1941 — Oct 26, Greyhound bus hits bridge railing, gas fire consumes bus, Clanton, AL–  17

1941 — Oct 26, Greyhound bus hits bridge railing, gas fire consumes bus, Clanton, AL–  17

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 9-23-2024 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

–17  INS. “Four Unidentified.” The Port Arthur News, TX. 10-29-1941, p. 11.

–17  NFPA. “Fires Causing Large Loss of Life.” 1983 NFPA Handbook, 1984, p. 34.

–17  Quarterly of the NFPA. “Fires in Which There Was Loss of Life.” Vol. 35, N. 3, Jan 1942.

Narrative Information

National Fire Protection Association: “October 26, 1941, Clanton, Ala.  Seventeen persons were burned to death when a large passenger transport bus took fire after striking the guard rail of a narrow bridge.” (Quarterly of the NFPA. “Fires in Which There Was Loss of Life.” Vol. 35, N. 3, Jan 1942.)

Newspaper

Oct 27, AP: “Clanton, Ala., Oct. 27, (AP) – A gasoline explosion which sent flaming spray over a crowded Montgomery-Birmingham passenger bus was blamed today for the deaths of at least 15 persons, most of them burned beyond recognition.  Seven others are in a Clanton hospital, two with critical burns….The bus struck the concrete railing of a bridge four miles south of here last night.  Almost instantly it was a mass of flames, the blaze being visible for three miles or more.

“Hardie Jones, carpenter who lives 100 yards from the scene, ran out to see Aultman, the driver, tumble from the bus, dragging a man by the arm.  ‘The driver went back into the bus,’ Jones said, ‘and came out with some more people.  His clothing was on fire, and he ran to the roadside.  We cut his clothes off and sent him to the hospital’.  Aultman made the trip last night as a substitute for  [another driver]…who arranged the change to have the night off…another witness, said cars gathered quickly after the crash and explosion, and horrified spectators heard screams of the victims…[the witness] quoted Aultman as saying the bus caught fire just before it struck the bridge railing, although the explosion came after the crash.

“Sides of the smoking wreck were red from heat when state highway patrolmen arrived.  Most of the dead were in a mass near the rear seats….A spokesman for “Southeastern Greyhound Lines, said 27 to 30 persons were on the bus…”  (Kokomo Tribune, IN. “15 Bus Riders Die In Flames,” October 27, 1941, p. 1.)

Oct 28, INS: “Clanton, Ala. – INS- The death toll from the burning of a Montgomery-to-Birmingham passenger bus Sunday night rose to 16 today with the death of William F. Penn, a CCC youth from Troy, Ala. Penn’s death came as four  investigations were started to determine the cause of the tragic accident. The inquiries were launched by state, county and local authorities and by officials of the Greyhound Bus company. The investigators had little information to work on, except for the deathbed statement of the bus driver, W. P. Altman, 27, of Birmingham.

“Altman, just before he died in a Clanton hospital, said a fire had somehow broken out inside the bus and that in his anxiety to put out the flames the vehicle crashed into a concrete bridge railing over a small culvert four miles south of Clanton. The impact sprayed flaming gasoline over the entire bus. The fire burned so fiercely nothing was left of the bus but the hulk.

“Of the injured, only Otis Lunsford, of Westville, Fla., a soldier at Ft. Oglethorpe, Ga., remained in critical condition today.

“Five bodies still had not been identified today.” (INS. “Bus Death Toll Mounts to 16.” The Zanesville Signal, OH. 10-18-1941, p.1.)

Oct 29, INS: “Clanton, Ala., Oct 29 (INS). – Four of the 17 persons burned to death when a Greyhound bus struck a concrete bridge and burned just south of Clanton Sunday night remained unidentified today. Latest victim to succumb to burns was Otis Lunsford of Westville, Fla., a private soldier at Fort Oglethorpe, Ga.” (INS. “Four Unidentified.” The Port Arthur News, TX. 10-29-1941, p. 11.)

Sources

INS (International News Service). “Bus Death Toll Mounts to 16.” The Zanesville Signal, OH. 10-18-1941, p.1. Accessed 9-23-2024 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/zanesville-signal-oct-28-1941-p-1/

INS. “Four Unidentified.” The Port Arthur News, TX. 10-29-1941, p. 11. Accessed 9-23-2024 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/port-arthur-news-oct-29-1941-p-11/

Kokomo Tribune, IN. “15 Bus Riders Die In Flames,” October 27, 1941, p. 1. Accessed at:  http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=80273599

National Fire Protection Association. Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association. “Fires in Which There Was Loss of Life.” V35/N3, Jan 1942, p. 286.

National Fire Protection Association. The 1984 Fire Almanac. Quincy, MA: NFPA, 1983.