Disaster Management at the 1904 New Market, Tennessee Train Wreck
Disaster Management at the 1904 New Market, Tennessee Train Wreck
Knowing the lessons of past disasters is necessary in disaster planning. Such knowledge paves the way for creating a plan that anticipates the patterns, as well as the impediments, of behavior and injuries encountered in most events. On September 4, 1904, a head-on "butting" collision of two Southern Railway passenger trains traveling at high speeds occurred near New Market, Tennessee, killing 56 passengers and crew and injuring 106. It was the worst civilian disaster of its kind in eastern Tennessee, according to one Knoxville newspaper. An historical analysis of the events of this mass casualty incident and the medical and community response may serve as a template for modern disaster management and the role of surgeons in that management.
The No. 12 eastbound passenger train from Chattanooga, TN, to Salisbury, NC, left Knoxville, TN, on a balmy and cloudless day. The westbound local passenger train No. 15, from Bristol, TN, to Knoxville was due to arrive at 11:00 a.m. In Morristown, a town about 50 miles east of Knoxville, the No. 15 train received orders to pull into a siding at New Market. However, as Conductor Caldwell of the No. 15 told a Rogersville reporter, he "misread the order," and, instead, attempted to gain time by heading for a siding 5 miles past New Market and closer to Knoxville at Hodges' Station. The westbound No. 15 train never made it to Hodges' Station.
The No. 15 crashed head-on into the eastbound No. 12 train due to the unannounced schedule change. At that time, railroads had no block signals to control the rail traffic, and the trains operated on only a single track, making scheduling errors extremely dangerous. The collision of the two trains smashed the baggage and express cars on the eastbound No.12. On the westbound No.15 train, the baggage and express cars and one coach were destroyed. Every coach in the eastbound train was demolished, with the exception of the Pullman sleeping cars. Death was instantaneous in the majority of cars (many of the victims were either decapitated or otherwise horribly mangled) and splintered timbers, iron, and steel were piled in chaotic masses over the rails, mingling with human bodies.
G.M. Parrott and William Kane, engineers on the No. 12 eastbound and No. 15 westbound, respectively, were buried under the mass of steel and wood. Rescuers laid them side by side on the ground, not far from the scene of the collision.
In those days, most roads were made of dirt, which made them nearly impassable. There were few two-cylinder automobiles and none would hazard the treacherous dirt roads from Knoxville to the scene of the disaster in Jefferson County. Enterprising reporters finally hopped aboard a rescue train going to the scene, jumping off a few stops before the site of the wreck to avoid a confrontation with railroad officials. And, despite photographers being banned from the site, The Knoxville Sentinel reporters managed to smuggle away and publish photographs (Figures 1 and 2).
(Enlarge Image)
Figure 1.
1904 New Market Train Wreck.
(Enlarge Image)
Figure 2.
1904 New Market Train Wreck with many injuries and fatalities. The rescue train can be seen in the background.
Doctors and the victims' relatives from the surrounding area traveled quickly on horseback and in horse-led buggies to the wreck. Many were farmers who heard the explosive collision from the distant fields. "Already there was a great throng of people about the train", said John Everett, Jr., a stunned survivor, who called a New York newspaper a few minutes after the crash: "Five of the cars are smashed and the engines are bent and twisted. The trains are afire and the steam coming from the boilers is curling around the bodies that are piled atop them. These bodies are held fast by the twisted iron."
Part of an overhead baggage rack pierced the jaw of Fred Wagner, who was riding the westbound train from his home at Washington College, Tennessee, to see his brother, Carl Wagner, of Knoxville. When Carl, a railroad employee, heard of the collision, he boarded a rescue train and went to the scene. Carl searched until he found his brother in the wreckage and helped free him.
A number of "toughs," who had either traveled from Knoxville to the wreck or lived in the area, operated alongside the rescuers. The thieves found a box containing hats and caps and helped themselves to valuables. Thefts continued throughout the night in spite of stationed guards; some thieves went as far as entering suitcases and trunks.
When the news of the New Market train wreck reached Knoxville, The Southern Railway notified Drs. S. R. Miller (Figure 3) and S. M. Miller (Figure 4) (employees of the Southern Railway), who then organized a relief train with medical and surgical supplies to go to the accident scene to triage the injured victims to the Knoxville General Hospital. Because of the primitive roads and automobiles, the railway was the only feasible mode of rescue in this situation, and rapid communication was limited to telegraph messages.
(Enlarge Image)
Figure 3.
Dr. S. R. Miller, surgeon, Knoxville, TN.
(Enlarge Image)
Figure 4.
Dr. Samuel M. Miller, surgeon, Knoxville, TN.
On arrival at the train wreck site, the doctors encountered "chaos," the first phase of a disaster event, characterized by disorganized confusion, panic, fear, and a lack of leadership. During this phase, critically injured casualties are at the greatest risk for death. Security was instituted at the scene to restrict access to only those trained to handle the many dangers of the scene.
On arrival at the crash scene, the surgeons instituted the second phase, or initial response and reorganization. They set up a medical treatment station and an operating room in a nearby farmhouse kitchen for the survivors. The doctors administered basic surgical life-saving maneuvers practiced in that era, including external hemorrhage control, analgesia with morphine, fracture reduction, basic airway clearance, and amputations for entrapped and mangled extremities before transporting injured passengers to Knoxville General Hospital (Figure 5) on the rescue train. The surgeons established control over the scene, initiated safety and security for both responders and casualties, and established a medical command post to direct further efforts.
(Enlarge Image)
Figure 5.
The Knoxville General Hospital, 1904.
After the command post was established, the third phase was initiated, including the removal of debris, recovery of casualties for transport to hospitals, and the initiation of extrication and medical care. The identified scene hazards were addressed to protect personnel. Casualties underwent "secondary triage" on arrival to the Knoxville General Hospital in order to restrict admission to only those who had sustained life-threatening injuries, thus minimizing over-triage and the potential loss of life.
The work of the rescue was exceedingly slow, and by 2:00 pm on the day of the crash, only about 30 bodies had been removed. Recovery efforts continued throughout the day of the accident and through the following chilly night, when fires were lit to warm the rescuers and injured accident victims. Many on the scene grew hungry and were fed sandwiches. Chickens that had escaped from the wreck were fried and eaten. After the wreck had been cleared, the dead were taken to the morgue in Jefferson City, about four miles from New Market, and the injured were treated at the Knoxville General Hospital. Those who had not been identified on the scene of the disaster were being looked at by hundreds of people in the city who feared finding their relatives or friends. The last death occurred 5 days after the wreck. This last phase, or recovery, involved long-term efforts, definitive medical care of the injured, and the recognition and management of psychoemotional consequences among the afflicted population.
Abstract
Knowing the lessons of past disasters is necessary in disaster planning. Such knowledge paves the way for creating a plan that anticipates the patterns, as well as the impediments, of behavior and injuries encountered in most events. On September 4, 1904, a head-on "butting" collision of two Southern Railway passenger trains traveling at high speeds occurred near New Market, Tennessee, killing 56 passengers and crew and injuring 106. It was the worst civilian disaster of its kind in eastern Tennessee, according to one Knoxville newspaper. An historical analysis of the events of this mass casualty incident and the medical and community response may serve as a template for modern disaster management and the role of surgeons in that management.
Case Report
Sunday, September 24, 9:35 am, 1904
The No. 12 eastbound passenger train from Chattanooga, TN, to Salisbury, NC, left Knoxville, TN, on a balmy and cloudless day. The westbound local passenger train No. 15, from Bristol, TN, to Knoxville was due to arrive at 11:00 a.m. In Morristown, a town about 50 miles east of Knoxville, the No. 15 train received orders to pull into a siding at New Market. However, as Conductor Caldwell of the No. 15 told a Rogersville reporter, he "misread the order," and, instead, attempted to gain time by heading for a siding 5 miles past New Market and closer to Knoxville at Hodges' Station. The westbound No. 15 train never made it to Hodges' Station.
Sunday, September 24, 10:18 am
The No. 15 crashed head-on into the eastbound No. 12 train due to the unannounced schedule change. At that time, railroads had no block signals to control the rail traffic, and the trains operated on only a single track, making scheduling errors extremely dangerous. The collision of the two trains smashed the baggage and express cars on the eastbound No.12. On the westbound No.15 train, the baggage and express cars and one coach were destroyed. Every coach in the eastbound train was demolished, with the exception of the Pullman sleeping cars. Death was instantaneous in the majority of cars (many of the victims were either decapitated or otherwise horribly mangled) and splintered timbers, iron, and steel were piled in chaotic masses over the rails, mingling with human bodies.
G.M. Parrott and William Kane, engineers on the No. 12 eastbound and No. 15 westbound, respectively, were buried under the mass of steel and wood. Rescuers laid them side by side on the ground, not far from the scene of the collision.
In those days, most roads were made of dirt, which made them nearly impassable. There were few two-cylinder automobiles and none would hazard the treacherous dirt roads from Knoxville to the scene of the disaster in Jefferson County. Enterprising reporters finally hopped aboard a rescue train going to the scene, jumping off a few stops before the site of the wreck to avoid a confrontation with railroad officials. And, despite photographers being banned from the site, The Knoxville Sentinel reporters managed to smuggle away and publish photographs (Figures 1 and 2).
(Enlarge Image)
Figure 1.
1904 New Market Train Wreck.
(Enlarge Image)
Figure 2.
1904 New Market Train Wreck with many injuries and fatalities. The rescue train can be seen in the background.
Doctors and the victims' relatives from the surrounding area traveled quickly on horseback and in horse-led buggies to the wreck. Many were farmers who heard the explosive collision from the distant fields. "Already there was a great throng of people about the train", said John Everett, Jr., a stunned survivor, who called a New York newspaper a few minutes after the crash: "Five of the cars are smashed and the engines are bent and twisted. The trains are afire and the steam coming from the boilers is curling around the bodies that are piled atop them. These bodies are held fast by the twisted iron."
Sunday, September 24, 11:30 am to 2:00 pm
Part of an overhead baggage rack pierced the jaw of Fred Wagner, who was riding the westbound train from his home at Washington College, Tennessee, to see his brother, Carl Wagner, of Knoxville. When Carl, a railroad employee, heard of the collision, he boarded a rescue train and went to the scene. Carl searched until he found his brother in the wreckage and helped free him.
A number of "toughs," who had either traveled from Knoxville to the wreck or lived in the area, operated alongside the rescuers. The thieves found a box containing hats and caps and helped themselves to valuables. Thefts continued throughout the night in spite of stationed guards; some thieves went as far as entering suitcases and trunks.
When the news of the New Market train wreck reached Knoxville, The Southern Railway notified Drs. S. R. Miller (Figure 3) and S. M. Miller (Figure 4) (employees of the Southern Railway), who then organized a relief train with medical and surgical supplies to go to the accident scene to triage the injured victims to the Knoxville General Hospital. Because of the primitive roads and automobiles, the railway was the only feasible mode of rescue in this situation, and rapid communication was limited to telegraph messages.
(Enlarge Image)
Figure 3.
Dr. S. R. Miller, surgeon, Knoxville, TN.
(Enlarge Image)
Figure 4.
Dr. Samuel M. Miller, surgeon, Knoxville, TN.
On arrival at the train wreck site, the doctors encountered "chaos," the first phase of a disaster event, characterized by disorganized confusion, panic, fear, and a lack of leadership. During this phase, critically injured casualties are at the greatest risk for death. Security was instituted at the scene to restrict access to only those trained to handle the many dangers of the scene.
On arrival at the crash scene, the surgeons instituted the second phase, or initial response and reorganization. They set up a medical treatment station and an operating room in a nearby farmhouse kitchen for the survivors. The doctors administered basic surgical life-saving maneuvers practiced in that era, including external hemorrhage control, analgesia with morphine, fracture reduction, basic airway clearance, and amputations for entrapped and mangled extremities before transporting injured passengers to Knoxville General Hospital (Figure 5) on the rescue train. The surgeons established control over the scene, initiated safety and security for both responders and casualties, and established a medical command post to direct further efforts.
(Enlarge Image)
Figure 5.
The Knoxville General Hospital, 1904.
After the command post was established, the third phase was initiated, including the removal of debris, recovery of casualties for transport to hospitals, and the initiation of extrication and medical care. The identified scene hazards were addressed to protect personnel. Casualties underwent "secondary triage" on arrival to the Knoxville General Hospital in order to restrict admission to only those who had sustained life-threatening injuries, thus minimizing over-triage and the potential loss of life.
The work of the rescue was exceedingly slow, and by 2:00 pm on the day of the crash, only about 30 bodies had been removed. Recovery efforts continued throughout the day of the accident and through the following chilly night, when fires were lit to warm the rescuers and injured accident victims. Many on the scene grew hungry and were fed sandwiches. Chickens that had escaped from the wreck were fried and eaten. After the wreck had been cleared, the dead were taken to the morgue in Jefferson City, about four miles from New Market, and the injured were treated at the Knoxville General Hospital. Those who had not been identified on the scene of the disaster were being looked at by hundreds of people in the city who feared finding their relatives or friends. The last death occurred 5 days after the wreck. This last phase, or recovery, involved long-term efforts, definitive medical care of the injured, and the recognition and management of psychoemotional consequences among the afflicted population.
