Chunky Creek train accident
1863 train derailment in Mississippi / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Chunky Creek Train Wreck occurred on February 19, 1863, when a train crashed into the creek from a bridge damaged by heavy rain on the Southern Rail Road line between Meridian and Vicksburg, Mississippi.
Chunky Creek Train Wreck | |
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Details | |
Date | February 19, 1863 About Daybreak (c. 6:00 a.m.) |
Location | Newton County, near Hickory, Mississippi |
Coordinates | 32°19′08″N 88°58′20″W |
Country | United States |
Line | Southern Rail Road Company |
Operator | Isaiah P. Beauchamp |
Incident type | Derailment |
Cause | Signal Passed at Danger, Bridge Failure Leading to Derailment; Misjudgment, Fatigue, & Miscommunication |
Statistics | |
Trains | 1 |
Passengers | c. 100 |
Deaths | c. 75 |
Injured | c. 25 |
The line was notorious for poor repairs that were reported to have caused accidents almost daily. The train, with a tender and four or five cars, driven by Isaiah P. Beauchamp, had been carrying Confederate reinforcements to the important Vicksburg garrison. The local section-master had placed a warning sign on the track, and given instructions to stop incoming traffic, but these were not followed. The train derailed and fell into the creek, killing about 75 passengers, some others being rescued by Confederates from the nearby 1st Choctaw Battalion.