Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-09-30
Terrible Railroad accident /.
4 TRAIN 1KR0RE OFF BY AN OBSTRUCTION
PLACED on 7KE 1RA0K.
The whole Train except one Car a Com.
plete Wreck.
ONE MAN KILLED.
nrirnouIOus Escape Of she Passenger


The Express Train on the Nashville and Chatta-
nooga railroad, which left here yesterday morning
at four o'clock met with terrible accident short
distance this side of Lavergne, about daylight The
train, consisting Of the engine and tender baggage
car and three passenger cars well filled, was pro.
ceeding at the rate Of about forty miles per hour
having started few minutes behind time, in order
to meet the down train at Murfreesboro' when, as
the engineer expressed it, the engine suddenly read
from coming in collision with some object and was
thrown from the track to the left side turning
pletely and dragging the tender partly off the
track. This motion uncoupled the cars from the
tender and SO great was the momentum of the NOV
ing cars that it caused them to rush upon the ten
der, severing the baggage and of the passenger
cars completely in two leaving one side the right
whole and crushing the other into fragments. The
left side of the second. passenger car was partly
crushed in and the car thrown over at angle of
shout forty-five degrees the hindmost escaping
uaihjured, as the momentum had spent its force.
All this occurred before the passengers had
time to think what the matter.
As soon as possible, the passengers were got out
of the wrecked cars, large numbers of whom escap-
ed unhurt while others were slightly and some
pretty seriously injured.
CHARLES SMITH, an Irishman, long in the employ
of the Company. was thrown from the engine and
caught under the tender, and so horribly crushed
that he died in few minutes after being rescued
from under the wreck.
GEORGE HOOPER. one of the route agents. received
severe cut about three inches long the head and
also received internal injuries, from the heavy
amount of mail matter that fell upon him in the
cussion. He was brought tot the city, and it is
thought his injuries though very severe, are not
fatal.
WM PUIIILM, an qttdche of the Post Office in this
city, was in the mail car with Mr., HOOPER, but
capped uninjurOd
EDWIN H. TENNY young lawyer of this city, had
his jaw broken in two places.
Col. LANDoN C. EAYNEs was in one Of the crushed
cars but escaped with slight injury in the left
shoulder and few slight bruises.
ECol JOIN C. BURCH, of this paper, was in the first
passenger car, but fortunately occupied a seat on
the right side, and escaped unnjured.
Hon JAMES II. THOMAS, of Columbia, JAMES ~
Dawson, Of Fayetteville, and A. B. ROBERTSON, Esq,
and Rev ]. W. Horn, of this city, were in the crush
ed cars but escaped uninjured, except the latter,
who was slightly bruised in two or three places but
Capt MINOR and family, of Natchez, Miss, were
on the train. Mrs. MINOR was slightly bruised and
their Oldest son came near having his right eye put
out The other members of the family escaped un-
injured.
Maj. FARoUHARsoN, of Fayetteville, was on one OF
the crushed cars, and was so completely ''wedged
iH' the wreck, that it was supposed he was killed
outright but after considerable effort he was res
cued and found . be only slightly bruised about the
face. How he escaped instant death is mystery
TO every one who saw his position.
One gentleman whose name we did not learn
had the end Of one of his fingers cut aft but how OF
when he could not tell.
The engineer, WN. McCANN and the fireman es
capped uninjured, but how, is mystery even tl
themselves.
1t is miracle that large number Of the passen
gers were not Instantly killed, and Osers horribly
mangled. When it is remembered that every sea-
on the left side Of the first passenger car was shiv
cred into splnters, account for the es
cape of the occupants. Only one man was killed
and he was on the engine-and two seriously wound
ed, SO far as we could learn.
Il was at first supposed that the track haC
spread" by which the engine was thrown off, al
the accident occurred but a few feet beyond thu
point at which the tracklayers have reached il
putting down the new rail 1t has however, beer
definitely ascertsined that the accident was caused
BY some human fend,, either one or more placing
n new. half-seasoned oak cross-tie in a stock gap
in such manner that the cow-catcher struck tn,
end, and then threw it upon the rall on the RICH
side. The cross-tie shows that it has never beef
used, and bears the impression of where the whee
struck it. This threw the engine Off breaking tn
track in such manner as to create the impression
that the track had spread. It is awful to thin
what horrible slaughter might have resulted iron
the putting of that cross tie upon the track! W
sincerely hope whoever did it may be caught an
dealt with in the severest possible manner the Law
will warrant.
We learn that all the passengers acted with eN
traordiuary presence of mind, in the trying situ'
tion in which they were placed and that not eve
the ladies exhibited trepidstOp.
The train was running on descending grade, an
the engineer had turned off the steam when the az
eident occurred. If the steam had been on I'll
wreck would have been greater even than 1t was.
The down train came to Lavergne and returne
With all the passengers except Dr. HOYT, Mr.. Tx
Ny and Mr.. HooPER, the route agent. The dow
passengers and mails were brought to the city G
an extra train about two O'Clock.