The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-04-22
Two Negroes Killed When
Three Engines and Cars
Pile Up in WoodIawn
FAST MAIL HITS FREIGHT
WRECKER HITS THEM BOTH
Thousands Rode Out Yesterday to
View Scene of Ugly Accident
on Southern at Fifty-Eiehth
Street.

Oul VI d idilSlt OL NlNNhocNt -
passenger train, freight and wreck
er were mixed up, two negroes were
pulled, mangled and dead yesterday morn
ing, and more than a dozen men escaped
miraculously with their lives, only three
of them being badly injured,
The wreck was one of the most pecu-
liar that has occurred around Birming-
ham. It was on the Atlanta division
of the Southern railroad yesterday morn
ing at 2:45 o'clock between Woodlawn
and Irondale.
The trouble began when an engine go
ing toward Atlanta went dead In the
yards at Irondale The water had CIV
en- out and it became necessary to hitch
1t to the rear of the third section of No.
81 coming in to Birmingham in order
to get water at Woodlawn.
1t so happened that train No. 81 pulled
in toward Woodlawn behind three other
freights which blocked the road, and
left the train standing on the main line.
During this time the crews ahead were
feeding the cars into the yards as fast
as possible in order to open up.
Fast Mail Enters Block.
But for some reason Fast Mail No. 81
was allowed to pass the block station
at Lrondale, and was coming into Biz
mingham at high speed Turning the
curve at about Fifty-eighth street, Wood
lawn, the engineer, James Wages, was
amazed to see the dead engine facing
him a few hundred yards ahead.
He put on the air, made every effort
to stop, and was running at slow rate
when the crash came. Just the moment
before he and Fireman Mcdowell jumped,
thus possibly saving their lives.
Wages struck a rail and was knocked
senseless, while Mcdowell rolled down the
grade, and was shaken up. On the dead
engine was Engineer L. Powell of Wood
lawn, who stayed aboard, but was not
seriously hurt other than a violent shake
up.
Both Engines Leave Track.
The two engines left the track, al
though they were not turned over The
passenger engine had it's water tank
smashed up, and both were dismantled
in front The coal bin telescoped the
mail car, and damaged it considerably,
while the two postal clerks escaped with
only few bruises.
Passengers were thrown violently from
their seats and many of them sustained
severe shocks. One man had his leg
cut by falling glass. Charles Patillo had
his shoulder dislocated. The passengers
all hurried forward to investigate, and
were attending the wounds of the injured
when Chapter No. began. There were
no fatalities in the first wreck.
Wrecker Strikes Cars.
However, as fate would have 1t, the
Southern wrecker left Birmingham shops
on a trip to Hef1in and Atlanta to replace
a series of cars that were off the track
and came along travelling at high rate
of speed toward the east.
When it approached the scene of the
wreck, of which the engineer had no
knowledge, he failed to see two coal cars
which had piled up, and fallen over on
his track. When they came in view of
his headlight it was too late, the wrecker
sdeswiped the cars and was knocked
over in the ditch. down an embankment
of fifteen feet, engine, derrick and all.
as the passengers from No. 81 ran down
to where they had heard the crash, they
heard the screams of one of the negroes.
Engineer O'Dell happened to be on the
upper side and crawled out uninjured
except for scalded feet.
Buried In Wet Ground.
The engine and negroes were buried in
the wet ground, while the derrick was
stuck deep in mud. AS soon as possible
the Frisco wrecker reached the scene.
and began putting the track in shape.
Lige Logs ambulance went to the scene
and carried Engineer Wages and Fire
man Mcdowell to Copeland's inirmary.
The dead were Fireman Caleb Harris
and Brakeman Will Berels, who, after
many hours, were finally dug out of the
mud from under the firebox at a. m.
Harris head was mashed to pulp. while
the other negro was horribly scalded.
They hardly lived more than a few min
utes.
Crowds from Birmingham and Wood
lawn poured to the scene during the day
and watched the slow process of raising
the engine and wrecker from the ditch.
By 3 o'clock In the afternoon all was
clear and traffic was resumed. 1t was
considered wonderful that more were not
killed.
At a late hour last night Engineer
Wages was resting easily. His skull Is