Southern Railway Bridge Collapses Killing Several Workers
June 17, 1907
South Pittsburg Historic Preservation Society
South Pittsburg Hustler
South Pittsburg, Tennessee
Friday, June 21, 1907
GREAT DISASTER
AT SO. RY. BRIDGE
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Being Built Across Battle Creek
Near This City
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Three Men are Dead and Five Others are Severely Injured.
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On last Monday morning (June 17) about 7:30 o’clock the populace of this city were alarmed by the constant blowing of a locomotive whistle the sound emanating from the neighborhood of the Southern Railway bridge in course of construction across Battle Creek.
In a short time news reached the city that two large girders had fallen from the piers of the Southern Railway bridge on Battle Creek, precipitating all the workmen engaged in the work to the waters below and the bank of the stream, instantly killing some five or six and seriously injuring several others. Excitement ran high in the city and for a while all kinds of wild rumors were afloat as to the extent of damage and number of lives lost.
All the doctors of this city were at once notified of the accident and they lost no time in reaching the scene of the disaster. Rigs, cots and everything that might be of service in the case were immediately dispatched to the vicinity.
In less than half an hour after the news of the accident had reached the city there was a crowd of onlookers assembled numbering at least eight hundred and increased rapidly until the train bearing the injured left for Chattanooga.
As near as information could be obtained the accident occurred in the following manner:
Two sections of steel girders had been placed, reaching from the abutment on the south bank of the creek to the central pier of the bridge and on these a track had been built and a large derrick erected, which was used in placing the girders. While moving a girder from two flat cars on the track to its position on the piers, it was out too far from the derrick, thus causing a great strain on the girders already placed which were not anchored to the foundations, and the result was that they, and the men upon them, were thrown violently, without a moments warning, to the ground and water below.
When a representative of this paper reached the scene all of the injured had been cared for and were being placed in the car ready for transferring to the hospital in Chattanooga.
From one of the men connected with the work who was first upon the scene after the accident occurred and who personally knew all of the men at work, the names of the injured were obtained as follows:
A. W. Dunbar, Paymaster and Timekeeper.
S. P. Smith, Foreman.
Geo. W. Potter, Assistant Foreman.
Clem Hill, Colored
Ike Wilson, Colored
Jeff Watts, Colored
Hubbard Metz, Colored
W. B. Smith, Colored.
Geo. W. Potter, Clem Hill and Jeff Watts were seriously injured and at the time it was thought that they would not recover. Hill died soon after the train reached Chattanooga. George W. Potter and Jeff Watts died Tuesday morning in the hospital.
Mr. Potter had been married but a short time and had rented a cottage here and was keeping house, as he expected to be at work in this vicinity for several months. He and his wife made a number of friends during the short time they had resided here and many were the expressions of regret on hearing of Mr. Potter’s death, and sympathy for the young wife is not lacking.
The other injured ones will all probably recover and from recent account they were doing as well as could be expected.
Not since the day of the old Perry Stove Works boiler explosion, in which several people were killed, has there occurred in South Pittsburg so serious a disaster as that of last Monday and the good citizens realizing this were not slow to do all they could to help in caring for the unfortunates. Drs. Simpson, Hackworth, Tatum and Maginnis worked and did everything in their power to care for all and alleviate the suffering of the injured. Several individuals did heroic work in removing the helpless from the wreckage and in caring for them as best they could.
Messrs. Dunbar and Smith, having been here at various times engaged in the work for the Pheonix Bridge Co., are quite well known and their friends are solicitous as to their condition and hope them a speedy recovery.
This was the scene on June 17, 1907 following the collapse of the Southern Railroad bridge over Battle Creek at South Pittsburg, Tennessee, which was under construction. The piers of this bridge still stand as a silent reminder of this tragedy that took the lives of several men.
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SPHPS
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