Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-02-02
Fan Par'ic"inrs. AT

We have had the unpleasant duty to per-
form recently of recording an unusually 4
LARGO number of railroad accidents on the !
several roads leading to and from the city. \
And. indeed, these accidents have been
more frequent during the season than is
the case throughout the country
generally Many of them, too, have in
volved not only great loss of property in
locomotives, cars, coaches and rolling stock,
but extended loss Of human life. We do
not attribute these accidents so much to a
Iaxity of rigid discipline and want of.
watchful care as we do to other operating
causes. At the same time a sleepless vigi-
lance should at all times be kept over the
roads. The tracks should be carefully ex-
arained by sections from one end to the
other of every line Of road in the country.
Inspections should be made of enginery.
and boilers. The rails should not, if pos
sible, be permitted to spread, and every
loose spike should be secured. Among the
causes superinducing more than the ordi-
nary number of accidents during the past
season may be enumerated the extraordi-
nary weather of the season, it having until
recently been one of incessant rains and
storms These have swollen the streams,
loosened road beds, washed and under
mined embankments, damaged trestling
and created many treacherous and hidden
places of danger where least suspected.
These causes of lurking mischief to even
the most cautious, viii now, with open and
settled weather, be remedied. Among
other causes producing these accidents, we
may with much good reason, perhaps,
set down the unprecedentedly large
amount of business with which
the roads have been favored, the
various lines having been crowded to then
utmost capacity, all the rolling stock and
available force being engaged day and
night TO do the business, and then not be.
ing able to prevent occasional blockades o.
freight This has left but little time du.
ring what weather would permit of it, tc
exercise that supervision over the road,
that probably would otherwise have been
instituted, for those shipping freight are a,
importunate and in as great q hurry tC
have them shipped as the roads are to shiE
| them.
Among the other railroad accidents re-
Gently, we give the particulars of the tive
on the Nashville and Decatur Road, par
| terday mornings issue. We visited tn,
| depot yesterday, and also conversed witt
passengers coming in during the evening
| The extent of the accidents was more dam
aging than the meager accounts received
on Monday evening led us at first to sup
pose, though, as before stated, the event
involved the loss of neither life nor limb
| The first of the two accidents occurred nea
| half-past 3 o'clock on Monday afternoon
| at Hicks Bluff, one mile south Of Pulaski
and happened to the South bound freigh
| train No. ., which was running at the or
binary speed. At the point indicated tn,
rails had spread, by which three of the car
were thrown from the track One of then
was entirely demolished, the wreck ant
debris filling the track; another was yer,
badly damaged, and the third escaped un
| injured The track was soon cleared @
the fragments, and the road appeared to b
opened on through.
THE SECOND ACCIDENT.
This accident, by far the more serious o
the two, happened to the north-bount
| freight train No. I, and occurred near
o'clock in the afternoon of the same day, a
Rock Cut, one mile south of Duck River
| As the train was coming up, passing tn
Cut at regular speed it struck poin
where the rails were spread. In a twink
ling seven cars of the train were hurled
from the track, the most of them beint
smashed into splinters. Pieces Of cars
doors, windows, roofs, ETC., were thrown il
fragments in every direction. The car
were smashed in, and the wrecks In every
| conceivable shape piled and scattered upo1
the track. Five pair of trucks were ruined
| being broken into fragments. Besides The
| wrecking of the cars. ten rails were broker
| and near 200 yards of the track torn up
| The scene of the wreck was indiscribabie
and the wonder is that no lives were lost
and no one was seriously hurt. The con
struction train, with an adequateforc was
at once dispatched to the scene, and hands
were put to work in clearing the track
The passengers on the passenger train,
were transferred at the cut By dint of ex
ertiUn the rubbish and wreck of the shat
tered freight cars were all removed by l.
! o'clock yesterday. The trains again com
menced running on the regular time This
is the first accident of damaging characte
that has occurred on this road that we have
had TO record for length of time past. Tn,
trains viii now continue to make their reg
Ular schedule time, bringing passenger
and mails with their usual proTnDtitude.