Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1872-10-04
TERRIBLE RAILROAD DISASTER.
Five Cars Thrown from the Track and
.s9r ? i-i1 Wrecked. ~-....
Twenty Nine Persons Injured Nor
y 'H"sl ~ .fle tally. ,is'59 e.c}r sIr,x5

/ -e4f-...t f-4E HfSOhCus d. -.
Twenty Nine Persons IPjured--.FoGr Nor
j. 'H''I ~ He tally. ,is'59 seseE sII5Vf y,
!. This community was shocked on yesterday
morning by the announcement that Capt.
Jaques, Superintendent of the East Tennessee,
Virginia and Georgia Railroad had received
dispatch from Greeneville, stating the southern
bound train had met with fearful accident at
Roberts trestle, u miles west of that place.
The magnitude of the disaster was not an
nounced and, rumors of startling, kind were
current on the streets-a thousand reports were
put in circulation and eager inquiries as to the de
tails Of the accident were made aoh every hand.
A special train left Knoxville in charge of
Captain Jaques, the efficient Superintendent of
the great through line from Bristol to Memphis
at 1910 passing the regular day express at
Bulls Gap. This train contained Drs. Samuel
Moses, John III. Boyd, and Morgan, acoompa-
MED by CHRONICLE reporter and a number of
citizens of Knoxville and arrived at the scene
of accidents at four, P. NJ The sight presented
on arriving at the ground was a siekening
one. The surgeons uncased their instru-
ments and proceeded to do all that skill
could accomplish for the benefit of the sufferers,
while the others composing tho party did all
in their power to alleviate the condition of the
unfortunate victims. The following il a correct
statement of the accident, as gathered from the
railroad officials present and passengers on the
train: grr-.,. -~...-.
Captain Thomas Holloway's train left Bris-
tol on time, but when it reached Greeneyille
was an hour and sixteen minutes behind, owing
to an accident to the engine of the up train.
The train was composed of the locomotive,
two baggage and one express car, the smoking
car, three passenger coaches and a. Pullman
sleeper, and was crowded with passengers; bust
ness men returning from, the purchase of goods
in the North, and persons who had been spend
ing the summer at the Virginia Springs, en- route
for their Southern homes. -l l,1I6tl5i Z.
The passengers had had their breakfast and as
the train Travelled along were gayly chatting,
all unconscious of the dreadful scene that was
soon to be enacted and in which so many of
them were to be the victims of fell destiny.
The train dashed on, past fields ofripeniug corn,
around rugged mountains; through fertile val
legs, sluhnbering in the soft light of an October
sun--while the fatal travellers, dreaming of home,
children andlife and love, were even, while all
nature seemed in peaceful reposes being trailed
by the demon of the rail. 20 ss4aG.3 illF
'i- THE CAUSE OF THEcACClDENTEF 81
Is not definitely known, but seems to be one of
those inexpHcable mysteries which no human
foresight could guard against or prevent. The
catastrophe occurred at the trestle, which spans
the county road at the point, above named, be-
ing about one mile and a-half west of Greene
slle- - 49,, - . ~ ga
W .4 within abo9t s175 yards Of :, the
track and ran to the bridge on the ties The
engine, tender and baggage car passed over the
IL
the mail and smoking cars, together with three
passenger coaches ran off the track. The sleep
ing car, in rear of the train likewise maintain
ed its position on the track. NJ =; .,.,.,,
| The mail and smoking cars, after crossing the
trestle, fell off the track down the embankm
on the north side of the road, while the three
passenger coaches were precipitated into the
wagon road beneath distance Of about fifteen
| feet.
The first passenger car was completely demol-
| ished, the second falling uponit, which had one
| end knocked out and was telescoped by the one
| in the rear, from which large. portion of the
| roof and side was thrown into the second car,
the last car next to the sleeping coach, hang
| ing with the rear end on the track while the
other was inextricably mixed with the shatter-
ed and riven timbers of the one in front.
| In this wrecked and rent mass of wood and
| iron nearly hundred human beings struggled
in agony while terror with crushed limbs and
manged bodies, and shrieks of pain and
grOanS or suffering rent the air.
The injured parties were released from their
terrible position with all possible haste by the
train hands and uninjured passengers, and
everything possible done on the spot to allevi-
ate their sufferings while messenger was sent
| to Greeneville for assistance and dispatch for
warded to Knoxville asking further aid.
LIST OF INJURED.
The following is full list of the wounded 4:
Col. John Pride, of Morristown, Tennessee,
badly injured
Miss Pride, daughter of above, thigh broken
and other serious injuries-condition critical.
Mr. and Mrs. Morris, four sons, two daugh-
sers and son-in-law, from Pulaski county, Va /;
| all badly injured, but none seriously. z r
A small colored girl, daughter of John Brad
| ley, of Knoxville shoulder broken. s
Jim Heiskell, colored brakeman from Chat
tanooga, Tennessee, MORALLY wounded.
| S. II. Corey, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, in
| iured in the leg and arm.
r. r. Anderson, of Loudon, Tennessee, ankle
| badly sprained.
David Bryant. of RamseytOwn, N. c., ankle
| sprained. n..g pax ar
Two children of q Mrs. johnson from Mem
phis, badly hurt, but injuries not considered
L. W. McInturf mail agent, injured in the
| back and leg.
| A gentleman, who refused to tell his name,
| injured in the face and legs, -
| Alfred Hunter, colored, leg hurt, not serl-
ously. za T ~, 5r-,T 81
Rev. J. R. Wheeler, of johnson City, Tenn,
| Presiding Elder of the NJ E. Church. South,
| badly, perhaps fatally injured.
Mrs. Smithson, of Virginia, MORALLY in
jured.
Two children of Mrs Smithson were badly
h1rt, but injuries not considered serious. sg
| Mr.. Conway, mail agent injured in the calf
of the leg. AAfS
Capt. Thomas II. Holloway, conductor, injur-
| ed in the head and legs.
Theodore Ellis, brakeman, injured in the face.
leee THE CATASTROPHE FoREToLD. ID
| Aleck Brown, the fireman, dreamed the night
before at Bristol that this accident would occur