Wreck of the old 97, Danville, VA

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I am seeking any information of the "Wreck of the Old 97" on September 27, 1903 which crashed in Danville, VA killing 9 persons and injuring 7.

-- Ann Whitesel (whitesel2@aol.com), June 30, 2002

Answers

Well... For starters, you could take a look at this web site:

http://www.blueridgeinstitute.org/ballads/old97.html

For further information, make a search on www.Google.com, typing in "Wreck of the Old 97", with quotes. The above was the first hit I got, and there are more.

-- Tom Underwood (tlunder@attglobal.net), June 30, 2002.


My great grandfather, David George, authored the song "The Wreck of the Old 97:. He gave the original music to my father...which we still have.

-- Kathryn George (k2george@aol.com), December 20, 2002.

Some years back, I researched and wrote a 36-page soft cover booklet with numerous photos on "The Wreck of Old 97." I still have some copies available at $4.95 each plus $1.00 postage. Please contact me by e-mail if you would like a copy.

-- Howard Gregory (hgregory21@aol.com), March 27, 2003.

VISITED THE SITE OF THE WRECK IN DANVILLE A FEW WEEKS AGO THEY ARE SETTING UP A SPECIAL EXHIBIT AT THE TRAIN STATION THIS SUMMER IN MEMORY OF THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE WRECK

-- wayne faber (wfaber100@hotmail.com), April 08, 2003.

excellent book titled SCALDED TO DEATH BY THE STEAM BY katie letcher lyle available from COUNTY SALES IN FLOYD VIRGINIA

-- gordon wagner (chrisgo@paonline.com), August 09, 2003.


The actual count was 11 dead and 6 injured, the historical market is based on an early, inaccurate account.

One of those injured was Charles Fredrick Uppercue, my great grandfather, who was thrown from the train and suffered a broken back when he landed in the creek at the bottom of the ravine. I have not yet been able to determine what his job was on the train, but he is reported to have been an employee of the US Postal Service rather than the railway. If anyone had a list of the casualties, I would be interested in seeing a copy for my own historical research.

-- Donal Schickler (hippiegriff@yahoo.com), September 24, 2003.


Casualty List from the Wreck of the Old 97 J.A. “Steve” Broady – Engineer Saltsville, Va. Age 55 A.C. “Buddy” Clapp – Fireman Gibsonville, N.C. Age 33 John Thomas Blair – Conductor Danville, Va. Age 37 J.L. Thompson - Mail Clerk Washington D.C. Age 54 Scott Chambers – Mail Clerk Midland, Va. Age 24 Daniel P. Flory – Mail Clerk Nokesville, Va. Age 25 P.N. Augenbright – Mail Clerk Mount Clinton, Va. Age 23 J.S. Moody – Flagman Raleigh, N.C. Age 30 Lewis W. Spires – Mail Clerk – Age Unknown - Survived Crash died on Nov. 5, 1903 of injuries redeived in the crash Wentworth Armstead – Safe Locker Lynchburg, Va. Age 17 John Marshall Hodge – Apprentice Fireman – Raleigh, N.C. Age 20

-- Vince Loy (loyvv@hotmail.com), September 26, 2003.

There is an articlle in the Flair section of the Richmond Times Dispatch concerning the wreck on September 24, 2003. The article is currently accessible online. You can reach it by searching "danville" and "train" on the paper's website. It also has information on purchasing the book "HISTORY OF THE WRECK OF THE OLD 97"

www.timesdispatch.com

Charles

-- Charles Lewis (cslewis1@comcast.net), September 27, 2003.


The Danville Register Bee has a special commerative issue available online at:

http://www.print2webcorp.com/news/danville%5Cwreckof97/20030921/p01.asp

-- Vince Loy (Loyvv@hotmail.com), September 28, 2003.


The Richmond Times article mentions my t-shirts for the event this past Saturday, Sept. 27, 2003. One of my t-shirts was placed in the time capsule that was buried Sat. which will be opened in 100 years. We sold a lot of t-shirts Saturday! I still have a few more left if you are interested. Contact me if you want more information. Rrickbobby@aol.com

-- Bobby Ricketts (rrickbobby@aol.com), September 29, 2003.


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