Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-03-28

Loss In Property Several Thousand Dol
lars-New Officers Car Total Wreck.
| An Unavoidable Accident-No One ApPar-
emily to Blame.
| At an early hour Sunday morning the
| city became rife with rumors of frlghtful
railroad accident which had happened some
where on the upper end of the +.
| T., Va. d Ca Railroad, before day that
| morning. AS we are able to learn, from
authentic sources, the details of the unfor-
| tunate and disastrous accident are about as
| follows:
Passenger train No. 4, Saturday night
bonnd east, was in charge of Capt. Wiley
w. ..Lowery, pulled by Engineer J. NJ.
Reams, and consisted of the express, bag
gage and postal cars, two passenger coaches,
one Pullman sleeper and the new officers
car of the E. T., Va. 4 Ga
Railroad which was attached to
the rear of the train at this point, being
taken to Lynchburg, Virginia, to meet Col
E. w. Cole and wife, making train of
seven cars. At about o'clock. Sunday
morning, this train passed the second sec
ton of freight train No. 6, at Home, a sta
ton six miles east of Greeneville. AS is
the usual custom, the freight, as soon as it
had made ready, by closing up the switches
and other preparations, started out follow
ing the passenger. The road for
| mile or two east of Home
is succession of curves and steep down
grades, going east.
| But to return to the facts of the accident.
When the passenger train had reached a
pointi the cut just east of Ripley's bridge,
and about one and half miles east of
Home, the rubber hose between the engine
and tender bursted, thus applying the au-
tomato brake to every wheel on the train,
like clamp. This occurred near the bot
tom of very steep grade, and Engineer
Reams, knowing that he was followed
by freight, and realizing the perilous situa-
ton, threw his throttle wide open, gave her
all the steam she would take, and succeeded
.
fifteen yards, to the foot of the grade, and
started upon the next ascending grade,
when it came to a dead halt. As soon as
this occurred, Conductor Lowery and one
of his train men, also realizing the
danger of their situation, commenced
what is known as bleeding the
automatic brake attachment on
each car so as to loosen the brakes. En-
with his throttle wide open, and made sew
| eral efforts by main force to pull his train,
| with locked wheels, out of the way, and all
were making every effort in their power to
avert the impending danger, but without
effect. The second train man was started
back with red light to flag the approaching
freight. He made all the speed possible, but
was hindered in getting over a bridge,
which had just been crossed by the train.
There was short curve some three hun
bred yards behind the passenger train, and
the fagman was unable to reach that in
time, so that the engineer of the approach
liam iA'St Why iAODl tAACO W
four hundred yards to run before getting
the warnin.,. AS soon as he discovered the
red light the engineer, Joe Frazier, whis-
tied for brakes, reversed his engine, gave
it sand and made every possible attempt
to bring her to halt. The two
brakesmen were at their posts, one put on
two brakes and the other three. The train
was pulled by the large 10-wheel Rogers
engine, No. 81, and consisted of IL loaded
cars and caboose. 1t was running at the
speed of II or Is miles per hour, when the
1agman was seen. Although every effort
was made, the short distance
and heavy grade were against
them, and the engineer was only
able to check his speed to eight or ten miles
an hour, when it reached the foot of the
grade, and came in collision with the stand
ing train. Engineer Frazier stuck to his
engine until within about car length OF
the other train. He then realized the i'm
pending danger and jumped off, and in
jumping sprained his wrist and received
other painful injuriesl Fireman McNew
went back over the tender and got off the
rear end, escaping unhurt.
Engine 81 mounted and entered the rear
end of the officers car penetrating dis
lance of twelve or fifteen feet. The force
and weight of the engine caused the officers
car and the Pullman sleeper to be wedged
into one another distance of perhaps fit,
teen feet. The body of the officers car was
literally and totally demolished, being
the most complete wreck imagin-
able, and not piece of the
furniture escaped whole. The only occu
pant was the porter, w H. Booker, colored,
who was asleep in his berth, towards the
rear. He was fatally scalded from
the escaping steam of the freight engine.
The smoking room in the rear end of the
Pullman sleeper, was also completely de-
moIshed and the berths and other inside
fixtures torn loose and considerably damaged
The conductor, Capt. Darlington, who was
in his berth in the rear, was quite seriously
scalded, also, by the escaping steam from
the engine. He also received some cuts
and bruises from splinters. No one else il
the car or on the train was injured. In fact
the occupants of the postal and other front
front cars hardly felt the jar, on account Of
the wheels being locked SO tight.
Capt. Darlington and Porter Booker were
taken on the train, which was detached
from the wreck, to Jonesboro, where
the necessary medical attention could be
given them. Booker's injuries were of q
frightful nature. His skin and even fesI
was scalded off in many places, and he also
inhaled the steam inwardly. All attempts