Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1880-08-19
WRECK ExTRAORDINARY.
A Passenger Train Difched oEl
the Z. T., v. EE G. Railroad.
One engersKilled---A Large
Number Hurt, Sonle Seriously.
Cause, 81 Bridge Washed Away
by q Water Spout.

Number Hurt. Sonle Seriously.
Cause, 81 Bridge Washed Away
by Water Spout.
About half-past one o'clock yester-
day N ornings there occurred, six miles
from Knoxville, onsthe EFT, VI & G.
railroad, one~ef- the most destructive
and in many respects most remark
able, smssh.ups that ever happened
on this road. r. 8zate.-.-. f I
The fatal train was the regular pas
senger train, No. 4, which left Knox
Vile about 1880 o'clock. being then
near one hour late, and the fatal spot
was the bridge over Armstrong;
creek, six miles above the city, just
above the switch which leads off to
Harvey & Browns marble quarry. 81
That section of country it seems rad
been visited by terrific rain between
the hours of and II o'clock the night
before, and from all appesra 1ces it
must have been real water spout
| just at that Immediate spot. The
| whole face OF the country was flooded,
fences were washed away, and the
mighty waters came down in such
volume as to sweep away the substan-
tial rock wall supporting the east side
of the bridge over the creek-or rather
branch. This left the track uDbroken,
however, yet without support.
Consequently, when the train,
freighted with human souls. came
thundering along making good speed,
| nothing could be discovered, or was
suspected, till the frail support gave
way under the powerful iron horse
and she made terrific Iubge, butted
/ against the eastern en bankment, exc
cuted a sommerasaA, and fell helpless,
exhausted and demolished on the
north side OF the track. The train
consisted Cf a baggage and express
car, postal car. two passenger coaches
and the eleepera. The baggage and
! express car and the posta! each jnm ped
the precipice, which was perhaps If
teen or twenty feet deep aud about the
same width, They dropped Their
| trucks into the ditch, and we're left
sitting almost erect, but havingshaken
up the occupants and ooatents at u
lively rate. The secofdclass coach came
next, went into the ditch en- the front
end wheeled over and fell on mass of
huge rocks in the bed Of the stream
south Ofthe road, "a frightful wreck and
lying on her side rather inclined with
the bottom eide up. The first class
coach follow ed, went down in the same
way but was left with the rear end
leaning against the western embank1
ment, almost in perpendicular posi-
tion and as much of wreck as the
other coach. Tue Lynchburg and
Memphis sleeper, "'Iuka," followed,
went in partially on her front end and
- was badly demolished. The Pullman
sleeper, which brought up the rear,
did not get off the track, but wa;
\ shaken up by the shock. 3eaI lla
Il Col. Isham Young g, conductor Of ths
train, was standing in the sleeper
Ft'Iukan when the first shock came
was thrown from his feet, arose anC
, was thrown again and considerably
. stunned and bruised. He made hi
way out of the wreck as soon as pos
sible however, and the scene tha
greeted his eyes aud ears was sicken
ing and heartrendiDg in the extreme
g. 1t was impossible 10 tell what wa
the extent of the injury, but the groan
and screams which rent the air bore
testimony to the fact that there wa
|, untold distress. Of his crew of trail
men, the Colonel found only one, Dock
Dooey, who was brakeman on tn
extreme rear of the train, not injured
He at once started Dock. with a ret
lamp to Knoxville for assistance. Nc
Millan's, four miles of. was the near
est telegraph station, but the wrecI
broke all the wires down.
Col Young, then, with the assist
auce of some heroic passengers, VIII
were in the sleepers. began t
rlend assistance to the sufferers. ex
tracing them as rapidly as possibl
{ from their perilous situation. expect
: ling to find them pretty much all dea'
or maDgled badly. from the condition
: of the wrecked cars. .s.ai 81 IL
= One lifeless body was found, that Q
: a little girl, May Battle, abou
ten years of age who was Rurie
, under the debris in the end of sh
! coach, which stood on its end. En-
gineer w hitlock was found where b
had gone down just at his post, hi
head having barely escaped bein
crushed under the boiler. Jim Wood
i ward, the fireman, was thrown O
g some distance on thesother eide Of th
0 track from The engine.
e The postal car and the hoase Of som
e colored folks near by were conyerte
Q into hospitals and the injured ont
i were gotten out and put there
S in as rapidly IS possible. thong
q the heroic workers labored ur
y der many disadvantages. Tho
W who were hurt bore up bravely an
e courageously after they were gotte
: ont. and not a groan conld be hear
y scarcely. -. -
= DOCK DooIey reached the City SOM