Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1906-07-24
q DEAD; OPERATOR
BLAMED FOR WRECK
Freight and Passenger Train Come
Together In Head-on COL
IsI0n on Seab0aPd.
~-rs
As MANY MORE PERSONS HURT
Among Killed There Are Eight White
Persons and Twelve Known Ne.
sroes-Exact Number and Names
of the Victims Not Vet Asoertained
-Rescuers XIII Woman.
(By Associated press. }

RALEIGH, N. c., July 23.-'rhe
Rockingham and Hamlet, on the Sea
board Air Line resulted In the de.ith
o. twenty-five and the injury of twhn.
ty-four persons.
There have been twenty bodies
taken from the wreck. Most of the
victims are negroes.
Last night at S O'Clock as passen,
ger train No. A, was nearing Ham
let with Il humber of colored eXcur-
sionists aboard. the headlight OF
freight engine No. 10 was sighted in
a, cut about fifteen feet deep, where
the two trains came together with
terrible force.
The two itrains were running be.
tween Charlotte and Wilmington.
Why the freight left Hamlet when
it did is not known here, but 1t is
known that another engine was sent
racing after the freight, but could
not reach II in time to avert the ac-
cident.
Members Of Train Crew Saved.
The freight which was running
down grade. had about twenty-five
cars and eight or nine OF them were
wrecked, the rest of the train re.
naming intact. The engineer and
fireman on the freight jumped and
escaped without injury. The passen.
ger train was composed of baggage,
mail and express car and three
coaches
The two engines remained on the
track. The smokestack of the pas
senger engine. was knocked off,
while the freight engine seemed to
be the least damaged.
Engineer Dead in His Cab.
Engineer Frank b. Lewis. of Lum
berton. n. c.. of the passenger train
was found dead. sitting at his seat
also killed Baggagemaster Henry
Byrd of Cronly, met death outright
These were among the white persons
killed.
The force of the collision caused
the baggage car to rear and fall
hack on the Jim Grow car, crushing
its occupants.
A negro preacher had a miracu'
lous escape He was found sitting
upright in the car and had to be cut
out, but was not hurt. One colorej
woman is said to have been killed
by her rescers. Both her legs were
crushed, and in cutting her clear the
axe IS said to have slipped and kill
ed, her.
The regular local passenger was al
= hour late and instructions were wired
from the train dispatchers office here
to hold it there for an extra freight
going west but for some reason, the
order was not delivered. The oper
ator at Rockingham Is w. e.. Luther
The distance between Rockingham
and Hamlet Is six miles and Engineer
Brady, of the freight. seeing the ap
preaching passenger train when three
miles from Hamlet. stopped his train
and jumped before the collision.
Freight an Extra Train.
The freight train was an extra and
was south.bound from Raleigh to
Monroe. 1t was manned by Conduct
or Hunter and Engineer Bundy. OF
this city. Conductor Hunter is not
reported hurt and Engineer Bnndy is
very slightly injured.
The mail train was No. A, running
from Charlotte to Wilmington, N. C.
This train was in charge of Conductor
Jodn ID. Bowen formerly of Raleigh
He was slightly injured. Engineer
Frank Lewis, of Hamlet; Fireman
Thomas Hill, of Hamlet; Baggage
master III. s. Byrd. Of Wilmington
andrW. Began, porter, Of Wadesboro
" . 1i..GG I'll