The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1906-11-30

Southwest Limited ON southern Rail
road n, Lawyers Depot, Near Lynch
burg, Va, Crashed Into Florida EX-
press, Instantly killing Members az
New York Hunting Party Headed by
President Spencer, who Were ON
Their Way TO the woods-Disnster
Result of Dispatcher Error, Al
though Trains Were Protected by
block system.
LYNCHBURG. Va, Nov. 30.-Sam-
uel Spencer. president OF the Southern
Railway company and recognized as
one OF the foremost men In the deyel-
opment OF the southern states, and six
other persons were killed In rear end
collision between two fast passenger
trains ten miles south OF Lynchburg
and mile north OF Lawyers Depot.
Philip Schuyler, u retired capitalist, OF
New York was among the killed. to-
gether with other guests OF Mr.. Spen-
Ger In his private car Only Mr.. Spen-
GERS private secretary, Il. A. Merrill Of
New York city, and one OF the three
porters survived the accident
The dead are President Samuel
Spencer OF New York city, Charles ID.
Fisher OF Baltimore, Philip Schuyler OF
New York city. Francis T. Redwood OF
Baltimore, ID. w. Davis OF Alexandria,
Va, private dispatcher TO President
Spencer, and William ]. Shaw, negro
porter on President Spencer's car. who
died In hospital here.
An unknown person, whose head and
limbs are burned OF short, who is be.
lieved TO be the third porter on the pri-
vate car, who is missing. has been re-
covered. His name cannot be learned.
Mr.. Spencer's car, in which he and
his guests were sleeping at the time of
the accident. was broken In two and
Immediately took fire.
Mr.. Spencer was pinloned beneath
the debris and had no opportunity of
escape. His body was so badly burned
that II could not be recognized by his
friends when II was taken out of the
wreck.
Charles ID. Fisher of Baltimore. who
was among the killed, was one of the
prominent business men Of that city.
He was member Of the firm OF Gill
& Fisher, grain dealers. Francis Z.
Redwood was a member Of n firm of
stockholders. ID. w. Davis, the spe-
cial telegrapher on President Spencer's
private car. was the manager of the
Southern railways telegraph Office In
Washington.
The wreck was the result OF a dis
patcher's error. Train 33, known as
the Florida Limited, left Washington
at 1920 o'clock at night with President
Spencer's private car attached to the
rear end. AS his guests President
Spencer had with him General Philip
Schuyler of New York, c. ID. Fisher Of
Baltimore and Richard X. Edmonds,
also Of Baltimore
When train 33 reached Lawyers
Roads a stop was made to repair de-
fective coupling. This portion of the
road Is protected by the block system.
For this reason it was thought 'unnec
essary to send back flagman.
The train to which President Spen-
GERS private car was attached was
late in leaving Washington because of
the pressure of holiday traffic, and
train 81, the Southwest Limited, was
following closely behind it. The
Southwest Limited engineer received
the signal for clear track, and he
sent his train along at full speed.
There was not time to slow down
when the green flags on the rear of
train 33 came In view. No. 37's loco
motive, while still under full head
way, crashed into President Spencer's
private car, which was almost com
pletely demolished by the impact Of
the collision.
The injured-Lucretia Allen, colored,
Danville, Va, leg broken and amputat-
ed below the knee, left arm badly bro
ken; Willis ]. Winston, 233 East One
Hundred and Twenty-seventh street,
New York city, leg badly broken; ].
W. Shaw, colored, Spencer, N c., fire
man, badly crushed and both legs bro
ken; Garland Thomas, colored, Green's
boro, N. c., leg broken; =. Il. Vauls,
colored, Waynesboro, Va, badly bro
ken up and bruised; Cora Logan, col
ored, Shelby, N. Co. both legs broken;
Sam Cox, colored porter on the private
car, Washington leg broken; - Cru
EFT, address unknown, the supreme or
ganizer of the Heptasophs, back bad
ly wrenched; Son Hogan, cofored,
Charlotte, N. c., badly bruised leg; Il.
A. Merrill, New York city, private sec
rotary to President Spencer, head and
arms badly burned, but win recover
President Spencer and his entire par
ty, as far as Is known, were all of
them, excepting Dispatcher Davis, kill
ed 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 body OF