The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-11-12
TWO PASSENGER TRAINS
MEET IN AWFUL CRASH
Engineer of Delayed Train Claims He
Got the Usual Right of Way Signal,
But Switch Was Open and
Trains Smashed.

NEW OrlednS, NONenlper lit Was IL
heavy price in human flesh and blood that
paid for errors of railroad trainmen when
the Great Northern express crashed into
the rear of a New Orleans and Northeast
ern local shortly before o'clock this
morning at Little Woods station, a fish
ing and hup ing camp on Lake Pontchar-
train, 1' es from this city
Ei q ad and many more injured.
ne of them fatally, is the result of the
wreck, which was attended by unusually
gruesome scenes in the fog-bound
swamps of the lake shore. To add to
the horror of the situation, the wreck
caught fire, and only the heroic work of
the survivors prevented the cremation of
those pinned down in the debris.
The eight persons killed have been iden-
titled as follows:
C. A. Crawford, Seminary, Miss.
William Attaway, 3 years old, Slidell,
La
c. B. Lowry southern representative of
American creosote works, sidell, La.
William A. Martin, Slidell, La.
J. II. Shows, Morriston, Miss.
Ora Travis, Hattesburg, Miss.
Augustus Heitkampf. Pearl River, Miss
ITOI. y. II. IAODSs NGW OiltdhS uhl-
sity.
Joint Track Used.
Between Slidell and New Orleans the
Great Northern trains run over the tracks
of the New Orleans and Northeastern
( road. A local train of the Northeastern
from Hattiesburg and other Mississippi
points is due to arrive in New Orleans at
$40 a. m and this is followed by fast
Great Northern train frori Coyington and
other points in ST. Tammany perish which
is scheduled to reach here at $40 a. m.
This morning the Northeastern train
was late and the difference of 20 minutes
between the running of the trains was
considerably reduced.
When Engineer Blackman of the Great
Northern train took the Northeastern
tracks at Slidell he says he Yas given the
usual right of way signal and proceeded
to shove his train toward New Orleans at
a 45-mile-an-hour clip. AS the station at
Little Woods was approached he dis
cerned the Northeastern local, which sud
denly loomed up from the canopy of the
fog. Fireman Mccarthy leaped from the
engine as soon as he saw the local. but
Engineer Blackman applied his brakes
ana Ieffldineu at TIE lnTOltle WnlS IHe
ponderous locomotive plowed its way
through the train ahead, leaving behind it
a channel of death and destruction.
Blackman crawled out practically un-
scathed, while his fireman sustained pain
ful injuries in his leap.
Terrible Crash.
No one on the Great Northern express
was seriously hurt but those aboard the
Northeastern local were not so fortunate.
( The nose of the big express engine had
torn its way entirely through the two
rear coaches of the local and the crash
and sound of splitting timbers was fol-
lowed by the walls and groans of those
pinned down in the wreckage wrought by
the passage of the huge machine.
Little Woods has no telegraph station
and serious delay was experienced In get
ting a telephone message to New Orleans.
Even then it was two hours before
rescue train arrived and in the mean
time the scenes around the smouldering
wreck were heartrending.
One of the passengers who rushed for
} ward from the Great Northern train saw
a little golden haired boy with his hands
emily unable to extricate himself from the
wreckage, which fast settling down
upon him. score more of men,
some of them stained with their own
blood, made a heroic effort to get to
the child, but the wreckage and escaping
steam from the partially demolished To-
coInotive cut off their way and they were
forced to stand idly by as the little voice.
calling feebly for help, grew weaker and
was finally hushed.
u Little Body Recovered.
This child proved to be little Willie
Attaway, the 3-year-old son of Mrs. AL
phonse Attaway of Slidell, La. His lit
tie body was taken out of the wreck
sevepal hours later, horribly mutiated
and placed beside those of six or seven
full grown men whose lives were also
sacrificed In the catastrophe.
Who erred? That is a question which
officials Of the two roads concerned are
asking each other tonight Some one
blurdered. This they all agree but the
Northeastern officials say that the Great
Northern train should have proceeded
cautiously after receiving a warning at
Slidell that the local train was running
ahead OF them late. The Great North
| ern's train crew claim they received no
warning at Slidell and that even il they
should have sent a flagman back when
the stop was made at Little Woods.
The causes OF the wreck will be defin-
itely determined in an official investiga-
t;on by the authorities.