The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1905-08-23
FIFTY KILLED
BY Excursion Train Plunging
Twenty-Five Feet in River.
BRAKE DIDN'T WORK.
The Train Was from Kinstoa, N. C., on
the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad,
All, Except Two of the In.
fortunate Victims, Were
Colored People.
BRAKE DIDN'T WORK.

A dispatch from Norfolk, Va, says
that owing to the inability Of Engi-
neer D. L. Rsig to cotrol bis air brakes,
an excursion train from Kirston, n.
c., bound to that city, plunged throu Oh
an open draw in bridge over the
western braLca OF the Elizabeth river
at Bruce station, eight miles from
Norfolk, Thursday afternoon, and so
persons, mostly neg-ces, were drown
ed.
Up to late hour Thursday night
only seven bodies had been recovered
from the wreckage. The list Of injur-
cd so far as can be ascertained, num-
bers nearly LOG, though most OF these
are slightly hurt. e large numer Of
physicians from Norfolk and nearby
cities went to the scene.
Among the victims, the only white
ones were Edward Jolif7e, manager Of
the excursion, and Edward Forbes,
who assisted him, both OF Greenville,
N. G. The~Merrit wrecking organiza-
tion Thursday night dispatches an ex-
pedition from Norfolk to the scene
for the purpose OF raising the sunken
cars, which lie in about Is feet OF
water. Until the cars are raised, no
accurate estimate Of the number OF
the dead can be given.
The train was composed Of an en-
3ine and six passenger cars. The en-
CINE and two cars vent through the
draw, leaving the four rear cars on
the track. One car was completely
submerged and the other partly sub
merged. Nothing is visible Of the 10
eomoiive not even the smokestack. 1t
Is believed every occupant of the first
car persisted. The 6ead can be gotten
out only by diving under the car. The
scene following the wreck was one Of
indescribable horror, with the shrek
|: 6 of men, women and children, who
we're drowning, struggling out Of the
partly u5merged coach and floating
In the river.
The passengers Who were uninjured
Immediately started to rescue those
imprisoned in the cars. Norfolk and
Portsmouth were communicated with
and physicians were sent out on a
Wrecking train. Many people in the
oeighborhood vent to the scene Of the
wreck and helped in the rescue. The
injured were taken to the track en-
oankment and were attended there by
the physicians. Collins Ferguson, the
colored bridge tender Of the Atlantic
Coast Line, was knocked from the
bridge by the impact and killed. En-
gineer Reig and Fireman Alfred Coop
er, colorse, escaped by jumping. The
wrecked train left Kins5on, n. c., at
o'clock Thursday morning with 165,
colorsd excursionists for Norfolk, It
was due to. arrive at Norfolk at ]
o'clock Thursday afternoon.t
Following this train was another ex-
cursion train over the same road bring
ing 800 excu1sionists from 3ockg
Mount, N. c. Preceding the wrecked
train was still alother excursion train
carrying some 800 merchants and
others from Augusta, Ca, Charleston,
S. c., and Jacksonville, Fla bound to
Baltimore, Philadelphia and New
York, for the purchase OF fall good.
This fist train arrived at Norfolk
at $50 o'clocS Thursday morning
without accident and the Augusta,
Jacksonville and Charleston merchants
left for the north Thursday night by
water. Tie Rocky Mount excursion
lists and the survivors Of the wreck
we're brought to Norfolk over the Nor
folk and Western.