1918 Nashville Train Crash
The 1918 Nashville Train Crash occurred on July 9, 1918, in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Two passenger trains, operated by the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway ("NC&StL"), collided head on, costing at least 101 lives and injuring an additional 171. It is considered the worst rail accident in U.S. history, though estimates of the death toll of this accident overlap with that of the Malbone Street Wreck in Brooklyn, New York, the same year.
This is one of the deadliest train wrecks that happened in the world.
Accident[]
Shortly after 7:20 a.m. the two trains collided at Dutchman's Grade near White Bridge Road. It is estimated that the westbound train was traveling at about 50 mph (80 km/h), while the Nashville-bound train was running at 60 mph (100 km/h). Many of the wooden cars were crushed or hurled sideways. The sound of the collision could be heard two miles (3 km) away.
It was to have been the last trip for the engineer of the Nashville bound train before his retirement.
Aftermath[]
The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) listed the dead at 101, though some reports had the death toll as high as 121. At least 171 people were injured. Many of the victims were African-American laborers from Arkansas and Memphis who were coming to work at a gunpowder plant in Old Hickory, outside of Nashville. 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.
In its official report, the ICC was harsh on the NC&StL. A combination of poor operating practices, human error and lax enforcement of operating rules led to the worst passenger train wreck in U.S. history. Had the tower operator properly left his signal at danger, had the conductor monitored his train's progress rather than entrusting it to a subordinate, or had the crew inspected the train register at Shops Junction as required, the accident would not have happened. The wreck provided the impetus for most railroads to switch to all-steel passenger cars.