1929 — Aug 18, passenger train derails/boiler bursts, possible sabotage, Henryetta, OK– 14

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 1-30-2025 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

–14  Interstate Commerce Commission, File No. 1554.  “Report… Henryetta, OK…”

–14  Miami-News Record, OK. “Where 14 Died in Rail Wreck.” 8-25-1929, p. 5.

Narrative Information

Interstate Commerce Commission: “On August 18, 1929, there was a derailment of a passenger train on the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway at Henryetta, Okla., resulting in the death of 12 passengers and 2 employees, and, the injury of 27 passengers, 2 mail clerks and 2 express messengers….

“The weather was clear at the time of the accident, which occurred about 5.59 a.m….

“Northbound passenger train No. 118 consisted of one baggage car, one combination mail and baggage car, one coach, one chair car, and three Pullman sleeping cars, in the order named, hauled by engine 1056, of the 4-6-2 type, arid was in charge of Conductor McCaughan and Engineman Wolfe. The cars were of all-steel construction, with the exception of the third and fourth cars, which were of steel-underframe construction, with steel sheathing on the superstructures. This train left Weleetka, 12.6 miles south of Henryetta, at 5.42 p.m., according to the train sheet, two minutes late and was derailed on encountering a cocked or partly-open switch at Henryetta while traveling at a speed estimated to have been between 50 and 60 miles per hour….

“The entire train, with the exception of the last car, was derailed. Engine 1056 came to rest on its right side, between the main and spur tracks, with its forward end about 365 feet north of the switch; the engine was badly damaged, the cab and all of the appurtenances being stripped from the boiler. The tender was also on its side, to the left of the engine. The baggage car came to rest on top of the engine and tender, leaning toward the left; the mail car was east of the spur track, headed northeast, but remained upright; the coach was in line with and back of the mail car, coupled to it, with its left side leaning against the rear end of the boiler of the engine, directly opposite the broken off safety valves,, from which live steam was escaping under pressure; the chair car was headed northwest across the main track, leaning at an angle of about 30 degree; the next two cars remained on the roadbed of the spur track and in line therewith, in an upright position, while the last oar stopped on the spur track with its rear end just north of the switch. The passengers killed were riding in the coach; the employees killed were the engineman and fire man…

“No defective condition was found about the track or equipment which would have caused the accident, while the switch was last used about 2.30 p.m., August 16; Section Foreman King inspected the switch between 4 and 5 p.m., August 15, while Section Laborer Smith inspected it about 1.30 p.m., August 17, nothing wrong being noticed at the time of either of these inspections. Since these inspections, several train movements had been made over the switch in each direction, the last of these being northbound freight train extra 4164, which passed this point about six hours before the accident occurred, and southbound passenger train No. 117, which passed about one-half hour after extra 4164. After the accident, however, the switch was found to be cocked or partly opened, and it appeared that the lock might have been forced open, tests disclosing that this could be done by giving quick hard jerks on the chain. It also appeared that when the switch lever was taken from its socket the points would spring open just enough to cause the switch target to turn only part way around, with the result that proper warning of danger would not be given to the engineman of an approaching northbound train. The circumstances point quite clearly to a case of malicious tampering, particularly in view of the fact that after the accident a lock was found in the weeds on the west side of the main track, at a considerable distance north of the switch, which seemed to have been the one that had been on the switch; at the time of this investigation, however, it had not been determined when or by whom the tampering was done….”  (ICC File No. 1554.  “Report… Henryetta, OK…”)

Aug 19, AP: “Henryetta, Okla., Aug. 19. – (AP) – Spurred on by the finding of a lock from a switch standard in the edge of Henryetta, where a St. Louis-San Francisco passenger train plunged down an embankment yesterday, sending 13 persons to their deaths, city and county officers and special railroad investigators today continued their search for the persons who they believed maliciously opened the switch. The lock was found today approximately 100 yards from the scene of the wreck. Authorities were attempting to find fingerprints on the lock. It had been tampered with, officials said.

“Of the dead, 12 had been identified. The body of a negro man was identified as that of Hodges Bridges of Clarksville, Tex. The body of an unidentified negro woman was sent to Clarksville where it was learned she boarded the train. Eleven of the dead were negroes. The two others were W. E. Wolfe of Sherman, Tex., engineer, and H. A. Bryan, also of Sherman, fireman. Wolfe apparently died without leaving his post at the throttle, and Bryan was scalded to death when the locomotive exploded as it hurtled down the embankment. He was thrown clear of the wreckage. Most of the negroes were scalded to death by the stream that rushed through the chair car in which they were riding….

“When the train left the tracks, the chair car in which the negroes were riding plunged into the locomotive. Before the passengers were aware of what had occurred, they were suffocated by steam from the bursted boiler and burned to death almost immediately….” (Associated Press. “13 Dead in Rail Wreck Attributed to Vandals.” Miami Daily News-Record, OK. 8-19-1929, p. 1.)

Sources

Associated Press. “13 Dead in Rail Wreck Attributed to Vandals.” Miami Daily News-Record, OK. 8-19-1929, p. 1. Accessed 1-30-2025 at:

https://newspaperarchive.com/miami-news-record-aug-19-1929-p-1/

Miami-News Record, OK. “Where 14 Died in Rail Wreck.” 8-25-1929, p. 5. Accessed 1-30-2025 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/miami-news-record-aug-25-1929-p-5/

United States Interstate Commerce Commission, File No. 1554. “Report of the Director of the Bureau of Safety in RE Investigation of Accident Which Occurred on the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway at Henryetta, Okla., on August 18, 1929.” Washington, DC:  ICC, December 3, 1929.  Reproduced by DOT Library, Special Collections, I.C.C. Historical Railroad Investigation Reports (1911-1994). Accessed at:  http://dotlibrary.specialcollection.net/