The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1918-04-26
Failure of the Airbrakes to
Work Cause of Accident
Is Statement Made
INJURED MEN, PINNED
BENEATH WRECKAGE,
APPEAL FOR HELP
Ensley Fire Department Re-
spends to Call and Aids in
Rescue Work-Many
Rumors AflOat

Rumors AflOat
Investigation is being made by Coro-
ner Hogan today of the street car accl-
dent at Tuxedo Junction, on the owen
ton-Ensley line, yesterday morning at
s.5o o'clock in which the motorman and
conductor were killed, negro passen-
ger seriously injured and four otner
passengers received painful wounds
when outbound car No. 432 jumped the
track and overturned. Rumor has it
that the failure of the airbrakes on the
steep hill which was descended before
reaching the sharp turn at the foot was
the cause of the accident. Other runors
are to the effect that control over the
car was lost by the motorman.
The dead are:
Conductor L. T. Walker.
Motorm3n r. H. Thomas.
The Injured:
William Blackman, negro. cnest
crushed, injuries about the head and
neck Injuries may prove fatal.
Robert Sumerville. negro. 2201 Twenty
LII ~ Nv SHdS, Ii teSlNiSo NOiAeAA SS@AS 49,
bruises about the body.
James Hunter, negro, 2217 Twenty-sixth
avenue, Internal injuries. Not thought
to be in a serious condition.
W. E. Howard, white, 1924 First avenue,
slightly injured by bruises and scratches.
j. L. Golson, white. Thirty-seventh
street, Wylam, several bruises.
An unidentified white man who was
injured slightly left the scene of the
heard from since. Neither officials of
the company nor the police have been
able to locate him nor to ascertain his
name.
CAR LEAVES TRACK
On the steep incline approaching the
sharp curve at the location of the wreck
the motorman and conductor were oil
the front platform, it is rumored. The
car rapidly gained Roadway on the hill
and was going at a high rate when the
foot was reached Upon striking the
curve it left the tracks and after run
ming several feet overturned completely
The motorman and conductor being
stationed on the front end of the car
were thrown out of the side and were
to eye witnesses. Thirty minutes after
the accident both the bodies of the no
torman and the conductor were dragged
from beneath the wreckage by the res
cue crew, lifeless.
According to statements made by Off
Gals of the company last night, and to
the reports from various sources, the ac-
cfdent occurred about as follows. al
though the only two who could tell ex-
actly the cause of the wreck are now
dead:
POWER SHUT OFF
Mortorman Thomas and Conductor
Walker were standing on the front
platform. Six passengers, three white
men and three negroes, were seated in
the car Gaining the crest of the him
the power was shut off and the car al
lowed to gain momentum by the steep
incline.
A woman, awaiting to board the car
on the side of the hill, is reported to
have said that the car passed her at a
terrific speed and that she noticed two
men working in the front end in an eff
fort to bring it to a stop.
Striking the sharp curve at the foot
of the hill, the car was running at such a
tremendous speed that no human power
could have kept it on the rails, it is
asserted, and with one big lurch and
pause rolled completely over on it's side,
throwing under it the motorman and con-
ductor and injuring the passengers in
1T by the flying seats. breaking glass and
the vicious ticks as they struck the roof
and sides of the car
Information of the accident was first
given to the Birmingham Railway, Light
and Power company officials when a
woman called the Birmingham central
office and stated that there had been a
wreck at Duck Pond HILL which is located
or the Tidewater line. Steps were i'm
mediately taken to get wrecking car
on the scene, and in about 30 minutes
after the car had overturned officials
and wrecking crew were on the scene,
clearing away the debris and looking
after the injured.
ENSLEY FIRE DEPARTMENT
The Ensley fire department had already
arrived upon the scene and were working
ike TroJans in an effort to extricate the
unfortunate men who were crushed be-
meath the wreckage Cries of agony
reached the rescuers from the two men,
it is asserted, growing more and more
faint Until they finally ceased. The mo-
tornan was dead before being extracted
and the conductor died as he was being
lifted out, according to the statements.
Ambulances hurried to the scene and
rushed the injured to the emergency hos
pital of the Tennessee Coal, Iron and
Railroad company at Ensley 1t was re-
ported by the officials interview last
night that they were resting well.
Mortorman Thomas had been in the en-
ploy of the Birmingham Railway, Light
and. Power company for about four
months, It'll was stated yesterday and
Conductor alker entered the services Of
the compa in November, 1917