The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-07-10

cS osliNi ISSuidA passengers.
 Just where lies the blame it is impos- sible now to say. Officials of the road are silent. But one of three things is
 reasonably sure-that the engineer of No
 4 was given wrong instructions, ran by
 his signal, or overlooked the schedule
 on which he was supposed to run. That
 he knew the Memphis train to be a little
 late leads to the conjecture that he was
 attempting to reach the switch at Hard-
 ing station, short distance beyond the
 scene of the wreck. before the inbound
 train arrived at that point
 SURVIVORS FLEE IN PANIC
 The scene immediately following the
 collision is indescribable Those escaping
 unhurt or with lesser injuries fled from
 the spot in veritable panic. The corn
 field on both sides of the track was
 tra ramp.ed by many feet and filtered with fragments of iroa and wood hurled from
 the demolished cars. The dead lay here
 and there, grotesquely sprawling where
 they fell. The dying moaned appeals for aid or. speechless. rolled their heads
 from side to side and writhed in agony
 Everywhere there was blood and suffer-
 Ing ana chdoS.
 SHRIEkS AND MOANS From the wreckage, beneath which
 many still lived. shrieks and muffled
 cries arose, and here and there helpless. yet visible, victims prayed for speedy de- liverance or death.
 As soon as possible every availabke doctor and nurse was rushed to the scene, and q steady stream of ambuiances and
 automobiles, turned over by their owners to assist in the work of mercy, began the task of transporting to local hos pitals and undertaking establishments the dying and the dead.
 RESCUE WORK GOES ON In spite Of the most strenuous work. however. the labor of recovering the bodies of the dead. many of whom arc mangieo beyond the possibility of recog- milton, has not yet been completed At a late hour in the afternoon the bodies of six negroes, all fearfully mutilated. were discovered beneath pile of debris
 thought to be merely a scrap heap from the demolished engines
 All morning long attention centered
 about the teiescoped smoking car Of the outbound train train crews working hard to raise with jacks the heavy body of the express car. beneath which were pin- toned or crushed most If the white yic- tims. In one of the seats, his body held as in a vice, sat one of the passengers. still conscious, but with three of the dead crushed against him. Here the work began. The side of the car was chopped away and the man released apparently in a dying condition.
 From beneath the express car some 3s rra m "a lat tpr ran lp1 nf,I,t tho1 1ry .,F their number being alive. His name could not be ascertained. but in the band of his hat were stamped the initials E. T. F.
 Wearing apparel of every description strewod the ground, among which were several womens slippers, but it is be- lieved that they belong to the few negro womea passengers who either fled the
 scene or are numbered among the uni identified or undiscovered dead Of the trai ncrews. five are dead Enginea. William r, Lloyd and Fireman Thomas Kelley of Train No. 4, and Engi. neer David (. Kennery, Fireman Luther L. Meadows and Baggage Master Tom l Dickinson, Of Train No. 1. The first i four resided in Nashville.
 FIVE OF CREW KILLED l Of the known dead at least 80 per cent
 are negroes. In the majority of cases the end came to them without warming I Only when the work Of the wreckers Is 1 completed and the mass of ruins e. l moved can the full toll of death be taken l Corpses are everywhere beneath the high l piles cf iron and shattered wood ana | tin work of the fragile cars. Another 1 day may be consumed in undoing the devastation that an instant has wrought, FIRE IS eQUENCHED 1 Fortunately. fire played no part in pill i ing up the horrors of the day, slight blaze started at the end of one of the coaches being almost instantly extin- guished by those first arriving on the 1 scene.
 1 Huge croH ds, some seeking friends
 and loved ones thought to have been on i the wrecked train. but in the majority ] of cases composed of morbid curiosity 1 seekers reveling in the gruesome sights. lined the viaduct and crowded the ad- 1 joining fields Only the prompt and ef- ficient work of Chief of Police Barthelt
 and his rien prevented their crowding so lclose US to actually hinder the work Of
 the wreckeas in, removing the bodies of the dead to waiting ambulances anu l cars.
 ! Chief Rozetta and Engine Company |