The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-08-18
TRAIN PLUNGES
INTO |: The RIVER. !.
The Engine, and Two q Of
the Cars Go Under
thesWater.
THIRTY PERSONS
in FIRST COACH
F ----------- KIN ~
\ The Car Entirely Submurged, and
It is. Believed None Escaped.
It Was An Excursion
Train and The Dead
Are Nearly All
Negroes.
Especial 10 Tho Times DIspntch.)

,&i4# NORFOLK, VA, August 17.-An {Atlnn-
tic Coast Line excursion train from kin
ston. N. c., to this city, consisting OF Ave
coaches and containing 169 passengers.
went through the open draw OF the
bridge at Bruce Station. on the west
@ ern branch, at 70 80 to-day. The engine
& and one coach arc completely submerged
in about twelve feet OF water, the second
coach being partly submerged and lying
on its side against the draw.
with the exception OF the trains crew
and the promoters Of the excursion. all
abotFd were colored.
ThS draw OF the Atlantic Coast Line
was open as tho train approached, to
perlbit the passage or a tug boat Both
Engineer G.. +. Riggs and the fire..
mtl saw the open condition OF the draw
when 1t was too late to stop the train.
VI hen almost on the bridge the engineer
APPLIED the air brakes, but they did not
appear to work properly. The two men
Il jumped, the engineer landed on the piling
OF the bridge and his face was seriously
cut. He Is iotherwisc injured. but VIII
live. The fireman jumped In the water
and was not seriously injured Il. stl
conuctor w. f. Norris, OF Greensboro,
was not injured, nor was the brake
y man. III 5fiet51oi 5l5 g
Scenes Of Horror.
The scenc following the wreck was one
OF indescribablc horror, with the shrek.
ing OF men, women and children VINO
ii wero drowning, struggling. out OF the part
~ submerged coach and floating In the
s river. 4 8s st3it II ss si{&s III g!f a
6ss II The passengers who were unhurt I'M.
o<n1, rts717is IN
were imprisoned In the cars. Norfolk and
Portsmouth were communicated with.
and physicians were sent out on g
wreckIng train. DR.. Holiday. Corbett.
Robertson, Foreman Hatton and Redd
and several others were on the first
car out.
The people in the ncighborhood went
to the assistance OF those IN the wreck
and helped in the rescue. The Injured
were taken to the track cmbankment
and we're attended there by the phys-
clans.
Between twenty and thirty people were
in the front car. Those are among the
missing. and It is not thought that one
escaped. The names OF those are not OBJ
tainable. S
Those. known to be dead are:
COLLINS FERGUSON. the colored
bridge tender OF the Atlantic Coast Line,
I ri
Of the train. s3
EDWARD JoLIFFE, white. one OF the
# promoters OF the excursion.
sl A man named Atkinson, colored. Green
, vile, N. c. had his left leg severed at
tho knee and is fatally injured.
Edward Forbes white OF Greenville, Is
among the injured, 0
Those Injured.
Tho following is list OF the injured,
most Of whom were In the second car.
Y all of these are colored:
Elias. Henley. Kelly Ward, James Al
len, Nancy Waters. Mensley Maradle.
Harrigton, Addie TIlder. salie knight.
II Stewart Troy. Edward Dotdett. Mary.
Allen, William Moyen, Emma Digglns.
William Jackson, Ida Mccoy, Annie Fd-l
wards, Lizzie Etson. Carrie Nelson, Pupil;
Sidney, David Smith. John Mnrrogle,
The engine is completely submerged, not
even the smokestack being visible. The
car next to 1t Is also submerged COM
pletely. and the dead can be rescued from
it only by divers or by raising the car.
The train consisted OF six coaches. Four
OF these stuck to the track. Those aboard
these cars were only shaken slightly, and
few OF them were injured. che damage
to passengers was confined to the first
two cars. \.
The Atlantic Coast Line officials are at
loss to know why Engineer Rggs failed
to stop his train before coming to the
draw. This being tho custom on passen-
ger trains crossing adrawbridg dges. An In
ytstigation OF the@cause OF the wreck
Z will be made at once, and the respons-
t:lity placed where It belongs. n,
Portsmouth was thrown into great ex-
element by the first report of the ca tas-
lRtrophe: extent and nature Of tho dIsas-
ter were entirely unknown, but numerous
+ hurry calls from Pinner's Point to the
city,s physicians added to the excitement
caused by the vague stories afloat As
many doctors as could be reached an
swercd tho summons promptly. and were
soon on their way to the scene III auto
mobiles, carriages and by train. Six ply
s.cians left Norfolk at o'cloc~ for the
scene of the acldent. as well as all who
could be summoned from the section
around Bruce and Portsmouth,
Help to Uninjured.
Genera Agent CioIdsborough NJ. Serpell,
OF the Coast Line, is in California Ills
J son, Superintendent W>ooten. and other
officers of the road, went out with several
relief coaches, and the Norfolk physicians
with the expectation Of arriving at the
Fl scene Of the wreck. about $3.50 p. M.
The road reports say that 169 passengers
we're on the .Kinston excursion. The water
under the draw is deep enough to make
!, the accident serious under adverse con-
ditlons, Drs, Graves, Ruffin, Leigh,
Payne and other Norfolk physicians and
available nurses left here on a special
tug this afternoon to relieve the injured,
4 large number Of relatives and friends
of excursionists who We're expected here
on the train are assembled at the Nor-
folk and Western depot anxloasiy Y. await
Ing news, from the scene, Bruoe's Sta.
. CONTINUED on Seventh Paysl