Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-05-03
Railroad Accident on the Nashville
and Northwestern RaiIrOad-Bad
smash Up but no Loss of Life

and northwestern RaflrOad-Bad
smash Up but no Loss of Life.
About 3 O'Clock on yesterday morning,
as the passenger train was on its way from
Mckenzie to this city, while turning a
curve about four miles west of Hunting
don it ran into live sweet gum tree that
had fallen during the night across q small
trestle. The body of the tree was some
ninety feet in length and was abou. one
foot in thickness, where it lay across the
track. The engineer, owing to the short
ness Of the curve, did not see il IN time
to stop the train, and although he whistled
breaks down and::reversed the engine, he
only succeeded in checking the velocity of
the train so as to save harmless two pas
senger and one sleeping coach. The ems
gine and tender leaped the obstruction,
bat the baggage car caught in the tree,
twisted 1t around some twenty-five feet
and by its resctionary force threw
the engine and tender down an embank-
ment some six feet high The wreck of
the tender was complete. The engine was
greatly injured, the steam chests being
torn to pieces, the stack broken of, the
shielding of the boiler ripped of In some
places, and the cap utterly torn to pieces.
The baggage car did not suffer so much.
merely careening on its side with the plat-
form and wheels turn of. The track was
torn up some forty feet, cross-ties and
rails being jumbled together in an almost
inextriesble confusion.
At an early hour the conductor, Mr..
William Davis, who, though often wrecked,
has never been foundered, came TO Hunt
ingdon in search of road hands. Fortu-
nately some forty hands were lust ready
to set out on the road. They were con
veyed to the wreck on the con-
struction train and by Il o'clock the
road was repaired and the train was
ready to proceed. The regular Memphis
train was consolidated with the regular
through train from Hickman, and the time
lost was made up before reaching Nash
vile, so that the passengers were not de-
tanned.
At the time Of the accident thare were
| about sixteen State prisoners on the vav
to the peniteniiary from Memphis.
As soon as the engine struck the tree.
they jumped to their feet with a view to
escape, but the promptness of the guard ar
rested the movement and they were
brought through safely.
The place where the wreck occurred Was
one Of the gloomiest imaginable. Lisa
low, fat place, covered with water as
blsck as ink, and thickiy set with aswampy
growth, fit habitation for snakes and rep
tiles vile and malaria The incessant
hooting Of the owls and the darkness of
| the night gave mournfal and funeral as
pect to the scene. Tbs passengers being
unable by reason of the swampy character
of the ground and darkness of the
night to leave the cars were, well provided
for by the conductor, both with provisions
| and all the comforts that he could furnish
them. Among these were Col Allen, the
President Of the st. Louis and Iron Noun
tain Z. R., and family; Bishop McTyeire
of the Methodist Church; Judge Emmons
of the Federal Court, and family; and Col.
Morris. the civil engineer of the road, who
largely contributed by his energy and
executive ability in repairing the road.
Ths escape Of the engineer Ed. McGraw
and OF the fireman was truly providential.
The engine turned three-fourths over;
breaking the cap into a thousand pieces,
but they escaped unhurt, crawling Out
from the debris, covered with ashes, and
fire and mud and water.
The baggage master, though consider
ably bruised by the upturning Of trunks
received no serious injury.