| From the New Orleans True Delta |
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| August 20, 1861 |
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| Railroad Accidents |
| The Atlanta (Ga.) Confederacy of the 17th
records two railroad accidents, on the 14th and 15th, the result of the
recent heavy rains. The first occurred on the Atlanta & West Point road,
by which the mail car was smashed. The second befell a passenger train
on the Macon and Columbus road {Muscogee RR},
which contained two companies of soldiers belonging to Col. Benning's
regiment. Unfortunately two persons were killed. Citizens in the
vicinity of the disaster had discovered the damaged condition of the
road before the train arrived, and had advanced some distance along the
track to give warning to the engineer, but he mistook their signals for
complimentary demonstrations to the soldiers in the cars. Much injury
was done to the baggage and arms of the companies. |
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| {In a separate column of the same
issue of the same paper} |
| Virginia Intelligence |
| The Railroad Accident |
| The sad accident on the Central railroad
{actually the Muscogee RR}, or which we
have had a pretty full account by telegraph, appears to have been one of
those unavoidable occurrences for which no particular blame can be
attached to any one. From the Dispatch's account of the sad affair, we
extract the following: |
| The rain of Sunday night had been very
heavy, and it was feared the little streams, swollen to unusual
proportions, might have washed the soft soil from beneath the track in
some of the gullies and ravines through which they ran. About four miles
this side of the junction with the Fredericksburg road, there is an
embankment through which a culvert ran, at this time filled with a
swollen and turbid stream, which made large excavations in the sides as
it dashed through. This place was a point of suspicion, and the engineer
at the junction telegraphed his fears to this city, and advised the
train to proceed with great caution; but, unfortunately, the cars had
left the station before the telegram was received. The superintendent
immediately sent word to start out an engine with red lights to give
warning at the spot where it was supposed there was a liability of the
track being washed away. This was done at once; but before reaching the
spot the onward bound train had been precipitated over the embankment,
with its freight and passengers, smashing the cars in a frightful
manner, and wounding many of the unfortunate soldiers who were on board. |
| {I have found nothing recounting
an accident as described in this account. I believe the New Orleans
editor, reading the Richmond Dispatch's report of the Muscogee RR
accident, took editorial license and assumed that the "Central RR" was
the Virginia Central, when it should have been a misreporting of the
Central of Georgia. The junction was with the Central of Georgia RR, not
the Fredericksburg RR (Richmond Fredericksburg & Potomac RR). |
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