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1911-028: 22 November 1911
Summary
| Report ID: | 1911-028 |
|---|---|
| Incident Date: | 22 November 1911 |
| Report Date: | 20 December 1911 |
| Incident Type: | Derailment |
| State: | Texas |
| Location: | Lively |
| Railroad(s): | Chicago, Rock Island and Gulf |
Injuries
| Count | Fatal | Serious | Minor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Passenger | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Synopsis
Like many of the early documents in this collection, this is not a formal report of the Interstate Commerce Commission, but rather a memorandum from the Chief Inspector of Safety Appliances, to be used as a basis for the report of the Commission.
The accident in this case was a derailment caused by a broken facing switch point rail.
Report Body
[Page 1]
December 20, 1911.
MEMORANDUM TO COMMISSIONER McCHORD relative to accident on the Chicago, Rock Island & Gulf Ry., November 22, 1911.
Draft submitted by the Chief Inspector of Safety Appliances as a basis for the report of the Commission.
[¶1] On November 23, 1911, the Chicago, Rock Island & Gulf Railway reported by telegraph a derailment occurring at Lively, Texas, on November 22, 1911. Inspector Lawson was in the vicinity at the time and made an investigation of the accident. A synopsis of his report is given below.
[¶2] East-bound passenger train No. 32, consisting of one baggage and express car, one smoking car, one day coach, and one Pullman sleeper, hauled by engine No. 1351, left Dallas, Texas, for Kansas City, Mo., at 12:30 P.M., November 22, 1911, and was derailed by a broken switch point rail at the east passing track switch at Lively, Texas, at about 12:52 P.M. This derailment caused the death of the fireman and the serious injury of the engineman.
[¶3] After the derailment the locomotive ran along on the ties for a distance of about 120 feet and then turned over, rolling down a 15 foot embankment. The two head cars also went down the embankment, while the third and fourth cars remained upright.
[Page 2]
[¶4] This train is not scheduled to stop at Lively and passed there at 12:51 P.M., being on time. At the time of the derailment the speed of the train was estimated to be from 25 to 30 miles per hour.
[¶5] This division of the Chicago, Rock Island & Gulf Railway, operating between Dallas and Fort Worth, both in the State of Texas, is a single track line and is laid with 85 pound steel rails. It is gravel ballasted, and is well constructed and maintained. The grade at the place of the accident is level. The track is straight for several miles, and there is nothing to obstruct the view of signals in either direction. The switch point, the breaking of which caused the derailment, was a standard 15 foot switch point.
[¶6] A short time before the arrival of train No. 32 at Lively, west-bound local freight train No. 85 pulled in on the passing track, using the east switch, and the crew of this train did not discover any broken rail when using this switch. This division is equipped with an automatic block signal system that will automatically place signals in the danger position if the current is broken or the block is occupied. On approaching Lively, train No. 32 found all the signals indicating clear, and this fact, as well as the failure of the train crew on train No. 85 to discover a broken rail when taking this siding, makes it apparent that this switch point rail was not broken prior to the time that the engine of train No. 32 passed over it.
[¶7] All of the cars were of steel construction with the exception of the sleeping car. The steel construction of the [Page 3] derailed cars undoubtedly attributed to the fact that none of the passengers were killed or seriously injured.
[¶8] This accident was caused by the breaking of a switch point rail, evidently under the engine of train No. 32.
Respectfully submitted,
Chief Inspector of Safety Appliances.
