The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-08-08
Twelve Killed or Injured in
Frightful Accident Yes
teTdayNear Bessemer
YOUNG PEOPLE WERE
EN- ROUTE TO WEST LAKE.
ters-Four Saved Themselves By
Jumping as Chauffeur Urged
the Machine Ahead

An automobile van filled with a merry
party of young people from Bessemer was
struck yesterday afternoon by Southern
railway passenger train on the Blue
Creek pike, one and one-half miles be-
low Bessemer, resulting in the death of
two instantly, the fatal injury of three
and the more or less serious injury of
eight. "
The dead are:
J. H. Roden Of Bessemer, driver of the
automobile.
Miss Augusta Keiser, aged 1e, of Bes-
semer.
The fatally injured are:
Miss Margarete Fitzpatrick, aged 16, of
Bessemer, skull fractured.
Robert Black of Cumberland, Tenn,
skull fractured.
Miss Mamie Crenshaw, aged 16, of Bes-
semer, skull fractured.
The injured include:
>>Evalue Crenshaw, aged IA. left leg and
left arm broken.
Vernon Lee, aged II, conductor on auto
mobile, leg and arm broken.
G. c. Dobbs, left hand broken.
Two Barron children, bruised.
w. H. Dennis, Jr., bruised.
]. o. Garner, bruised in jumping.
II. II. McElroy, bruised in jumping.
Occurred Mt Southern Crossing
The accident occurred at AIS yesterday
afternoon when the Southern train en-
route to Selma in charge of Engineer
J. M. t. Riser and Conductor Cobb neared
the crossing one mile east of West Lake.
The party in the automobile van were en-
route to the lake at the time of the
accident. The driver, Roden, owned the
car, and operated it for the convenience
of those wishing to visit the lake. The
scene of the accident is where the Blue
Creek pike crosses the Southern railway
tracks. The road leading to the crossing
is down grade, and the train was in plain
view for several hundred yards.
As the car neared the crossing, Mr..
McElroy, who was not injured because
he jumped, and w. o. Garner, appealed to
the driver Roden, to stop his car, as he
would not be able to cross ahead of the
fast approaching train Roden believed
otherwise, evidently, for he is said to have
given no heed to the entreaties to stop,
but continued his speeding. McElroy and
Garner, realizing that death was newt
able, jumped to save their lives. Black,
who was fatally injured, was on the same
seat occupied by the two men who saved
their lives by jumping.
Two Children Jump
When the two men jumped the two Bar
ron children and the youth named Ver-
non Lee also realized the danger and they
also jumped. The train struck the auto
mobile exactly In the center. Miss Cren-
shaw at the hospital last night said the
injured thought it more a dream than
otherwise. Miss Keiser. promising young
lady, aged 16, was killed almost instantly.
Roden, the man who drove the car to its
destruction, did not realize what had oc-
Cured He died before he landed 80
feet from the scene of the accident.
The train stopped within few rail
lengths Oh the CTOSSlflS anu TIE pdSScHStIS
rushed back to the dead and injured to
give any assistance possible. The train
carried one physician. and he endeav
ored to give medical attention. However,
the victims were soon rushed to the Bes-
semer hospital.
Baggage Car Becomes Hospital
The conductor and engineer of the
Southern train rendered every possible at
tention, and for a few moments the bag
gage car of the train was an improvised
hospital. The point where the accident
occurred is bordered by a small stream
and the blood from the dead and wounded
saturated the stream until 1t was red with
human blood. The scene at the accident
almost beggars description as the place
was strewn with the unfortunate 10 dying
men and young girls in the full blush of
young womanhood.
The spectators, some of them wom-