VGN 800

[NW Mailing List]

Gordon,
 
I have been told that the Roanoke Times shot a series of photos of the 800 tragedy, which they offered for sale some time afterwards. I obtained a "copy" of these many years ago from the son of a Virginian conductor. These men traveled to the wrecksite the day after the explosion, 4-2-41. The copies of the photos I have are dark, and not very good. I have five Times photos, which supposedly made up the set that were sold to the public. I am sure that they probably shot many more, which probably include some, if not all, that you found.
 
You are correct that the 4th view, below, is not the exact photo in Reid's book. It was taken at a slightly different angle, and the position of people in the view is different, but probably also a Times photo. 
 
The photos in H. Reid's book appear to be Roanoke Times photos of which I have copies.
 
I can vouch for Mr. King's story, as told by Mr. Clyde Weatherly. I heard the same story from Mr. Weatherly about ten years later, as I was fortunate to know Mr. Weatherly and spent many evenings with him at Walnut Avenue Tower (JK) during the late 1960's and early '70's. I also knew one of the trainmen on the wreck train that is pictured in Reid's book. He was W.W. Moser (Big Moe). When I met him, years later, he was a Yardmaster at South Yard. 
 
Thanks for the new photos.
 
Jeff Sanders 
 


--- On Sun, 3/6/11, NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:


From: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
Subject: VGN 800
To: "NW Mailing List" <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
Date: Sunday, March 6, 2011, 8:13 AM



While at the Virginia Room of the Roanoke Public Libraries last week, Alicia Sell, the archivist (who has toured the NWHS Salem Avenue Archives and was impressed) showed me some snapshot pictures that had been donated to the Virginia Room showing details of the 1941 explosion of VGN 800 at Stewartsville.  Some show seldom-seen arrays of staybolts (something you don't want to see very often.). After I answered her questions by identifying such things in the pictures as staybolts, fire box sheets, etc., I asked her if the NWHS could have copies of the pictures.
 
After getting permission from the donor of the pictures, Alicia sent me a CD with the images that I plan to place in the NWHS Archives next week.
 
I am attaching thumbnails of the pictures in order to learn if anyone has seen these pictures before.  Please respond if so.
 
The attached picture of the overall accident scene is different from the picture of the overall scene on page 92-93 of H. Reid's book on the Virginian as revealed by the different locations of people in the two pictures.
 
I think that this may be a unique addition to the NWHS Archives.
 
Gordon Hamilton



















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