View source for 1906 Washington, D.C., train wreck

{{Short description|The Terra Cotta Train Wreck}}
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{{Infobox public transit accident
| name                = 1906 Washington, D.C. train wreck
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| date                = {{start date and age|1906|12|30}}
| time                = 6:31&nbsp;pm
| location            = [[Terra Cotta station]], near [[Brookland, Washington, D.C.]]
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| country             = United States
| line                = [[Metropolitan Subdivision|Metropolitan Branch]]
| operator            = [[Baltimore and Ohio Railroad]]
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| type                = Rear collision
| cause               = [[Signal passed at danger]]
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| trains              = 2
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| passengers          = 200<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.gendisasters.com/district-columbia/3026/terra-cotta,-dc-train-wreck,-dec-1907 | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422002844/http://www.gendisasters.com/district-columbia/3026/terra-cotta,-dc-train-wreck,-dec-1907| archivedate=April 22, 2019| title=Terra Cotta, DC Train Wreck, Dec 1907| website=GenDisasters.com}}</ref>
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| deaths              = 53
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The '''1906 Washington, D.C. train wreck''' occurred on the [[Metropolitan Subdivision|Metropolitan Branch]] of the [[Baltimore and Ohio Railroad]] (B&O) at [[Terra Cotta station]] in [[Washington, D.C.]], on December 30, 1906, at 6:31 in the evening, when a locomotive pulling six empty cars crashed into the back of a passenger train in dense fog, killing 53 people and injuring more than 70.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/18/travel/obscure-washington-dc/index.html?hpt=tr_c1| title=Locals unearth the intriguing, hidden history of D.C.: The Forgotten Crash| first=Mike M.| last=Ahlers| date=21 January 2013| website=CNN}}</ref>
==Accident==
The local train, consisting of three wooden cars, was traveling from [[Frederick, Maryland]], and was fifteen minutes late. It was just pulling out of Terra Cotta station (near the site of the current [[Fort Totten (WMATA station)|Fort Totten]] Metro station) when it was struck from behind by a "special equipment train", No 2120, traveling at full speed, about {{convert|65|mph|abbr=on}}. The heavy locomotive, which sustained very little damage, ploughed through the rear two cars, sending bodies and debris flying for a quarter of a mile on both sides of the track.<ref name=BrooklandAvenue>{{cite web| url=http://brooklandavenue.com/blog/?p=845| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130429182317/http://brooklandavenue.com/blog/?p=845| archivedate=April 29, 2013| title=Deadly 1906 Washington DC Train Wreck Near Fort Totten| website=Brookland Avenue| date=June 25, 2009| first=Robert| last=Malesky}}</ref>
The accident is described in the book ''Undergraduate Days 1904-1908'' by Frank Kuntz, recounted by a fellow student at the nearby [[Catholic University of America]]:&nbsp; "Then came a terrible noise which he described as a combination of an explosion, escaping steam, breaking wood, groaning brakes and human screams. It was so loud it could be heard on the campus and all over [[Brookland (Washington, D.C.)|Brookland]]".<ref name=BrooklandAvenue/><ref>{{cite book| page=116| title=Undergraduate Days, 1904-1908: The Catholic University of America| first=Frank| last=Kuntz| year=1958| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8c-Bt-FrjiMC| via=Google Books| publisher=Catholic University of America Press}}</ref>
==Aftermath==
According to ''[[The New York Times]]'', "One of the cars of the wrecked train was split in two and left in halves on either side of the track. The butchery of the passengers was one of the most frightful things in the history of railroading. They were cut into pieces and portions of their bodies scattered all along the track"<ref name=NYT>{{cite news| url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1907/01/01/101853564.pdf| title=Sped by Red Lights and 53 were Killed| newspaper=New York Times| date=January 1, 1907}}</ref> Small fragments of remains from several victims were commingled on their delivery to a local morgue;<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/49987233/the-bismarck-tribune/| title=Horrible| agency=Associated Press| newspaper=Bismarck Tribune| location=Bismarck, ND| date=January 3, 1907| page=1| via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref> these commingled remains were buried in a single grave at [[Glenwood Cemetery (Washington, D.C.)|Glenwood Cemetery]] with one monument, the expense paid by the B&O.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/49989325/the-washington-post/| title=Bury Fragments of Bodies| newspaper=The Washington Post| date=January 5, 1907| page=23| via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref>  The five crewmembers, Harry H. Hildebrand ([[Train driver|engineer]]), Ira C. McClelland ([[Fireman (steam engine)#Railways|fireman]]), Ralph Rutter ([[brakeman]]), Frank S. Hoffmeir ([[Conductor (rail)|conductor]]) and William A. Norris (baggagemaster), of the train that hit the passenger train were all arrested at the scene.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/49988104/the-baltimore-sun/| title=Whole Crew Arrested| newspaper=The Baltimore Sun| date=December 31, 1906| page=2| via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref><ref name=Engineerincell>{{cite news| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/49988912/the-washington-times/| title=Engineer Now In Cell Ran Past Red Light Evidence Will Show| newspaper=The Washington Times| date=December 31, 1906| page=3| via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref>
Despite its nearness to the capital, Terra Cotta station was an isolated place, just serving a few houses of employees of the nearby Potomac [[Terracotta|Terra Cotta]] Company. The first help came from Brookland about a mile away, and it took nearly an hour for a relief train to arrive from Washington to begin taking away the dead and injured (and a further hour before it departed).<ref>{{cite news| url=http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030272/1906-12-31/ed-1/seq-1/| newspaper=[[The Sun (New York)|The Sun]]| location=New York| date=December 31, 1906| volume=LXXIV| issue=122| page=1| title=33 Killed in Train Wreck| via=Chronicling America (Library of Congress)}}</ref>
==Causes==
The entire Metropolitan branch operated by the "[[Absolute block signalling|absolute block system]]",  which should have prevented any other train from entering a "block" of track when it is occupied. The empty train should have been stopped at [[Takoma, Washington, D.C.|Takoma Park]] until the passenger train had moved out of the block at University. The operator at Takoma Park stated that his signal lights were burning red ("danger") when the empty train passed, corroborated by three other people.<ref name=Engineerincell /> The engineer claimed he slowed down and looked for the signal, but could not see it. In such a situation he should have stopped, and yet he continued running at great speed. The operator immediately telegraphed the operator at University station:&nbsp; "No. 2120 has gone by my red light, going like hell".<ref name=NYT/> The tower operator at University station confirmed that he received the message.<ref name=Engineerincell />
One misunderstanding that contributed in large part to the disaster was that Takoma Park station was closed between 6:30&nbsp;pm and 6:30&nbsp;am each day, when no signals would have been displayed; in these circumstances the previous block (controlled by signals at [[Silver Spring Station|Silver Spring]]) extends beyond Terra Cotta. No. 2120 had received a clear signal from Silver Spring, so the engineer believed he was cleared through to University. Further inquiries also revealed that the engineer had been on almost continuous duty for 33 hours and had not had a full night's sleep for 57 hours.<ref>{{cite book| title=Railroad Wrecks| first=Edgar A.| last=Haine| pages=70–72| year=1993| isbn=0-8453-4844-2}}</ref>
Four men were charged with manslaughter&nbsp;— the engineer, conductor, brakeman and fireman of train 2120<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/49987444/the-washington-post/| title=Will Plead Justification| newspaper=The Washington Post| location=Washington, D.C.| date=December 6, 1907| page=11| via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref>&nbsp;— but after a lengthy trial all were found not guilty due to lack of evidence. Nonetheless, the [[Interstate Commerce Commission]] blamed them, claiming all were negligent.<ref name=BrooklandAvenue/><ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/49990243/the-washington-post/| title=Wrecks, Crying Evil; Report on Terra Cotta Disaster Made Public; Blame Put on Train Crews| newspaper=The Washington Post| date=January 7, 1908| page=16| via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref>  It did reserve some criticism for management, though having received "evidence indicating that the railroads have overworked and poorly paid men manning these safety devices and that, in the effort to rush traffic, men on trains are encouraged to be careless about heeding danger signals".<ref name=NYT/> The ICC also banned wooden body passenger car construction.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://dcnrhs.railsales.org/dc_rail_history.htm| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727195801/http://dcnrhs.railsales.org/dc_rail_history.htm| archivedate=2011-07-27| title=Washington, D.C. Railroad History Timeline| website=Washington D.C. Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society}}</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
*[https://www.loc.gov/rr/news/topics/trainwreck.html Topics in Chronicling America - Train Wreck in Washington, DC, Dec. 30, 1906]
{{1900s railway accidents}}
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[[Category:Railway accidents in 1906]]
[[Category:Railway accidents and incidents in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:1906 in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Railway accidents involving fog]]
[[Category:Accidents and incidents involving Baltimore and Ohio Railroad]]
[[Category:Railway accidents involving a signal passed at danger]]
[[Category:December 1906 events]]
[[Category:Train collisions in the United States]]
[[Category:Rail accidents caused by a driver's error]]
[[Category:Northeast (Washington, D.C.)]]