N&W in 1912--Near accident

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Bluefield Daily Telegraph
Wed., March 13, 1912

BARELY ESCAPES WRECK
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Train Ran Into Boulder at Arthur Tuesday Night
    Train No. 16 ran into a twenty-ton boulder at Arthur Tuesday night and narrowly escaped being wrecked.  A smaller rock, weighing several hundred pounds, fell in front of the engine and was rolled along in front of the engine for about six car lengths before the train could be stopped.  The accident occurred in a cut.
    None of the passengers were injured.  The pilot of the engine was torn off, while all of the rigging on the right side was stripped from the engine.  The pony trucks also left the track, delaying the train for four hours until a transfer of passengers could be made.
    The twenty-ton boulder fell into the ditch on the right side of the train in such a manner that it protruded far enough to tear off the engine rigging and strip the steps from every car with the exception of the sleeper.  After the passengers were transferred the wrecked train was moved slowly to Roanoke where it will be put through the shops.
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[Arthur was on the Radford Division about half-way up Christiansburg mountain and was the location of a middle track in later years.]

Gordon Hamilton
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