The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-13
Three Killed and Several Seriously Injured on
 S0uthbOund l.. & N.
ENGINEER PINNED
 AGAINST FIRE BOX
Engine Jumps Track at South Switch, Carrying Five Cars From the
 Rails-Passenger Praise Con-
 ductor Duncan's Conduct

Yesterday afternoon at 3so o'clock st the South Switch Station. one mile and d half north of Cunningham. Ala. when the Louisville and Nashville limited. No. 8. from Cincinnati jumped the track, three persons were dashed to almost in- stant death and 19 sustained serious in- juries. The engine and five cars left tho track. shot down 90 foot elnbank- ment and turned completely over. When seen an hour later they were a mass of
 wreekage, twisted steel and splintered wood
 The dead:
 Engineer Dave Singleton of Decatur. Fireman Win Jackson colored of Blr- mingham. An unknown negro woman. who died
 immediately after being removed from under the wreckage of the cars. The injured
 Mai R. IT, Hendershot Of Chicago. arm broken.
 J. withers Clay, Birmingham. arm bad- ly sprained.
 R. J. Overall. Nashville, mail clerk, se- verely cut and bruised. W. w. Shea, Nashville, mail clerk, arm and leg broken. II. E. Harrison, Nashville. baggageman. skull fractured and minor injuries. D. A. Rodgers, Cullman county, slightly injured about lower limbs. l. l.. Prentice. carwin. Miss, slightly bruised
 Conductor Fred Duncan, head badly cut.
 S. E. Davis Birmingham. fatally in- jured about chest Minnie Lawrence, colored Warrior. slightly injured.
 slightly injured
 Charles Echols. crushed about ab- domen.
 54 Miles an Hour Coming down the long stretch to- wards Birmingham and entering on the curve switch known as the south Switeh lstation. obedient to the hand of En- gineer Dave Singleton at the throttle. No. was clipping off 54 miles sn hour. The snappins of the couplings between tho dlning ear and the second Pullman saved the total wrecking of the train. and the dining car. backed by two Pull mans. was left standing on the rails. At the time of the accident No 3 was marked two hours late on the bull letn board at the Louisville and Nash vile depot in Birmingham. In Cum ningham the operators, worried at the increased delay, sought connection with South switch. and the news of the wreck was immediately transmitted to the superintendent's office in this city.
 Superintendent T. l.. Brooks was out of the city yesterday and his duties fell to the hands of the chief dis- patcher. A relief train. made up of a pay car, private car and one Pullman. was speedily coupled onto an extra engine. supplied with cots. cloth band ages and other necessities. and accom- panied by several officials, including Assistant Superintendent Morrison and four doctors. J. NJ. Mason. A. Walker. A. c. Cameron and Earl Drennen, the relief special train steamed out of the depot at 4;15 o'clock.
 Word also had been teiegraphed ahead to another station 10 send out \ wrecker and full crew prepared for emergencies, and with throttle wide open the two eouriers of succor and aid sped to the scene of the wreck. The Decatur special, unaware of these ar rangements, and acting upon its own initiative ran in on the northern track ahead Of the two relief trains, and thus the delay of almost an hour wsa accounted for. The wrccksr was de- lsyed for longer time, owing to the i'll judgement off the Decatur train. crew. and probably this was the cause of the death of Engineer Dave Single ton
 Relief Train Arrives At 5:50 o'clock the first relief train bearing the physicians arrived at the scene of the wreck. Although the toll Of life enacted yesterday at South Switch was not so large as other simi- lar accidents on southern railroads tho wreck scene was horrlfying. The first thing that met the gaze of the party of doctors as they stepped from the re- lief special was that of the ill fated engine.
 It lay upon it's side half way down the embanlmeDt. the boiler red hot from the imprisoned steam and heat. The tender had turned completely over or, It's upper side. and under the tons of fine coal, the life of will Jackson. the negro fireman. had been snuffed out in second. The most horrible sight was the position of Engineer Dave Singleton.
 When the engine jumped the track. the top of the cab struck huge pine tres beside the track and the top bent down. It this same second Singleton jumped rom his cab seat and sprang across the platform in front of the engine fire door He was too late. The bent-in top caught
 and pinned him against the red hot boiler. and there with his head and shoul- der above the wreckage and his lower limbs slowly scorching to @ crisp. he was
 held for over an hour. until the belatest
 wrecker arrived to lift the heavy engine. Doctors administered several doses Of morphine to relieve his suffering. but iis
 vain. He died immediately after tho . wreck was .lted from his body. Davis Fatally Hurt | $. E. Davis, a prominent Birmingham young man. who was in the smoker at
 the time of the accident attempted to | jump from the car window. but jumped l on the wrong side, He was fatally inp ~ |