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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>In 1975, I interviewed Nathan [first name may have
been Nathaniel] "Hub" Tanner. He was a Roanoke yard engineer on steam for most
of his career and on diesels for a couple of years. He spoke about his father
being killed in a train wreck on the Radford Division while riding a cabin car.
I did not get his father's name and I wonder if this is his father mentioned in
the article below.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>I would appreciate any help to my
questions.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Bud Jeffries</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT: 10pt arial; BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org href="mailto:nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org">NW
Mailing List</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org
href="mailto:nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org">3N&W Mailing List</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Monday, January 04, 2010 8:29
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> N&W in 1910--Fatal
Wreck</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Tunga>Bluefield Daily Telegraph<BR>July 27,
1910</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV align=center><FONT size=4>FURTHER DETAILS ON FATAL WRECK AT
CURVE</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=center>------</DIV>
<DIV align=center><STRONG>Failure of Telegraph Operator to Display Red Light
Blamed for Rear-end Collision</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV align=left> The Roanoke World of yesterday afternoon
gives additional details of the rear end collision on the Norfolk and Western
yesterday morning at 1 o'clock at Curve, three and one-half miles west
[<EM>sic</EM>] of Pearisburg, which resulted in the death of J. D. Davis,
flagman, and T. H. Tanner, foreman of painters, and which was briefly reported
in yesterday's Daily Telegraph.</DIV>
<DIV align=left> Engineer J. D. Douthat, seeing that the
collision was inevitable, jumped and had his leg and ankle severely sprained,
but his is able to walk with the aid of a crutch and went into Roanoke on the
noon train and was taken to his home where he is under the care of his
physician.</DIV>
<DIV align=left> Flagman Davis was killed instantly.
He was a young man twenty-three years of age and his home was in the eastern
part of Virginia, near Richmond. The remains were taken to Roanoke and
prepared for burial and will be shipped to his old home later.</DIV>
<DIV align=left> Mr. Tanner, who is foreman of painters,
lived until four o'clock yesterday morning when he died. He was a
citizen of East Radford where he had a wife and three children. The
remains were taken to Radford and prepared for burial. Mr. Tanner was a
brother of T. C. Tanner, of Bluefield, who went to Radford yesterday to attend
the funeral.</DIV>
<DIV align=left> The collision occurred on a side track at
Curve and was between the second and third sections of train No. 86. The
second section had taken the siding two hours prior to the collision.
The third section consisted of a double header, pulled by Engineers Douthat
and J. D. Spangler. The telegraph operator, it is claimed, failed to
display a red light instead of a green one, and for that reason, third 86 was
coming at a high rate of speed. Flagman Davis, who was killed, had gone
to sleep in the cab of second 86, along with Mr. Tanner, and he failed to flag
the on-rushing train and prevent the collision.</DIV>
<DIV align=left> Engineers Douthat and Spangler, both
realizing their danger, jumped, the latter escaping unhurt. Had it not
been for a depression where Mr. Douthat struck the ground, the chances are
that he would have escaped a sprained ankle.</DIV>
<DIV align=left> The second section of train 86 was in
charge of Captain Johnson, conductor, who, at the time of the collision, was
forward on his train, or he also might have been killed.</DIV>
<DIV align=left> The firemen on the train were in such
positions that they could not jump and sticking to their posts escaped further
injury than a severe shaking-up.</DIV>
<DIV align=left> The engine which ran into the cab of second
86 was only slightly injured, the headlight being broken off, and some other
minor damages inflicted. The cab was totally destroyed.</DIV>
<DIV align=left> Officials of the Norfolk and Western are
making a thorough investigation of the fatal occurrence, and will eventually
fix the responsibility of the occurrence where it properly belongs.</DIV>
<DIV align=center>------</DIV>
<DIV align=left>[<EM>Curve was east of Pearisburg, not west of there as the
article stated. There is no information in the article about the
physical layout at Curve and the role of the operator there, but it looks
as though Flagman Davis was equally responsible for the wreck. Any
thoughts anyone? Also, presumably Painting Foreman Tanner was just
a passenger in the cab (cabin car or caboose for those not acquainted with
N&W terminology) of second 86.</EM>]</DIV>
<DIV align=left> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=6 face=Script>Gordon Hamilton</FONT></DIV>
<P>
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