The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1918-07-12
III PEOPLE
K|[LED|NWRECK
Col. "Y" Gym Used As
Temporary Hospital.
SCORES WOUNDED IN HEAD-ON
C0LLISI0N-S0ME ONE BLUND-
ERED-SIGNALS MIXED-MANY
FAMILIES BEREAVED-MANY
STILL BODIES UNIDENTIFIED

e@@N - @A@@~s
Because somebody blundered, at
least 121 persons were killed and
fifty-seven injured shortly after 700
o'clock on Tuesday morning, when
ashville, Chattanooga & st. Louis
Railway passenger trains No. 1 from
Memphis and No. from Nashville
crashed head-on together just around
the sharp, steep graded curve at
Dutchman's Bend, about five miles
from the city near the Harding road.
Both engines reared and fell on
either side of the track, unrecogniza-
BILE masses of twisted iron and steel,
while the fearful impact of the blow
drove the express car of the north
bound train through the fiimsy wood
en- coaches loaded with human
freight, telescoped the smoking car
in front and pilling high in air the
two cars behind it, both packed to
the aisles with Negroes en- route to
the powder plant and some $50 other
regular passengers
Just where lies the blame, it is
impossible now to say. Officials of the
road are silent. But one of three
things is reasonably sure-that the
engineer of No. was given wrong
instructions, ran by his signal, OF
overlooked the schedule on which he
was supposed to run. That he knew
the Memphis train to be little late
leads to the conjecture that he was
attempting to reach the switch al
Harding station, short distance be.
yond the scene of the wreck, before
the inbound train arrived at tha
point.
AS Engineer Kennedys train ap
preached the signal tower in the new
shops, 1t is authoratively stated, ht
blew for his signal and was. giver
clear board. Before the train hat
passed under the tower, however, the
red board was dropped, signaling him
to stop. The supposition is that ht
never saw this signal, as both the
tower man and switch engineer triet
in vain to attract his attention. Be
sides this, getting clear signal gave
him no right to proceed, as he knew
that another passenger train having
the right of way was approaching a
no great distance.
Orders given him upon leaving tn,
station are said to have advised hin
that Train No. l would meet TraiI
No. 7 (an accommodation from Wav
erly) at Harding Station, and ar,
also reported to have given the en-
gine number of train No. /. The con
ductOr of Kennedy's train is under
stood to have stated that he was bus!
taking up tickets after leaving tn,
station and did not notice that th
| train had run past the double track
| which extends for three quarters o
mile beyond the new shops, until i
was almost at the scene of the wreck
The speed of the two trains whel
they met is estimated by old and ex
perienced railroad men as being no
less than sixty miles an hour.
The scene Immediately following
the collision Is indiscribable. Thos
escaping unhurt or with lesser in
juries fled from the spot in a verita
BILE panic. The cornfield on potl
sides of the track was trampled b,
many feet and Uttered with frag
ments Of iron and wood hurled fron
the demolished cars. The dead la,
here and there, grotesquely spraw
ling where they fell. The dyin
moaned appeals for aid or, speech
less, rolled their heads from side t
side and writhed in agony. Every
where there was blood and sufferin
and chaos.
From the wreckage, beneath whicl
many still lived, shrieks and muffe
cries arose, and here and there help
less yet visible victims prayed TO
| speedy deliverance by death.
AS soon as possible every availabl
doctor and nurse was rushed to tn
scene, and steady stream OF am
balances and automobiles, turne
over by their owners to assist in tn
work of mercy, began the task @
transportating to local hospitals an
undertaking establishments the dy
ing and the dead
Among the very first to arrive an
who plunged Immediately into tn
work Of rescue, doing much effectiv
first aid" before even the doctor
or the wrecking train reached tn
scene were Alfred T. Levine, Fran
Sanderson, Frank David, John ,
Vertrees, Jr., and Harry Friedman
At time when conditions were 6
their worst these men labored pra,
tically without tools and struggle
tirelessly against great odds.
In spite of the most strenuor
work, however, the labor of recoye
ing the bodies of the dead, many {
whom are mangled beyond the poss
bility Of recognition, has not Y,
been completed. At a late hour
the afternoon the bodies of six N
groes, all fearfully mutilated, wei
! discovered beneath pile of debr
thought to be merely scrap hea
from the demolished engines.
All morning long attention Gel
tered about the telescoped smokir
car of the outbound train, train crev
working hard to raise with Jacks IL
heavy body Of the express coach b
meath which was pinioned or crusl
ed most of the white victims.