The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-23
Passenger and Freight Trains
Collide Near Hamlet, n
C., With Fatal Results
FREIGHT is SUPPOSED TO
HAVE OVERLOOKED ORDERS
Both the Second and First-class
Coaches Were Overturned and it
is Feared Death List May Be
Greatly Augmented.

Charlotte, N. c., July 22-In one of the
worst railroad casualties in the history
of this section. about twenty people were
killed, and more than that number injured
as the result of head-on collision be-
tween a through east-bound passenger
train and an extra freight near Rocking
ham, N. c.. four miles west of Hamlet,
at $50 O'Clock this evening.
Many of the victims are said to be me-
greos. Up to midnight the official reports
sent to the general offices of the seaboard
Air Line showed that nineteen dead and
twenty-three injured had already been
taken out Of the wreck Officials of the
company say they cannot tell as yet the
exact extent of the disaster. but express
the opinion that the casualties will not
reach much beyond the figures already
given.
Officials Hurry to Scene.
The officials of the road attribute the
disaster to the failure of the telegraph op-
orator at Rockingham to deliver orders
to the passenger train. AS soon as the
news Of the wreck reached Hamlet,
wreckng engine and crew was sent out,
and the division superintendent and other
officials of the road hurried to the scene
and took charge of the work of3 nelief.
Advices from the wreck are meagre. The
passenger train was No. "A running from
Florida to the north.
The engineer OF the freight saved him
self by jumping. Only few of the bodies
extricated from the wreck have been iden-
titled Both trains we're practically de-
stroyed and the wreckage blocked the
track
The Known Dead.
The known dead are;
Engineer f B. Lewis of passenger train.
Fireman Tom Hill. colored. of passen-
ger train.
Negro fireman, name unknown of
freight.
II. S. Byrd, baggagemaster.
Probably twenty-five others. uniden-
tilted
Railroad men. citizens and passengers
who escaped injury. are working heroical-
ly to recover the dead and injured inn
prisoned In the wreckage.
Coaches are Overturned
Both the second and first class coaches
were overturned and 1t is feared that
the death list viii be augmented before
the work of the rescuers is complete.
The blame for the wreck has not been
placed.
The passenger train, It is said, mad no
orders to meet the freight, and ii is the
presumption that the freight overlooked
its orders. One report ascribes the cause
of the wreck to be lap order, stating
that the passenger train had orders to
meet the freight at Hamlet. while the
freights orders were to meet the passen-
ger train at Rockingham.
Injured Taken to Charlotte.
The persons injured In the wreck Will be
brought to Charlotte this morning on a
special train.
There are five white and eighteen colored
injured, and these will be distributed
among the Charlotte hospitals. The special
will reach Charlotte about o'clock At
this hour 1t is impossible to ascertain the
names of the dead and injured owing to
the confusion incident to the catastrophe.
Not all of tn edead have been identified
but it is stated the list will probably reach
twenty-nine.