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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Tunga>Bluefield Daily Telegraph<BR>March 8,
1910</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV align=center><FONT size=4>FREIGHT TRAIN CRASHES INTO TWO HUGE
ROCKS</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=center>-------</DIV>
<DIV align=center><STRONG>Tracks Near Ada Badly Torn Up And May Not be Cleared
Before Afternoon</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV align=left> </DIV>
<DIV align=left> Nathan Neal, colored, was slightly injured in
a wreck which occurred one mile west of Ada last night about 8 o'clock.
Eight cars were thrown crossways on the track and two cars overturned.
Engine 1057 [<EM>M1, 4-8-0, Richmond 1907</EM>]<EM>,</EM> with Hugh Carney at
the throttle and Fireman T. S. Simmons plunged into two rocks weighing a ton or
more each, which had rolled off the bank on the track directly in front of the
train. The engineer did not see them until he was within three or four car
lengths and although he applied his air as quickly as possible, the engine went
ploughing into the obstructions, but only suffered the loss of its pilot.
Neal, who was injured, was standing on top of a car near the engine and when he
saw what was happening he jumped, spraining his back. If the engineer and
fireman had jumped they might have been killed. As it was both stuck to
their posts and came out unharmed.</DIV>
<DIV align=left> The rocks must have fallen some time before
the train came along as a farmer who lived nearby saw them on the track and was
putting on his clothes to go out and warn the train men of the danger when
suddenly the headlight of a freight came in sight and the wreck occurred.</DIV>
<DIV align=left> Dr. Cornett was put on a special engine to
the scene of the wreck to attend to Neal's injuries, but they were so slight
that he was able to go to his home on No. 16.</DIV>
<DIV align=left> Train No. 3 was delayed by the wreck and it
was necessary to transfer passengers to train No. 14 while No. 3 went back to
Roanoke as No. 16 and No. 16 came west as No. 3.</DIV>
<DIV align=left> The wreck was one of the worst small wrecks
the road ever had. The track was badly torn up and estimates last night
said that the east bound track would be cleared and repaired by 7 o'clock this
morning while the westbound track cannot be cleared and repaired before the
middle of the afternoon.</DIV>
<DIV align=left> A boy who was riding in the car with some
cattle was uninjured although the car he was in was picked up by the force of
the wreck and turned around so that it was thrown across the track. A pail
of milk, which was in the car was not even overturned while the car was
cavorting around like one of the young heifers. A dog which was in the car
added his howling to the noise of the smashing timbers and the boy who was
tending the cattle was more interested in quieting the dog for fear that he
would stampede the cattle than he was in fear of personal danger.</DIV>
<DIV align=center>------</DIV>
<DIV align=left>[<EM>"...riding in the car with some cattle...." I have
heard of drover cabooses on some western railroads where the drovers could ride
while accompanying a shipment of cattle or sheep, but in the car with
cattle? And, a boy at that!</EM>]</DIV>
<DIV align=left> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=6 face=Script>Gordon
Hamilton</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>