Jug Neck Curve

[NW Mailing List]

The following is a firsthand account of a wreck on Jug Neck curve written by R.P.C. Sanderson between 1883 and 1899.


"On another occasion I was riding in the left side of the cab of passenger engine No. 72 with Charlie Akers, engineer, and Dick Moran, fireman. Going up to Bluefield from New River as we were rounding Jug Neck curve, I saw ahead a rock slide across the track. I gave a yell and threw myself out of the cab window, falling down the embankment of loose stones to the creek. No bones broken. I heard a roar and crash. After clambering up the side of the bank, I found the engine lying on its side with the steam and water squirting out of the broken check-valve and safety-valve. When we got Akers and Moran out of the wreck and scalding steam they were both badly burned. We got some black car oil out of the baggage car hot-box bucket and smeared them both over with oil to keep the air off the burns until they could be properly treated. The conductor had sent a flag-man back to the last station and we soon had a relief train there from Bluefield. Both Akers and Moran recovered, but were badly scarred up."


A Joyful Christmastide to all,


Peter R. R. Getz



________________________________


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://pairlist6.pair.net/pipermail/nw-mailing-list/attachments/20171219/52b24fbe/attachment.html>