The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1906-12-06
SAMUEL SPENCER KILLED
ON HIS OWN ROAD
Following Train Crashed Into His
Private Car.
7 PERSONS DEAD AND II INJURED.
Failure of Block Operator To Stop
the Second Train While Repairs Were
Being Made On Spencer's Train
Caused the Collision Bodies Burned
Beyond Recognition.

Lynchhurg. Va. Especial. Sam
uel Spencer. president of the South
ern Railway Company, formerly
president of the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad Company and universally
recognized as one of the foremost
men in the development of the South,
was killed while riding in private
car on his own railroad at 6 O'Clock
Thursday morning.
Six others shared his fatl, which
came as the result of a rear-cnd col
lision between two fast passenger
trains 10 miles south of Lynchburg
and mile north of Lawyers Depot.
! These included his guests, Philip
| Schuyler, of historic family. retired
capitalist of New York, and Charles
d. Fisher and Francis 7. Redwood,
both prominent in financial and So
cial circles in Baltimore.
Mr.. Spencers destination was
| Friendship n. c.. where he was go
| ing on a hunting trip with Messrs.
/ Schuyler, Fisher, Redwood and Mer-
rill as his guests.
! The collision was between the
Jacksonville express and the Wash
| ington and Southwestern vestibulC
| limited, both southbound. President
| Spencer and his entire party, as far
ds is known, were sleeping when the
collision occurred, and the probabili-
ties are that all of them excepting
Dispatcher Davis were killed instant
| ly. 1t is certain that life was eX-
tinct before the flames teached them.
| President Spencer's body was burned
almost beyond recognition, as was
that of Mr.. Fisher. The body of Mr..
Schuyler was taken from under the
train before IL was burned very much,
having been singed only slightly.
President Spencer's car was attached
to the rear of the Jacksonville train,
which was standing still when struck.
President Spencer was lying di-
rectly 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, the locomotive going over and
upon the body of Mr.. Spencer. Until
after the debris burned itself out
and the engine cooled off the bodies
could not be removed.
The impact drove the combination
car forward and the express car lift
ed up, together with its trucks, and
crushed the car 40 feet, leaving the
remainder of the car strewn with tons
of baggage and colored passengers,
who were pushed back like rats as
the express car crushed the combina-
ton car.
The combination car did not leave
the track, and in clearing the track
the express car was hauled to a sid
ing a mile distant on top and in the
debris of the combination car. How
the negro passengers in this COM
partment. which is known as the
"jimcrow' part of the train, escaped,
none of them being killed, is beyond
explanation.
The wreck occurred on the crest
of a steep grade, when the Atlanta
train could not have been running
more than 80 miles an hour, If that
fast. Had it been a mile or two
farther south the number of dead
might have been frightful, as the
train was about two hours behind its
schedule, a condition in the grade
there that would have meant a speed
of more than GO miles an hour.
One of the worst phases of the ac-
cident was the heartless manner in
which few passengers and some of
the attaches, especially some of the
porters of the Atlanta train, ran
sacked the wrecked cars for plunder.
F. NJ. Curtis, of jamestown, N. Y,
who was a passenger on the Jack
conville train, saw one negro porter
go through ladys grip He saw
him throw away such things as were
of no value to him and appropriate
those things that he wanted. Mr..
Curtis declared that he would have
certainly killed the porter if he had
had something to do 1t with.
Not a few passengers engaged in
this ghoulish business, and q large
number of valuables and much money
which was scattered about the wreck
ed train were taken.