$50.00 CAD
– Sold Out| /
Photo of aftermath of a train wreck of November 5th 1909, near Willoughby Ohio, where at least two people died and several injured.
Based on newspaper reports, it was a deliberately caused crash, where items were placed on the track to derail the train.
Printed on negative 'NICKLE PLATE WRECK WILLOUGHBY O'
Text on back: "...Have moved to Willoughby since I last heard from you. I suppose you read about the Nickel Plate wreck here, was a short distance from our house. The picture gives a pretty good idea how it made things look. The boy standing in front of the picture with white buttons down his sweater is Howard. It don't flatter him much."
Mailed from Willoughby OH to La Porte City Iowa. Postmarked 'WILLO--- DEC 1909'.
Some toning on back.
(Red text is an electronic watermark that is not physically part of the photo for sale)
WRECKERS DERAIL A TRAIN
Nickel Plate Fast Passenger Crashes Into Building Near Cleveland.
East-bound passenger train No. 2, from Chicago, on the Nickel Plate road, was wrecked by train wreckers Friday night west of Willoughby station, a few miles from Cleveland. Two men were fatally hurt and at least a dozen others suffered serious injury. Near the track were found a crow bar and monkey wrench evidently used by the train wreckers to accomplish their purpose.
Running at perhaps fifty miles an hour, three of the coaches were derailed and the engine overturned and demolished. The engineer was probably fatally injured and the fireman seriously hurt. One man's back was broken and many others suffered minor injuries.
The three cars derailed were the smoker and two other coaches immediately behind the engine. Nearly every passenger in these was injured. The baggage car dashed into a hoo- mill at the side of the track and demolished it. Portions of the falling building landed on the wrecked engine and were set afire. The flames communicated to some of the coaches, but the Willoughby fire department responded and quenched the flames
Plymouth Tribune, Volume 9, Number 6,
Plymouth, Marshall County, 11 November 1909
