Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1880-08-31
THE RECENT RAILROAD DIS
ASTER.
Its Cause, Result and Moral.

A very large congregation attended
| Church Street NJ. E. church, south, Sun
day night to hear sermon by Rev. G. @
Raskin, the pastor, on the recent railroad
| disaster. Mr.. Rankin announced his text
and spoke as follows:
1T the good man of the house had known
at what watch the thief would come he
| would have watched and would not have
suffered his house to be broken up"
Mathew xiv, AZ.
Thieves never come at time hen, or the
place where we are expecting them. If we
know the hour of their approach, or the
place of their attack, we would always be on
our guard. But on these two points We are
left wholly to conjecture and surmise
Hence we arc rarely ever prepared to give
the professional burglar just sue an enter
tainment as his calling and character de
serve He almost i yariably surprises as
by coming at an hour when we think not
Inasmuch as We know not at what watch
the tn eff may come. it IS therefore eminent
~ wise that we be on the alert TO meet him
| at moments notice. If eternal vigilance
and prudent forethought are the price OF
liberty, they are with equal emphasis the
price of So ETY. as regards Ifs and property.
A failure to exercise vigilance and fore
thought lies at the foundation of nearly all
of the ills and mishaps of life. We see
forcible illustrations Of this truth almost
every day. and there are but few occurren-
ces of an evil character, whether they be
trivial or hearG-rending but that could be-
p eVented if we would only keep an eye
as studiously before US a. we do behind US.
But such Is the over-cohfidence with which
we venture upon the future. that vigilance
and forethought frequently fail to enter in
to our calculations. When there is O prob
| ~ 10 4
face we make some fort to guard against
it, but if the probability of the danger is
only slight we are not so prudent and
cautious. In this We act un1isely, for
misfortune, like the thief, never comes at
the time when, or the place whore we most
naturally expect it. Tnis is true IN every
department of life. / desire to impress
this thought deeply upon the minds of this
audience by an elSborate re 'erence to the re&
cent disaster which occurred on the rail-
road within the past fortnight just above
this city. Let US examine into the cause of
this occurrence, for il has its cause. We
generally call such calamites accidents,
but such tile is a misnomer All such oc>
currences are the legitimate effects of .ome
adequate cause just below here few
miles; az the village of Loudop, there is a
huge bridge extending acT oss the Tennes-
lee river. 1t is several hundred feet in
length and an extraordinary distance from
| Inc WhL6T. i Gu u6N6E IOso III OuL LHaG you
feel a shudder pass over you, especially
when you Look into the fearful depths be-
low. If one of those spans were to give
way beneath its load of human freight
how appalling would be the resu {. In all
probable y not an individual would escape
death or fearful mutilation. We can
scarcely estimate the loss of life and prop
ertV that would follow. What wonderful
vigilance and forethoUght do the autbor
ties of the road call into exercise just at
this point. TIER Own interests demand it,
the W requires it, and public opinion ex-
poets it. Hence those lofty pillars are
built out of the solid granite, and upon the
frmest possible foundation The wood
work is constructed out of the strong
and most durable timbers. Experts in
the mechanical arts ale required to make
stated examinations as to the condition OF
this place Of peril. Aregular watcbman
is kept there and paid salary, whose sole
duty it is to sCrutinize the bridge every
time train passes over it. Every engin. Ell
on the road has special orders as to how
fast he must run when passing over it with
his train SLpposp he fail to whistle down
| his brakes shut eff his steam, and pass over
slowly and cautiously, if he should sue
coed In reaching the opposite side in safe
ty, which is improbable, the superintendent
uld scarcely wait for him to bring hi
E train under the car shed before be would
Co'lIoHG h4tu Win an aoFupI expulsion
And why ali tn s prudence and caution
Because This is a p ace Of grsAt dar ger
And what is the result? Why'it is In
4 rA est thing in the world that disaster oc
: ours here. No train has ever plunged owe,
: this Dizzy height. The fa is that such 4
: the extreme C re exercised upon the part O.
the road with reference to this place tha,
. the Loudon bridg instead Cf being 8
place of great danger, il place of safety
Prudence aud forethought make it such
You ar in less danger right there than al
any point along the road. That is a place
W ere the off ,Ials are on their guard. Ind
let the thief come at any watch in the
night, a. the house is never broken into
Il such care as this were exerc sed at every
place along the line of road where there s
the slightest danger. the dis sters would he
few AID far between. But how is it nj
points where da ger is not aUprehended-
where there is an unnatural feeiing of conf
dence and security2 just there is the real
DANCE because the authorities of the road
call into exercise nothing more than ordi-
nary prudence and forethought This ia
= all that the law requires, sn it is all that
} public sentiment expects. Therefore lust
!, above this city there is an insignificant
tcreek, only few yards wide and few feet
deep. 1t requires only small bridge, SIM.
/ ported by an ordinary trestle work. to span
I 1t. 1t Is rare that experts 60 there 10 ey-
: 'l"0 ~, oeCauso Tue common road hand
! can see what is needed. No watchman ;e
kept there and paid to Guard
1t. NO engineer has his orders to shut off
bis tenn and pass over it slowly and can.
siahlS. Trains sweep across it from
!; year to year as a thing of nothing
! Neither pa seng rs nor authorities annre,
bend he-slig htest danger. But what is the
result? All! just within the past few
nights there WIS enacted tragic scene at
this fatal bridge which to this good hour
curdles the blood as We contemplate it.
Between the hours of nine and twelve
O'Clock on that memorable night an omi-
nous cloud WIS seen to roll up and spread
Tvs lurlo folds out over the face of the east.
1 say The rain came down in that vi
y 0.hi'y IN learfui rrrnts This small stream
r sWnilen beyond the capacity of its
nsturaI enamel. 1t swept down with ire.
: SIs'aoIe Jury against the ROW br1dee.
: The unstable earth was eradnaIIr 1920
from beneath the pillars. Thu ~, Irl,s
way, virtually leaving NOTHING h1t ~
unsupported railing suspended in 0 ~ tIe
! spanning the ugly chasm The clnnds d on
p-rsed aud the stars looked in soIo,rn
ST enee uponihe treacherous scene. Tba
hours passed swiftly BY" The rattle 81
the iron horse was heard in the distance
moving over the track with desperate en-
erey in his rapid fight Unsuspecting
passengers were on board, representing
many conditions in life Some are gray.
with age; some in the strength of man
Mood, and others are in tender infancy.
Some are gay and mirthful others are
wrapped IN the unconsciC usness of mid