July 9: On This Day in World History … briefly
As many as 50 000 people came to the track that day to help rescue survivors, search for loved ones or simply witness the tragic scene.
1918: Human error to blame for train collision that kills 101
The Great Train Wreck of 1918 on July 9, in Nashville, Tennessee occurred when two passenger trains, operated by the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway, collided head-on, costing at least 101 lives and injuring an additional 171. It is considered the worst rail accident in United States history, though estimates of the death toll of this accident overlap with that of the Malbone Street Wreck in Brooklyn the same year.
The two trains involved were the No. 4, scheduled to depart Nashville for Memphis, Tennessee at 7am, and the No. 1 from Memphis, about a half-hour late for a scheduled arrival in Nashville at 7.10am. At about 7.20am, the two trains collided while traversing a section of single track line known as ‘Dutchman’s Curve’ west of downtown, in the present-day neighbourhood of Belle Meade. The trains were each traveling at an estimated 50 to 60 miles per hour; the impact derailed them both and destroyed several wooden cars.
An investigation by the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) attributed the cause of the accident to several factors, notably serious errors by the crew of train No. 4 and tower operators, all of whom failed to properly account for the presence of the train No. 1 on the line. The ICC also pointed to a lack of a proper system for the accurate determination of train positions and noted that the wooden construction of the cars greatly increased the number of fatalities.
Most notable historic snippets or facts extracted from the book ‘On This Day’ first published in 1992 by Octopus Publishing Group Ltd, London, as well as additional supplementary information extracted from Wikipedia.
HAVE YOUR SAY
Like the South Coast Herald’s Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Instagram
To receive our FREE email newsletter, click HERE
