The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-04-11
BOY KILLED WHILE
JUMPING TRAIN
Ernest Bice Struck BY Freight
Near Weems
=
HOME WAS IN IRONDATE
He and Companions Had Been Spending
Afternoon Riding Freight Trains
When Young Bice Jumped in
Front of An Engine

Ernest Bice, IA years old, was struck
by Southern freight train No. 7sS. near
Neems, at $3.50 o'clock yesterday after
noon and died a few hours later at the
Copeland infrmary. where he had been
rushed In Shaw's ambulance. Bice was
badly injured by the engine, his breast
and shoulder being crushed. He lived
at Irondale, near the Seaboard depot.
The accident occurred at curve
about half mile this side of Weems
when two freight trains were PASSING.
each other, one going east and the
other west. 1t is claimed that young
Slce, with several other boys had been
in the habit of swinging trains as they
go up the long hill west of weems and
then walking back until they met an
other train, when they would repeat the
performance. The boys had swung
train No. 634 as it was coming up the
hill toward Birmingham.
| Train No. 77S had left Birmingham
and was going toward Weems when
the two met at a sharp curve in the
track between Woodlawn and Weems.
The Southern has a double track and
the trains We're passing each other as
they both rounded the curve Both
trains were going slow, about Is miles
an hour, it is claimed, and young Bice
and his companions decided to get off
the train on which they were riding
On account of the noise of both trains
the boys did not hear the other ap-
preaching, and on account of the curve
in the tracks they could not see it until
1t was within 80 yards of them.
Young Bice swung off the train Just
in front of No. IT'S and dropped to the
track beside the train he had just bean
riding. Engineer G. r. Colvin saw the
boy as he jumped in front OF his en-
CINE. He blew the whistle and threw
on the airbrakes as quickly as possible.
he states, but before the boy realized
that an approaching train had whistled,
instead of the one on which he had
just been riding, he was struck by the
pilot of the engine and thrown to the
side of the track.
The train was stopping at the time
the accident occurred, and soon came
to a standstill. The boy was lying be-
side the tracks and had not been run
over 1t is supposed that the railing
of the pilot struck him. His breast.
head and shoulders were crushed He
was brought back to Woodlawn in the
caboose of the train and from there
was hurried to Copeland's infirmary by
Shaw's ambulance. He was placed on
the operating table, but died in a few
minutes after his arrival at the hospi-
tall
Charley Lawrence was conductor OF
the train. M. u. Liner. a flagman on
the freight that struck the boy, said
last night that the engineer was unable
to prevent the accident Mr.. Liner said
that 1t was impossible to see more than
so yards around the curve, and that as
soon as Engineer Colvin saw the boy
jump off the train in front of his own
engine he blew the whistle and applied
the air brakes, but the train could not
be stopped in time.
The body is now at the sI.ige 10y un-
dertaking rooms. The boy is survived
by his father, W. c. Bice, two brothers
and a stepmother. The body will be
sent to Springville today for interment
by Lige 10y.