The Washington herald., 1906-11-30
special to The Washington Herald.

SPECIAL 10 The Washington Herald.
Lynchburg, Va, Nov. ga rear-end
collision, with the added horror OF
flames that almost incinerated the
victims. to-day brought death TO Presi-
dent Samuel Spencer, Of the Southern
Railway. and 10 a party Of his friends,
his guests for a Thanksgiving enter
taiument in North Carolina.
The disaster occurred near Lawyers
depot. tan miles from here, at $40 this
morning. and. so far as can be learned,
was due To the careIessness Of the
blockhouse operator at Rangoon, six
miles from here. and four miles north
Of the scene of the wreck. He per
mifted tho Atlanta train on the block
before he got the signal that the jack
sonviI1e train had passed.
The jacksonville train was No 33
1t was made up of a postal car, a com
binatfon baggage and passenger coach
one day coach. two Pullman sIeepers
and the private car of President
Spencer. This was attached TO the
rear end.
Most of Passengers Asleep.
The train was late. owing to heavy
holiday traffic. After leaving here. tn,
train was halted on steep grade SC
that repairs might be made TO a de-
fective coupling Most of the passen.
gers were asleep. The Atlanta train
No. 81, also late, and running fas
10 make up the time, rushed dowr
the grade and crashed with terrific
force into the rear end Of the halted
train.
Incinerated in Burning Debris.
Like d gigantic wedge, the engine @
the Atlanta train plowed its wa!
through President SDencer's privat'
car. For more than half its length il
split it in twain, and the Goals set fir,
to the wreckage by which it was sur.
rounded, until those who had not beer
mercifuIly killed by the collision were
Tnartyred in the holocaust.
OF the party Of President Spencer only
one escaped death-E. a. Merrill Of New
York, who, by a fortunate chance, wa;
thrown to one side and escaped witt
severe bruises. He is now in the hospita
at Lynchburg Mr.. Spencer's Thanksgiv
ing guests included Philip Schuyler, tn,
widely known retired capitalist, Of New
York; Charles D. Fisher, a commission
merchant. OF Baltimore, and Frank T
Redwood. q stock broker, Of Baltimore
member Of the firm Of Lowndes & Red
wood Watt Davis, day manager OF tn,
Southern's telegraph system, was also
killed Not only were they killed, thel
were burned-whether alive or dead-anC
the bodies rescued from the debris weTj
charred, almost beyond recognition.
Servants of Spencer Slain.
The servants in President Spencer.
private car were seriously injured; WI
liam Pollock. so seriously, that he dice
tonight. Samuel Cox, the colored cook
is painfully hurt. When the wreck wa.
partially cleared the trunk OF a coIoreC
man whose head and limbs were burned
of short so that identification was impos
sible. were discovered. l. is believed {,
be the body Of a second porter in tn
private car.
The impact Of the collision drove tn
combination car forward until it LITE,
the express car, trucks and all, and hurl
ed them both forty feet away. The par
Of the car that was not splintered wa
strewn with hundreds Of pounds of bag
gage and COlCTed passengers, all mex
tricably mixed. and on top Of it all par
Of the express car. How the cOlored peo
pie in this car, which was one Of tn
''jim crow variety, escaped being kille
Is a marvel. Some Of them were no
injured at all. The injured in this ca
were:
Lucretia Allen, Of DanviIle, Va. le
broken and ampUtated below the kne,
and left arm badly broken; Willis ]. Win
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