Los Angeles herald., 1906-11-30
Southern Railroad
President Is
Victim
Eleven Others Manned
and Some Injured
May Die
List of Deae Includes Men Who Are
Prominent in Financial World
j. P. Morgan Overcome
by Grief
By Associated Press.


By Associated Press.
LYNCHBURG, Va, Nov. 29.-Samuel
Spencer, president of the Southern
Railroad company, and recognized as
one of the foremost men in the develop
ment of the southern states, and six
other persons were killed and eleven
+. others injured early this morning in a
rear-end collision between two fast
passenger trains three miles south Of
Lynchburg and mile north of Law
ycrs depot. Philip Schuyler, retired
capitalist of New York, was among the
killed, together with other guests of
Mr.. Spencer. OF those on Mr.. Spencer's s
car Mr.. Spencer's private secre-
tary e. A. Merrill of New York, and
one of three porters survived the acci-
dent. t/A
The Dead:
PRESIDENT SAMUEL SPENCER,
New York.
CHARLES D. FISHER, Baltimore.
PHILLIP SCHUYLER, New York
FFANCIS II. REDWOOD, Baltimore.
ID. w. DAVIS, Alexandria, Va, pri-
vate dispatcher to President Spencer.
J. w. SHAW colored. Spencer, N c.,
fireman; crushed and both legs broken.
An unknown person, whose head and
limbs are burned off short, who is be-
lieved to be ithe third porter on the
private car, who is missing. His name
cannot be learned.
The Injured:
Lucretia Allen, colored, Danville,
Va, leg cut off and arm broken.
Willis l. Winston, New York; leG
broken. - ~
William Pollard negro porter on
President Spencer's car.
Garland Thomas, colored, Greensboro,
N. c., leg broken.
P. L. Vauls, colored, Waynesboro,
Va, crushed.
Cora Logan, colored, both legs
broken.
Sam Cox, colored, porter on the pri-
vate car; leg broken.
- Cruett, address unknown, supreme
organizer of the Heptasophs, back
badly wrenched.
Hoglan, colored, Charlotte, N. c.,
bruised.
e. A. Merrill, New York, private Sec
retary to President Spencer head and
arms burned; will recover.
All Were Sleeping
President Spencer and his entire
party, so far as is known, were Sleep
ing when the collision occurred and
the probabilities are that all of them
excepting Dispatcher Davis were killed
instantly. 1t is certain that life was
extinct before the flames touched them.
President Spencer's body was burned
almost beyond recognition, as was that
of Mr.. Fisher. The hody OF Mr.. Schuy-
Ter was recovered before it was burned
very much. President Spencers car
was attached to the rear of the jack
sonville train which was standing
still when struck.
President Spencer's charred corpse
was found under the big locomotive of
the rear train. So great was the force
of the impact that the forward train
was sent at least $50 feet ahead. Until
the debris had burned itself out and the
engine cooled off the bodies could not
be removed.
The combination car of the rear train
crashed into the express car ahead of
1t. Forty feet of it was splintered,
leaving the rest of the car strewn with
tons of baggage, and colored passengers
who were jammed back by the express
car How the negro passengers in the
"Jlm Grow" part of the train escaped
death is beyond explanation.
Train Running Slow
rhe wreck occurred on the crest of a
steep grade when the Atlanta train
COulQ IOl nave Detil Iuillllll6 IilOIC Hieill
thirty miles an hour. If so fast. II il
had been mile or two farther south
the number of dead might have been
frightful, as the train was about two
hours behind it's schedule, condition
taken with the down grade that would
have meant a speed of more than sixty
miles an hour.
1T was reported at first that En-
gineer Kinney of Spencer, N. c., who
I'm QbnrOA nf the anp'ina of the A r.
lanta train, was killed, but this proved
incorrect. He suffered only a few
slight bruises and cuts.
The collision was between train No
3S, the Jacksonville express, and No. 81
the Washington & Southwestern vesti-
bule limited both southbound The
former train had stopped at the top Of q
heavy grade to repair a slight break
down. and the other train dashed into
It before a fiagman could get back tc
give warning The heavy engine OF
the train plowed into Mr.. Spencer
car, which Immediately caught fire
The wreckage was piled around the en-.
gine and every portion of the wood
work on the engine was burned ano
the engine itself torn and twisted into
useless mass of debris.
Dies from injuries
Dispatcher Davis was alive when
taken from the wreck. lie was
crushed about the lower part of his
body and conscious to the end He
stated to his rescuer that he knew
he was dying. place your finger IN
my mouth" he said, "it feels so cool
and goodn
ln resopnse to his pleadings a fell
low passenger remained with him for
ten minutes until he saw that nothing
more could be done for Davis
Passengers were taken from the
comhnafIon ar of the forward train.
ffonffaos,l an lasre fl,txol