Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-29
SAMUEL SPENCER
ON THE SOUTHERN
KILLED IN WRECK
Continued from First Page.)


Sam Cox. eli LIST street southwest, WASH
ington. D. c.. leg broken.
All of these are negroes.
MI. Curtis Story.
Mr.. Curtis. the Jamestown. N. Y. man
who led the rescue work. in talking to the
representative of the Associated Press,
said:
81 was sleeping soundly when the impact
took place. thought there had been an
explosion. 1 did not dream of a rear-snd-
collision. 1 asked my friend in the adjoin-
ing berth II he was all right. Getting
favorable reply from him 1 hurried out of
my berth to ascertain the cause of the trou-
BILE. Hurryng into my clothes l went out
to find that the coach. President Speacer's.
was already In a blaze, and then 1t dawned
on me that there had been a rear-end col
lision. The women in the coach were fran
tic, and l thought the first thing was to
quiet them. I assured them that they were
no longer in danger. 1 told them TO take
their time to dress. but get out CT the
coach as soon as possible. When | went
out found that not single thing had been
done for the succor Of those who were
wounded and dying. The passengers were
hurrying out of the cars.
Passengers Dazed.
Through windows and through the debris
began to look around for the wounded. 1t
appeared to me that the passengers who
were uninjured were dazed and they did not
appear to realize that something must be
done. 1 talked to them and they began to
work. You never saw men work harder
in your life.
''In the rear of the Pullman which was
smashed there was q mother with a six
months-old babe. They were in a drawing
room which had been smashed. but. strange
to say. they were not hurt In the slightest.
They were gotten out and taken to safety.
l think there were at least five bodies in
Guiding Mr.. Spencer. that were cremated.
AS far as I know the train attaches did
not aid in the first relief because they had
gone both ways to protect the two trains
from other and more serious trouble.
Zone of the things that struck me for
chilly was the heroic manner in which the
coiored passengers who were injured bore
their sufferings. There was practically not
sound from them. They were laid out in
the fields adjoining the railroad, where they
remained for several hours until they could
be placed in a coach and brought to the
city"
MIR. Curtis has in his possession val
liable case of Jewels which was handed to
him by a lady. He does not know to whom
it belongs, and why it was handed him. 1t
evidently is the property of some one OF
means, as it contains a heavy set diamond
ring and other Jewels Of value
Son Hurrying to Scene.
RALEIGH. N c., November 29.-Presi-
dent Samuel Spencer was on his way south
OIL a short hunting trip, and he had several
guests with him in his private car. which
passed through Washington last night from
New York.
Henry b. Spencer. a son Of President
Samuel Spencer and sixth vice president of
the Southern. railway. was at Greensboro
this morning with a special train ready to
take his fathers party to the hunting pre-
serves at Friendship. on branch line.
Whea advised of the wreck he started i'm
mediateIy with Division Superintendent An
drews for Lawyer.
Probable Cause Of Wreck.
1t is believed that the wreck was caused
by the operator at Rangoon block tele-
graph office allowing the last train on the
block before the first cleared it at Law
yers. The wreck occurred where the train
miles an hour but IL 1t had been mile
farther south 1t seems impossible for a
single person on the train to have escaped
death, as the train would have been rum
ming more than sixty miles. Both trains
were behind schedule-33, two and half
hours. and 81 two hours. A steamer from
the local fire department went to the scene
to extinguish the fire in the coaches. Med
ical aid was dispatched from here early.
Official Statement.
Two Official statements were issued by
the company. one here and one In Knox
VILE. The statement of the local offices
is as follows:
Southern railway passenger train No.
33 left Washington last night late. by
reason Of congested holiday traffic About
$50 am. today, at Lawyers. Va, on
portion of the road protected by block
system, train was stopped for slight re-
pairs to a coupling. Passenger train No.
81, following No. 33, and being given
clear block. ran into the rear OF No. 33,
resulting in a serious wreck. Our pres
ent advices indicate the collision was
probably due to negligence of the opera
tor in allowing No. 81 to pass the block.
President Samuel Spencer of the South
ern Railway Company and party of
friends were in an officers car at the rear
of No. 80. and the reports are that Pr ISL
dent Spencer is killed and several Of the
party seriously injured"
The Knoxville Statement.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn, November 29.-An
official report given out by General Su-
perintendent Richey Of the Southern
Railway Company confirms the report Of
President Spencer's death in a Southern
railway accident this. morning. The re-
port says:
President Samuel Spencer of the South
ern railway, Phillip Schuyler Of Balti-
more, a Southern railway director, and
Operator Davis of Washington were kill
ed in an accident eleven miles from
Lynchburg this morning. Chas. B. Fisher
and a Mr.. Redmond, of Baltimore are
missing. Car No. 100. which was Presi-
dent Spencer's private coach; a sleeper
on No. 33 and a club car on No. 81 We're
destroyed. Mr.. Merrill, private secretary
20 President Spencer. was slightly in
Jured. The accident was caused by pas
senger train No. 33. southbound. stopping
to repair 'knuckle.' The operator mort,
gave first No. 81 a clear block. and IT
ran into the rear of No. 49,"
MI. Spencer's Career.
Samuel Spencer president of the Southern