Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-06-29
WRECK ON THE
VIRGINIA BEACH ROAD
Engines Crash Together, Killing One Person and
Injuring Others.
Engine Enroue to Kempsve Meets Incoming Virginia Beach
Passenger Tran-Reversed Engine Dashes Back to the
Depot and Causes Another Wreck-Offcals Claim that
Orders Were Dsobeyed

What the Norfolk and Southern rail-
road officials claim was a misunder-
standing or disobedience of orders on
the part Of n train crew of three men,
berS, was the cause OF one of the most
remarka bic wrecks OH record yesterday
afternoon about o'clock one and a
half miles out from Norfole on the
Virginia Beach end of this road.
One life, that OF Fireman George
Sawyer. of Norfolk, was lost in the
wreck, and several other railroad men
were injured. II seems almost mirac-
ulous that there were no fatalities or
serious injuries among the passengers
on an incoming Virginia Beach train.
The wreck stands out as a remarka-
Bile one for two reasons: firstly, its
very occurrence under the circum-
stances was remarkable; secondly, its
double character, making, in fact, two
wrecks. was as remarkable a thing in
the way of railway accidents as has
ever happened in this section.
In the face oil the fact that n pas
senSer train from Virginia Beach was
due in less than five minutes at the
Fark Avenue Station. in Brambleton
Ward, an engine, ordered TO Kemps-
vile to bring in freight train, left
the above named stat1on Just IL minute
or two before o'clock yesterday after
noon. There is no double track for
any distance from the depot, and it
mas been demonstrated more than a
thousand and one times that two
trains going On opposite directions can
not pass each other on the same track.
This self-evident fact makes it strange,
indeed, that the crew of the engine or
dered TO Kempsville should have left
the depot when q train coming in on
the same track was lacking less than
hve minutes of being due at the sta
ton from which the engine left That
there was some horrible mistake some
where' certainly seems the only plaus-
ible way of explaining the matter.
COLLISION INEVITABLE.
The first side track which the engine
ordered to Kempsville could have
taken was at Greenwich, five miles
from the depot. When the engine left
the depot the passenger train was al
ready this side of the Greenwich sid
'1g, and 1t was not ahead of its sched-
uie time. The collision under these cir
cumstances was inevitable
The railroad officials have fixed the
blame for the collision upon the crew
OF the outgoing engine. Rumor has said
That the surviving members of this
crew deny their responsibility, but
neither OF the two surviving men who
were on the Inflated engine could be
seen last night.
NO. 4 LEAVES DEPOT.
The engine that left the Virginia
Beach depot for Kempsvilic was No. 4,
and 1t was run by Engineer Quillian
and Fireman Sawyer. Conductor John
Creighton was on the engine. goig out
after the freight train.
1t IS stated that one of the crew re-
marked just as he stepped on the en-
CINE that they would make Greenwich
in five minutes" That is the first sid
ing station. and It is five miles away.
The engine went cabin forward, and
was making fine time n quarter of a
mile from the depot. About q mile and
half from the depot Engineer Quillian
sighted the passenger train coming at
the rate of thirtyfive miles an hour. ut
was turning "a curve in a stretch OF
woodland, and the two engines were not
in each Cther's sight until they We're
less than $50 yards apart. Both engines