Wreck of the Old 97

Wreck of the Old 97

The "Old 97", a Southern Railway train officially known as the "Fast Mail", was en route from Monroe, Virginia to Spencer, North Carolina when it left the track at Stillhouse Trestle near Danville, Virginia on September 27, 1903. The wreck inspired a famous railroad ballad, which was the focus of a convoluted copyright lawsuit.

The wreck

The wreck of Old 97 occurred when the engineer (driver), Joseph A. ("Steve") Broadey, at the controls of engine number 1102 (a ten wheeler built by Baldwin), was operating the train at high speed in order to stay on schedule and arrive at Spencer on time (Old 97 had a reputation for never being late).

Engineer Broadey and two firemen boarded the train at Washington, farther up the line from Spencer, the second fireman being assigned to assist in maintaining the steam pressure at its maximum so the train would not lose too much speed on ascending grades. ["The Story of American Railroads", copyright 1947, pp. 430-432] The train was substantially behind schedule upon leaving Washington and was one hour late upon arriving at Monroe.

At Monroe, Broadey was instructed to get the "Fast Mail" to Spencer, 166 miles distant, on time. The scheduled running time from Monroe to Spencer was four hours, fifteen minutes, an average speed of approximately 39 mph (62.4 km/h). In order to make up the one hour delay, the train's average speed would have to be at least 51 mph (82 km/h). Broadey was ordered to maintain speed through Franklin Junction, an intermediate stop normally made during the run.

The route between Monroe and Spencer was rolling terrain and there were numerous danger points due to the combination of grades and tight radius curves. Signs were posted to warn engineers to watch their speed. However, in his quest to stay on time, engineer Broadey rapidly descended a heavy grade that ended at the 75-foot high Stillhouse Trestle, which spanned Cherrystone Creek. He was unable to sufficiently reduce speed as he approached the curve leading into the trestle, causing the entire train to derail and plunge into the ravine below. Nine people were killed, including the locomotive crew and a number of clerks in the mail car coupled between the tender and the rest of the train.

The Southern Railway placed blame for the wreck on engineer Broadey, disavowing that he had been ordered run as fast as possible to maintain the schedule. The railroad also claimed he descended the grade leading to Stillhouse Trestle at a speed of more than 70 mph (112 km/h). Several eyewitnesses to the wreck, however, stated that the speed was probably around 50 mph (80 km/h). In all likelihood, the railroad was at least partially to blame, as they had a lucrative contract with the U.S. Post Office to haul mail (hence the train's name), the contract including a penalty clause for each minute the train was late into Spencer. It is probably safe to conclude that the engineers piloting the "Fast Mail" were always under pressure to stay on time so the railroad would not be penalized for late mail delivery.

The ballad

Infobox Standard
title='Wreck of the 97'
comment=


image_size=
caption=
writer=
composer=
lyricist=
published=
written=
composer=
lyricist=
published=
language=English
form=
original_artist=G. B. Grayson and Henry Whitter
recorded_by=Vernon Dalhart

The wreck of the Old 97 served as inspiration for balladeers, the most famous being the ballad first recorded commercially by Virginia musicians G. B. Grayson and Henry Whitter [http://www.blueridgeinstitute.org/ballads/old97.html The Blue Ridge Institute and Museum] . Vernon Dalhart's version was released in 1924 (Victor Record no. 19427), sometimes cited as the first million-selling country music release in the American record industry [http://www.nashvillesongwritersfoundation.com/fame/dalhart.html] . Since then, "Wreck of the Old 97" has been recorded by numerous artists, including David Holt, Flatt and Scruggs, Woody Guthrie, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams III, Patrick Sky, Nine Pound Hammer, Boxcar Willie, The Seekers, Bert Southwood, and Hank Snow. The Texas alt-country band Old 97's took their name from this song.

Originally, the ballad was attributed to Fred Jackson Lewey [cite web |last=Lewey |first=Fred |title=Old Ninety Seven (Oct 15, 1925 |url=http://www.loc.gov/folklife/Gordon/sound/Old97.mp3 |format=mp3 |accessdate=2008-01-15] and co-author Charles Noell. Lewey claimed to have written the song the day after the accident, in which his cousin Albion Clapp was one of the two fireman aboard the ill-fated train. Lewey worked in a cotton mill that was at the base of the trestle, and also claimed to be on the scene of the accident pulling the victims from the wreckage. Musician Henry Whitter subsequently polished the original, altering the lyrics, resulting in the version performed by Dalhart. [http://www.talkeetna.com/Reviews/Old97/Old97.pdf]

In 1927 it was claimed that the actual author of "Wreck of the Old 97" was David Graves George, a local resident who was also one of the first on the scene. George apparently did write a ballad about the wreck, but his claim of authorship was not upheld by the United States Supreme Court, nor did the Court invalidate the 1924 copyright claimed by F. Wallace Rega ["The Story of American Railroads"] , in part due to the testimony of folklore expert Robert Winslow Gordon. Subsequent research by others, notably Alfred P. Scott, determined that Charles Noell was most likely the originator of the famous ballad, and that George's and Lewey's claims were spurious. [http://www.talkeetna.com/Reviews/Old97/Old97.pdf]

Wreck of the Old 97 is 777 in the Roud Folk Song Index.The ballad was referenced in the song "Blood On The Coal", a folk parody song from "A Mighty Wind", the mockumentary film from Christopher Guest. The reference seems to be a tribute to the ballad, although the wreck described in "Blood On The Coal" is different from the actual one.

An episode of the Suspense radio play [cite web|work=Suspense Part 5|title=The Wreck of the Old 97|format=SWF|accessdate=2008-09-29|url=http://oldtimeradio-in-tx.homedns.org/otr/suspense5/] , starring Frank Lovejoy, and broadcast on March 17, 1952, was loosely based on the ballad, which appears in snatches throughout the play. The facts of the wreck are changed, however, eliminating all but one fireman, all but one mail car clerk, and adding two escaped killers.

References

External links

* [http://www.historicmarkers.com/Virginia/Danville_City_Virginia/Wreck_of_the_Old_97_Q58/ Historic Marker]
* [http://www.blueridgeinstitute.org/ballads/old97.html Wreck of the Old 97]
* [http://www.blueridgeinstitute.org/ballads/old97song.html Wreck of the Old 97 song audio]
* [http://www.ezfolk.com/bgbanjo/bgb-tabs/wreck97/wreckbio/wreckbio.html Biography of Fred Jackson Lewey]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Wreck of the Old 97 — Foto des Zugunglücks Der „Old 97“ war ein Zug der Southern Railway von Monroe (Virginia) nach Spencer (North Carolina), der am 27. September 1903 am Stillhouse Trestle in der Nähe von Danville (Virginia) verunglückte. Die Southern Railway hatte… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • The Wreck of the Nancy Lee — is a famous old maritime sea shanty, the lyrics and music written by Arthur LeClerc c. 1930. It became a popular music hall song in the first half of the 20th Century, and was often sung by British soldiers in the Second World War.As the song was …   Wikipedia

  • The Wreck of the Zephyr — is a children s book written and illustrated by the American author Chris Van Allsburg, first published by Houghton Mifflin in March 1983. On a cliff outside of a small fishing village is the wreck of a sailboat. Most people believe it was tossed …   Wikipedia

  • The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald — Infobox Single Name = The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald Artist = Gordon Lightfoot from Album = Summertime Dream Released = August, 1976 Format = 7 45 Recorded = December, 1975 Genre = Folk Length = 6:32 (Single 5:57) Label = Reprise Records… …   Wikipedia

  • The Old Curiosity Shop — For adaptations of the novel, see The Old Curiosity Shop (disambiguation). For the Seattle business, see Ye Olde Curiosity Shop. The Old Curiosity Shop …   Wikipedia

  • Old 97's — Old 97 redirects here. For the Southern Railway train and its crash, see Wreck of the Old 97. Old 97 s The Old 97 s performing in 2008 Background information …   Wikipedia

  • The Legend — Compilación de Johnny Cash Publicación 2 de agosto de 2005 Grabación 2 de abril de 1956 a Noviembre de 2004 Género(s) Country …   Wikipedia Español

  • The Ship that Never Returned — is an 1865 folk song, written by Henry Clay Work, about a ship that left a harbor and never came back. In some versions it is implied that the ship didn t have enough funds to dock into any of the harbors on the East Coast and so kept looking for …   Wikipedia

  • The Downliners Sect — war eine britische Rhythm and Blues bzw. Beatband der 1960er Jahre. Gegründet wurde die Band 1963 in London. Sie spielten lauten, schrägen und wilden Rock – daher waren sie zu der Zeit für viele in England nichts als ein Witz, am ehesten noch… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • The Skillet Lickers — Gid Tanner and his Skillet Lickers Die Skillet Lickers um 1926: v.l. Gid Tanner, Clayton McMichen, Riley Puckett (sitzend) und Fate Norris Gründung 1925 Genre …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”