1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class. It's a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:07,600 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hi, I'm Eves, and Welcome to This Day 3 00:00:07,600 --> 00:00:11,800 Speaker 1: in History Class, a show that uncovers history one day 4 00:00:11,880 --> 00:00:24,960 Speaker 1: at a time. Today is Duly nineteen. The day was 5 00:00:25,079 --> 00:00:30,040 Speaker 1: July nine night. At seven twenty in the morning, two 6 00:00:30,080 --> 00:00:34,240 Speaker 1: trains from the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway crashed 7 00:00:34,280 --> 00:00:37,880 Speaker 1: into each other. The head on collision killed a hundred 8 00:00:37,880 --> 00:00:40,800 Speaker 1: and one people and injured one and seventy one people, 9 00:00:41,880 --> 00:00:45,640 Speaker 1: so some of those injured may have died later. Since 10 00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:48,519 Speaker 1: the train cars were segregated and the front cars were 11 00:00:48,520 --> 00:00:51,080 Speaker 1: the ones for black people, most of the people killed 12 00:00:51,080 --> 00:00:54,880 Speaker 1: in this wreck were black. In the nineteenth and early 13 00:00:54,880 --> 00:00:59,000 Speaker 1: twentieth centuries, train related deaths and injuries were not uncommon. 14 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:03,400 Speaker 1: The railroad industry was host to a lot of hazardous conditions. 15 00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:08,240 Speaker 1: It was dangerous to couple and decoupled train cars, trains 16 00:01:08,280 --> 00:01:13,280 Speaker 1: derailed and crashed, and bridges collapsed. Accidents and the treatment 17 00:01:13,319 --> 00:01:16,280 Speaker 1: of victims was such an issue in the industry that 18 00:01:16,400 --> 00:01:21,920 Speaker 1: railroads had their own medical organizations. Though railroad companies largely 19 00:01:21,920 --> 00:01:26,200 Speaker 1: opposed increased safety regulations, by the late nineteenth century, the 20 00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:29,360 Speaker 1: government did Institute acts that made working and writing on 21 00:01:29,400 --> 00:01:34,600 Speaker 1: a train safer, like requiring powered breaks. These changes led 22 00:01:34,640 --> 00:01:38,240 Speaker 1: to less passenger and employee injuries and deaths, but they 23 00:01:38,280 --> 00:01:42,840 Speaker 1: did not completely read the industry of accidents. On July nine, 24 00:01:44,200 --> 00:01:47,240 Speaker 1: the Number one Express, training on the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. 25 00:01:47,240 --> 00:01:51,520 Speaker 1: Louis Railway, left Memphis around midnight, set to arrive in 26 00:01:51,640 --> 00:01:55,680 Speaker 1: Nashville around seven a m. The Number four usually left 27 00:01:55,760 --> 00:01:59,480 Speaker 1: Nashville at seven in the morning. Typically, the trains would 28 00:01:59,480 --> 00:02:01,720 Speaker 1: pass each other. They're in an area between Nashville and 29 00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:05,520 Speaker 1: shops where there were double tracks. Most of the cars 30 00:02:05,560 --> 00:02:07,920 Speaker 1: were wooden on the Number one and all of the 31 00:02:07,960 --> 00:02:11,239 Speaker 1: cars were wooden on the Number four. The gym crow 32 00:02:11,280 --> 00:02:14,840 Speaker 1: cars were at the front of each train. If anything 33 00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:17,880 Speaker 1: changed in the train schedules, then the Number four would 34 00:02:17,880 --> 00:02:21,000 Speaker 1: wait on the double tracks until the Number one train passed. 35 00:02:21,320 --> 00:02:24,320 Speaker 1: Since it had priority as an inbound train to Nashville, 36 00:02:25,680 --> 00:02:29,800 Speaker 1: and on this day both trains were delayed, the Number 37 00:02:29,840 --> 00:02:32,079 Speaker 1: four waited on the double tracks for the Number one 38 00:02:32,120 --> 00:02:36,400 Speaker 1: to pass. Another train did pass around seven fift a m. 39 00:02:36,400 --> 00:02:39,040 Speaker 1: But it was a switch engine, not the Number one. 40 00:02:39,760 --> 00:02:43,040 Speaker 1: The conductor assumed it was the Number one. And proceeded 41 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:46,200 Speaker 1: to continue onto the single track before the Number one 42 00:02:46,240 --> 00:02:51,080 Speaker 1: had arrived. The operator at Shops and the dispatcher soon 43 00:02:51,200 --> 00:02:54,400 Speaker 1: realized the train began moving before it was supposed to, 44 00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:57,720 Speaker 1: and the crew at Shops set off the emergency whistle, 45 00:02:58,840 --> 00:03:03,200 Speaker 1: but the Number four US accelerated. By the time the 46 00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:05,880 Speaker 1: crews on each train saw one another near a stretch 47 00:03:05,880 --> 00:03:10,400 Speaker 1: of track called Dutchman's Curve, it was too late. They collided, 48 00:03:10,480 --> 00:03:14,560 Speaker 1: going about fifty miles or eighty kilometers per hour. The 49 00:03:14,639 --> 00:03:18,000 Speaker 1: engineers and stokers in the locomotives were immediately killed in 50 00:03:18,040 --> 00:03:21,840 Speaker 1: the impact. The front cars on both trains were crushed, 51 00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:26,320 Speaker 1: and the scene was horrifying. Nurses and doctors came to 52 00:03:26,360 --> 00:03:29,400 Speaker 1: the wreck to help, and the Red Crosses Nashville Chapter 53 00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:33,480 Speaker 1: also showed up. The injured were taken to City Hospital 54 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:36,240 Speaker 1: and Vanderbilt Hospital, and the wreck was cleared from the 55 00:03:36,320 --> 00:03:40,520 Speaker 1: railroad tracks so that trains could continue operating. After the wreck, 56 00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:44,160 Speaker 1: the Interstate Commerce Commission or i c C conducted a 57 00:03:44,240 --> 00:03:48,560 Speaker 1: simple investigation into the causes of the accident. In August, 58 00:03:48,600 --> 00:03:52,200 Speaker 1: it released a seven page report made up mostly of pictures. 59 00:03:53,560 --> 00:03:55,640 Speaker 1: It found that the Number four train was on the 60 00:03:55,680 --> 00:03:58,520 Speaker 1: track at Dutchman's Curve when it should have been waiting 61 00:03:58,520 --> 00:04:01,840 Speaker 1: at shops for the number one train to pass. The 62 00:04:01,920 --> 00:04:05,320 Speaker 1: crews on both trains were experienced, so that probably was 63 00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:08,560 Speaker 1: not the reason for the crash, and the crew on 64 00:04:08,600 --> 00:04:10,920 Speaker 1: the number four train had been working for less than 65 00:04:10,960 --> 00:04:13,240 Speaker 1: an hour at the time of the crash, so it 66 00:04:13,400 --> 00:04:15,760 Speaker 1: is not likely that the crew was fatigued due to 67 00:04:15,840 --> 00:04:19,360 Speaker 1: long hours on the train. Though it was not clear 68 00:04:19,400 --> 00:04:22,440 Speaker 1: why the number four's train kept going, some people guessed 69 00:04:22,480 --> 00:04:25,279 Speaker 1: that the engineer missed a signal at shops or thought 70 00:04:25,279 --> 00:04:28,719 Speaker 1: the switch train was the number one. The i CEC 71 00:04:28,960 --> 00:04:32,960 Speaker 1: did make some recommendations for improvements in operation. It suggested 72 00:04:33,040 --> 00:04:36,200 Speaker 1: that trains should have to confirm with the dispatcher whether 73 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:39,440 Speaker 1: the train with presidents had arrived and proceed only if 74 00:04:39,440 --> 00:04:42,440 Speaker 1: they got to go ahead, or that they should proceed 75 00:04:42,560 --> 00:04:45,720 Speaker 1: only if they were given the official order. The i 76 00:04:45,880 --> 00:04:49,880 Speaker 1: c C also suggested implementing a block signal system where 77 00:04:49,880 --> 00:04:53,359 Speaker 1: signals tell an engineer whether a block is clear, and 78 00:04:53,440 --> 00:04:57,080 Speaker 1: making the train cars steal instead of wooden. Though the 79 00:04:57,080 --> 00:04:59,520 Speaker 1: wreck was devastating, it did not get a ton of 80 00:04:59,560 --> 00:05:02,880 Speaker 1: attention in the press. In the years after the Great 81 00:05:02,880 --> 00:05:06,520 Speaker 1: Train Wreck of nineteen eighteen, automatic block signaling and train 82 00:05:06,600 --> 00:05:12,119 Speaker 1: control systems became mandatory safety measures. I'm Eve Jeff Coote 83 00:05:12,240 --> 00:05:14,640 Speaker 1: and hopefully you know a little more about history today 84 00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:18,120 Speaker 1: than you did yesterday. And if you'd like to learn 85 00:05:18,120 --> 00:05:20,720 Speaker 1: more about this topic, you can listen to an episode 86 00:05:20,760 --> 00:05:23,680 Speaker 1: of Stuff you Missed in History class called Great train 87 00:05:23,720 --> 00:05:27,080 Speaker 1: Wreck of nineteen eighteen. The link is in the description. 88 00:05:28,520 --> 00:05:32,720 Speaker 1: Get more notes from history on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook 89 00:05:32,880 --> 00:05:38,039 Speaker 1: at t d i h C podcast. Thanks again for 90 00:05:38,080 --> 00:05:51,560 Speaker 1: listening and we'll see you tomorrow. For more podcasts from 91 00:05:51,560 --> 00:05:54,400 Speaker 1: I Heeart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 92 00:05:54,480 --> 00:05:56,120 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.