The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1905-08-25
By Excursion Train PIunging
Twenty-Five Feet in River.
BRAKE DIDN'T WORK.
The Train Was from kinston, N, G., on
the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. /
All, Except Two Of the In.
fortunate Victims, Were
COIorad Doo,t
Colored People.

A dispatch from Norfolk, Va. sava
1hat owing to the inability of Enoi.
neer u. L. Rsig TO cotroi his air brakes.
an excursion train from Kinston NJ
" bound to that city, plunged through
an open draw In bridge over the
western braLca Of the Elizabeth river
@t Bruce station, eight miles from,
Norfolk, Thursday afternoon. and 6o
PERSONS mostly negroes, were dro gn.
ed.
Up to o late hour Thursday night
only seven bodies had been recovered
from the wreckage. The list of iniur-
cd 80 FAR as can be ascertained, num-
bsrs nearly 100, though most OF these
are slightly hurt. A large numer of
physicians from Norfolk and ne lrbv
clues went. to the scene.
Among the victims, the only white
ones were Edward Jolitfe, manager of
The excursion, and Edward Forbes.
who assisted him, both OF Greenyille'
a. q. The Merritt wrecking organiza.
zion Thursday night dispatches an ex-
pedition from Norfolk to the soene
tor the purpose Of raising the sunken
cars, which lie In about 25 feet OF
water. UnHl the cars are raised. no
accurate estimate OF the number ne
the dead can be given.
Ine train was composed of an on.
<ine and six passenger cara Tha on.
glne and 6wo cars went through the
raw, leaving the four rear cars IN
5ne track. One Car was comple5ely
submerged and the other partly sub.
merged. Nothing is visible OF the TO-
;omoliyo not even the smokestack. 1t
oelleVed every occupant Of the ifst
,ar perished. The cead can be COTTON
ou5 only by diving under the car. The
scene following the wreck was one OF
indescribable horror, with the shrek
ug OF men, women aud children, who
were drowning, struggling out of the
partly subma arged coach and floating
IN the river.
Inc passengers who were uninjured
mmsdiately started to rescue those
ttn prisoned lin the oars, Norfolk and
PORTSMOUTH were Communicated with
md physicians were sent out on q
Rrecking train. Many people in the
le1gnborhood went to the scene Of the
9reck and helped In the rescue. The
INJURED were taken to the track en-
oankment and were attended there by
The physicians. Collins Ferguson, tha
olored bridge tender Of the Atlantic
Coast Line, was knocked from the
oridge by the impact and killed. En-.
sinecr Rsig aud Fireman Alfred Coon.
n, colored, escaped by jumping. The
wrecked train left Kinston, N. O., at
I O'Clock Thursday moruing with 1856
tolored excursionists for Norfolk. IT
HaS due to arrive at Norfolk at |
o'clock Thursday afternoon.
Following this train was another ex-
'ursion train over the same road bring.
ng 800 excursionists from Rocky
Mount, N. @. Preceding the wrecked
rain was still another excursion train
carrying some 800 merchants and
)thers from Augusta, Ga, Charleston,
5. O., and jacksonville, Fla, bound to
| Baltimore. Philadelphia and New
York, for the purchase or fall good.
This first train arrived at Norfolk
st $50 O'Clock Thursday morning
Without accident and the Augusta,
Jacksonville and Charleston merchants
eft for the north Thursday night by
water. The Rocky Mount excursion
lists and the survivors Of the wreck
9ere brought to Norfolk over the Nor.
| folk and Western.