July 9: Train Wreck of 1918

On this date in History ... July 9, 1918:  

Photo courtesy of www.tennesee.gov

What was labeled the worst train wreck in the U.S. occurred in Nashville TN, killing over 100 and injuring over 170 others. 

The wreck is known as “The Train Wreck of 1918” and as “The Dutchman’s Bend Train Wreck” and came just days after the Circus Train wreck in Hammond, IN (see my my post/blog of June 22). 

The two passenger trains collided at 50-60 mph. The investigation attributed the problem to error on the part of crew and tower operators and noted the wooden train cars contributed to the high loss of life. 

It is claimed that this wreck motivated the railroads to start switching to all metal cars. 

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