N&W in 1911--Rock

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Bluefield Daily Telegraph
December 23, 1911

HUGE ROCK HITS PILOT OF MOVING TRAIN
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Only Slow Speed of No. 2 Prevented Fearful Loss of Life at Pepper
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PASSENGERS SHAKEN UP BUT ESCAPED INJURY
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Engineer Tom Monroe of This City And Postal Clerk W. C. Sales Sustained Bad Bruises But Neither Had Any Bones Broken
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MAIL AND BAGGAGE CARS WERE HURLED FORM TRACK
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    Roanoke, Va., Dec 22 (Special)  The fall of a large rock on the track of the Norfolk and Western, 400 feet west of the switch at Pepper, Va., near Radford, wrecked passenger train No. 2 at 5 o'clock this afternoon.
    There were 100* passengers on the train but all escaped without injury.  Engineer W. T. (Tom) Monroe, of Bluefield, and W. C. Sales, postal clerk, were badly bruised and shaken up but no bones were broken.
    The train was running slowly and a watchmen was out on account of high water, but the rock fell unexpectedly.
    Part of the rock struck the pilot and, doubling up under the engine, threw it partly over and derailed the postal and express cars, damaging them badly.
    The passengers were considerably shaken up but uninjured.
    A train was sent to the wreck and the passengers transferred and brought to Roanoke.
    Only the slow speed of the train prevented what might have been terrible loss of life.
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[The first numeral was blurred on the microfilm.  The number could be 400.  Remember it was just before Christmas.  No. 2 was a Williamson--Lynchburg local.]

Gordon Hamilton
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