the scene OF the wreck Is probably incor-
rect, though the statement may yet be veri-
fled. Direct information on this subject
from the scene of the disaster was not OBJ
tainable early this afternoon. Correspon-
dents In Portsmouth, Va, who first gave
out the news Of the finding of the bodies
at the bottom of the river say that this
rumor is still in circulation though they
cannot verify 1t and believe that the report
Is incorrect.
The belief still prevails here. however,
that many bodies are at the bottom of the
river and will be recovered before night,
there having been no account as yet of the
seventy or eighty "unaccounted for ex-
cursionists.