The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1905-08-24
SCORES DROWN IN TRAIN
Excursion on Atlantic Coast Line
Wrecked Near Norfolk, Va.
PASSENGERS TRAPPED IN CARS

locomotive Draws It's Train Through
Open Draw Into the West Branch Oh
the Elizabeth River Faulty Air
Brakes Are BIamed-Divers Work to
Rescue the Drowning.
Norfolk, Va.-The second section Of
an excursion train from Kinston, N.
c.. ran into an open draw on the west
ern branch of the Elizabeth River, and
two passenger coaches and the engine
plunged into thirty feet Of water.
Divers were soon engaged in the
work of rescue. All the victims, with
possibly two exceptions, were negroes.
Officials Of the Atlantic Coast Line
declare ignorance of orders or direct
carelessness is responsible for the
wreck. The draw, it is said, had been
opened to allow a tug to pass. Faulty
airbrakeS, the engineer says, caused his
train to plunge through the open draw.
Six hundred and fifty passengers Oh
an excursion train from Rock Mount.
n. c., arrived here late in the evening.
They narrowly escaped the fate of the
negro excursion train. A delay of
fifteen minutes at Rocky Mount held
the train and placed the Kinston Sec
ton ahead.
But for this delay the fate Of the
Rocky Mount train might have been
that which befell the Kinston train.
AS soon as the news of the catastro-
phe reached this city ten Norfolk ply
sicians. a score of nurses and every
doctor in the city Of Portsmouth hur-
ried to the scene.
The excursion train consisted of five
coaches, which contained about $50
persons. --
The wrecked train was due to arrive
at Norfolk at 1 o'clock in the afternoon.
Preceding this. train was another ex-
cursion train over the same road,
bringing 800 negro eXcursionists from
Rocky Mount n. c.. Following the
wrecked train there was still another
excursion train, this being composed of
merchants and others from Augusta,
Ga; Charleston, S. c., and Jackson
vile, Fla, bound to Baltimore. Md;
Philadelphia, Pa, and New York City
for the purchase of fall goods.
The first train arrived here at $50
o'clock in the morning without acct
dent. and the Augusta. Jacksonville
and Charleston merchants all left for
the North at night by water.
Engineer c.. F. Riggs and the fireman
saw that the draw was open too late
to stop the train, When almost on the
bridge the engineer applied the air
brakes, but they did not appear to
work properly. The two men jumped.
The engineer landed on the piling of
the bridge AID his face was seriously
cut. The fireman jumped in the water
and was not seriously injured. Con-
ductOr w. F. Morris, of Greensboro, n.
c., was not injured, nor was the
brakeman.
Ehe scene following the wreck was
one Of indescribable confusion, with
the shrieking of men, women and chill.
dren who were drowning and strug-
CLING out of the submerged coach and
floating to rescue those who were i'm
priSOned in the cars. People in the
neighbOrhoOd went to the assistance
of those in the wreck and helped in the
rescue. The injured were taken to the
track embankment and were attended
there by the physicians. Between
twenty and thirty people were in the
front car. These were among the miss
ing. and it was thought that not one
escaped.