The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1891-1893, 1891-08-30
Theories Advanced as to Cause of
the Wreck,

the Wreck,
"A dispatch to the Atlanta Jour
nal says that one report Of the cause
of the disaster is that the rains of
the day and night previous SO un-
dermined the trestle and rendered it
incapable of holding up the train.
Whatever the correct theory as to
the accident may be, it is certain
that there is no foundation for this
opinion. The Bostian viaduct
where the accident occurred is the
most massive and durable in the
State. 1t is made of five arches of
heavy masonry and is in as good
condition now as the day before the
wreck. 1t is not damaged in the
slightest, and persons saved from
the wreck walked across it On their
way to Statesville for help. When
| saw it the track had all been re-
placed, but it is said that rails,
cross ties and every wooden thing
on the viaduct was hurled down into
the creek below and the masonry
alone spanned the creek. 1t took a
terrible wrench to drag the heavy
timbers off the bridge, but
they were all wrenche'l of.
One of the steel rails was so
bent by the wrench that it IS IN
the shape of a half moon.
The viaduct was built III 1857
under the direction of Col. ELIAsON,
civil engineer. MAJ. j. W. VIII
son, then ayoung man, assisted IN
its erection and tells me that
nowhere is there more solid struc-
ture. A glance at it discloses that
neither time, nor flood, nor fire
could shake it or make it dangerous
The recent rams, therefore, had
nothing to do with the accident un-
less they had swelled the cross-ties
and caused the track to spread.
A few of the cross-ties are rotte1
| in places, but they are, with the ex
ception of the end of one, in goo(
order as to their heart and | saw
that it took strength to drive ;
, spike into the hearts Of all Of them
5 Col. ANDREWS informed me tha
all Of these cross-ties had beer
: placed on the road within the las
G three years. The average lengtl
D of the life of a cross-tie is betweel
e six and eight years. | am no ex
s. pert, but | do not well see how til
rotten places on the ties could hav
caused the wreck. For that matter
| do confess that | am unable to a,
d count for it, and having heard muc
r conflicting testimony it is clear t
g me that nobody knows how the a
2 cident occurred, and that all tt
1T evidence merely goes to establis
le the probabilities of the theories, bl
lie there is no certain and positi,
proof as to the real cause.
OF The convicts went to work ear
s. after the wreck to fix the track.
I'd is to be regretted that it could n
have stood intact as it was uni
Te MAJ. WILSON, chairman of Il
20 Railroad Commissioners, and 9th
b. experts could have made an exam
as nation. If so, it is probable tt
1g cause of the wreck could have be-
D., ascertained. However, this wou
IN have delayed passing trains.
I'D Col. w. A. EL1AsON, an expt
ho civil engineer, who built the v
duct, and former employee of t
OF road, says: "It is impossible
OF pull spikes without bending the
e., This was not the case with tho
He found on the track. The cross-t
is were rotten and utterly unsafe.
The sec,ion-master told the Ri
7as mond Dispatch reporter $50
7as writes) that he had done no We
ter on the bridge for some time, a