N&W in 1907 -- Cave-in

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Cave-in of Tunnel at Honaker Blocks Traffic
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    Honaker was the scene of an accident on the Norfolk and Western yesterday morning.  At 11:15 a.m. about twelve carloads of debris caved in the tunnel at Honaker, blocking it so that no trains could be run through yesterday.  The accident happened 23 feet from the mouth of the tunnel on the west end.  Passengers were forced to walk a half mile over the mountain to board the trains on either side of the tunnel, which were run back to Bluefield and Norton from both ends of the tunnel.
    This is the first accident of its kind that has happened in a number of years.  The clearing up will be finished by this morning.

Bluefield Daily Telegraph
April 12, 1907

[A 1983 track chart shows Honaker Tunnel to be 1,060' long, 954' self supporting, 40' concrete and 66' brick.  Also, its hard to imagine women in their long skirts and, possibly, high heels hiking a half mile over a mountain and anyone carrying baggage over the mountain, particularly considering that there probably was not an established path for them to use!]

Gordon Hamilton
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