The Wreck That Nearly Came Through Newport
A loose rail derailed an engine near Hillyard just as two soldier trains were passing through the region. Speed—or the lack of it—was all that prevented a disaster.
Two special trains carrying soldiers from Alaska to Indianapolis went through Newport Monday afternoon. One of them narrowly escaped a bad wreck near Hillyard, the engine being derailed by a loose rail, which the gang laying new steel had failed to fasten properly into place. Luckily the train had not picked up sufficient speed to cause much damage.
“One of them narrowly escaped a bad wreck near Hillyard, the engine being derailed by a loose rail.”
Rail safety still turns on small maintenance failures—a loose fastener, an uninspected joint—and the difference between a scare and a catastrophe. In 1908 the soldiers were lucky; the story is a reminder that infrastructure failures rarely announce themselves in advance.
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