Chattanooga, Tennessee
Train Wreck
May
1890
A FATAL BLUNDER
Five Lives Lost, Two Engines Wrecked, and
Freight Ruined.
The most disastrous railroad wreck the East
Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Road has known
for years occurred at a long siding some miles
east of Chattanooga, Tenn.
The engineer of a fast freight who had been
ordered to take incoming freight at that point
had misunderstood his orders, and, coming on at
a high rate of speed, with terrific force the
two engines came together. The shock shattered
twenty-five or thirty cars and piled them in a
huge mass on the track. Nearly every car on the
two trains was derailed, both engines are a
total loss, and much of the freight is ruined.
The losses to property will not fall far short
of $100,000.
As quickly as possible the conductors of both
trains and the rear brakemen, who escaped with
slight injuries, hurried forward. On the wreck
of the east-bound engine they found the mangled
remains of JOHN BAILEY,
the fireman. He was crushed almost beyond
recognition, his head being flattened like a
board. By the side of the engine lay
SCOTT PRICE,
a colored brakeman, cut in two. A few
feet further back was the body of
J. M. CLIFFORD.
He was still breathing, but died before
he could be taken from the debris piled above
him. AALF HARRIS,
a colored tramp, was standing between
the cars stealing a ride when the crash came.
Every bone in his body was broken. All these
were on the north-bound train.
In the cab of the south-bound engine
Engineer GREGORY
was found unconscious. His chest was
crushed in and nose cut off. He died that
evening. R. F.
WHITTLESY and
JEROME NOLAN, brakemen thought there
were three or four more dead men in the ruins,
as a number of tramps were on the east-bound
train.
The Cranbury Press New Jersey 1890-05-16
Submitted & transcribed by Stu
Beitler Thank you,
Stu!
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