N&W in 1911--Slide

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Bluefield Daily Telegraph
January 31, 1911

SLIDE WRECKS FAST FREIGHT KILLING ONE
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Engineer Nuckols Victim of Early Morning Smash-up Near Panther
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FOUR OTHER MEMBERS OF TRAIN CREW INJURED
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Seventeen Cars Derailed, Fifteen of Which Were Demolished and Traffic Was Delayed Many Hours While Clearing Track
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HEAVY RAIN IN TUG REGION WAS MENACE TO RAILROADING
    As a result of the heavy rain of Sunday night a slide occurred east of Panther, about seven o'clock yesterday morning, which wrecked the freight second No. 85, killing one and injuring four others.
    The dead:
    J. C. NUCKOLS, engineer, of No. 407 south Mercer street.
    The injured:
    C. A. WELCH, fireman on engine with Nuckols, 106 Park street.
    K. J. SHAWVER, engineer, 321 Rogers street.
    J. A. HUBBLE, fireman on engine with Shawver, Beasley street.
    SCOTT CLINE, brakeman, riding on one of the engines.
    The train was a double-header, the crew of the lead engine being Shawver and Hubble, and the crew on the second locomotive were Nuckols and Welch.  All of the men lived in this city.
    Engineer Nuckols was horribly burned by the escaping steam and hot water from his engine which overtook him before he could get out from under the over turned engine.  Fireman Welch had a broken leg while the other men escaped with minor injuries.  The men were brought to this city on a special train which arrived shortly after two o'clock.  The wreck was one of the most serious, from a point of damage done, which has occurred on the road in some time.  Seventeen cars loaded with through coke for western points were thrown from the tracks and the impact of the onrushing cars was so great that fifteen of the cars were smashed into splinters.  The two engines were thrown up against the bank and the wreck was so bad that traffic was delayed for over thirteen hours.  Both tracks were torn up and it was impossible to move trains No. 4, No. 15, No. 7 and No. 2 until the wreckage was cleaned up, which was along towards evening.
    Men and wrecking crews were hurriedly sent to the scene of the disaster and telephone and telegraph linemen were also sent to repair the damaged done to wires.  It was 8:30 a.m. before a wire could be gotten through and instructions given that a train was to be made up so that it could be sent to this city with the body of the dead and the injured men.
    Engineer Nuckols was well known among the railroad men and was familiarly called "Doc."  He grew up in the service of the Norfolk and Western and many on yesterday recalled the days when he was a mere youth working about the yard.  About seven years ago Mr. Nuckols married Miss Gilbert of Richlands, who survives him.
    The funeral will take place on Wednesday.  The deceased was a member of Grace Church and resided at 407 Mercer street, where he recently completed a new house in which he and his wife have been living for about a year.
    C. A. Welch, the fireman on the fatal engine, was carried to a hospital in this city where his injuries were treated.  It is not  expected that any serious results will follow the fracture of the leg he sustained.  Fortunately the other men on the engine crews and the brakeman were not severely injured.
Slide Derails a Car
    The high water in the Tug River due to the heavy rain on Sunday night narrowly escaped doing severe damage to extra No. 393 east, which was going along the track near Lindsey when a slide occurred, catching a car in the center of the train and throwing it from the track.  Fortunately the air worked on the slow moving train of empties and no one was injured.  The water washed out two bench beams on a bridge nearby with the result that traffic was considerably delayed there as well as at Panther.
High Water a Menace
    From all parts of the lower field came reports of high water which threatened to do damage, but outside of some small rocks falling on the track between Maybeury and Coaldale, no damage was done.  This was partly due to slow running orders which had been sent out on account of the danger of slides occurring with rain beating down with the force it had on Sunday night.  Trackmen said yesterday that the water in the Tug was higher yesterday morning and Sunday night than it has been in years, and they were considerably relieved in mind when the rain ceased, to be followed by a cold spell which will minimize the danger of slides for a while.
Peculiarities of the Wreck
    Among the railroad men yesterday there was no subject of conversation except the wreck which occurred at Panther.  The peculiar action of the engines on the double headed train was a subject of considerable discussion and many recalled that it has frequently happened that the engineer on the second engine has been more unfortunate than the man at the throttle on the head engine.  The slide into which the head engine ran, stopped the train so suddenly that the second engine was buckled out with the result that it actually was the first to fall over on its side.  Another feature of the wreck was the fact that Engineer Nuckols was not pinned under the overturned engine but was undoubtedly overcome by steam and hot waster and burned to death before he really had a chance to save himself.
Funeral of Mr. Nuckols
    The funeral of Engineer J. C. Nuckols will take place from Bland Street Methodist Church Wednesday afternoon at 2:30 o'clock, conducted by Rev. T. S. Hamilton, of Grace Church, of which Mr. Nuckols was a member of the board of stewards.  The interment will be in Walnut Grove Cemetery.
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[The Rev. T. S. Hamilton of Grace Methodist Church was my grandfather.]

Gordon Hamilton
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