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205:.) The rails began to spread apart as the engine crossed the trestle and, as the passenger cars began to cross, the weight became too much for the structure, and the entire train crashed into the creek below. Upon impact, the engine burst, spilling hot coals on both the train and the wooden trestle, and soon flames covered both.
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in
Lincoln to witness the wreck. However, Davis's description of the crash does not align with the timeline he presented. Most notably, when questioned about the sound of the crash, Davis claimed that it was "not too bad until the engine blew up." As the engine exploded immediately on impact, Davis's
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Police found that spikes had been pulled from the trestle, wrench marks were found on the rail, and gouges in the railroad ties showed that a crowbar had been used to pry them apart. In the grass by the trestle, a 40-pound crowbar was found. Within two days, police arrested George
Washington Davis,
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Three men escaped the wreckage quickly. Colonel C.J. Bills organized an effort to rescue other passengers with the help of Jay McDowell and crewman Harry Foote. The three determined that the passengers in the first car and engine were beyond help and focused on the rear car, from which they rescued
176:, killing eleven people. There were signs that a 400-foot trestle had been purposely damaged, and it was ruled as sabotage. A local man was jailed for second-degree murder, though his guilt remains in doubt. It was one of the worst cases of mass murder in the state of Nebraska.
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The police had almost no evidence to suggest that Davis was the perpetrator, Davis never admitted guilt, and investigators could not offer any explanation of motive for his supposed crime. Davis was tried twice for the sabotage. During the first trial,
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Survivors of the crash began to tell police that, following the crash, they had seen an unknown man holding a lantern near the trestle. This, along with evidence found at the scene, suggested that the crash was not an accident but an act of sabotage.
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and
Lincoln Parks and Recreation to cast and install a historical marker at the site of the wreck in 2010, on the 116th anniversary of the event. The marker includes an 800-word summary of the crash and is found along the Jamaica North trail in
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could not be proven, and the jury could not reach a verdict. During the second trial, the jury was informed by the judge that should prosecutors fail to prove Davis' guilt of first-degree murder, the jury could convict the defendant of
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two hours later. At approximately 9:20PM, minutes away from its destination, the train reached a 400-foot-long trestle which was located southwest of town and carried trains forty feet above the waters of
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Other members of the growing
African-American community in Lincoln attested to his innocence. This was a period of African Americans leaving the South for better jobs in growing industrial cities.
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fifteen passengers. As Bills and McDowell ran to find help, Foote twice climbed onto the wreckage to pull out two fellow crewmen, despite having suffered a broken leg himself.
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of 2007, which resulted in nine deaths, are other examples of mass murders by individuals. It is also the largest officially unsolved crime in
Lincoln history.
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and the conditions and location of the wreck, no fire wagons could reach the site. It was reported that "The only thing to do was just let the whole pile burn."
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Joel
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while the moonbeams fell upon the glowing mass below from which mortal shrieks of agony and pain were heard to issue.
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When police questioned Davis as to why he was at the scene of the wreck, he said that he had run four miles from a
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an
African-American man. Survivors claimed Davis had been the man with the lantern they had seen at the wreck.
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It was an awful sight. The flames mounted high in the heavens coloring the entire southern sky a brilliant
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claim to have heard the train before its engine exploded does not fit the official account of the crash.
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Davis, citing a lack of evidence or motive, and "grave doubts" as to Davis' involvement in the case.
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Of the thirty-three passengers aboard when leaving
Fairbury, eleven were killed in the crash.
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occurred when a locomotive pulling two passenger cars was derailed on August 9, 1894, in
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511:"Omaha's Deadliest Hour: 19-year-old man kills eight and himself at Westroads Mall"
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Accidents and incidents involving
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
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At 7:30PM on August 9, 1894, Locomotive 213 departed the station in
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568:"Historical train crash marker dedicated southwest of Lincoln"
544:"Historical train crash marker dedicated southwest of Lincoln"
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To date, the sabotage is one of the largest instances of
469:"Epilogue: A forgotten mystery of death and destruction"
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The first building Bills and McDowell could see was the
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513:. Omaha World Herald. 2007-12-05. Archived from
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321:Williamsen donated $ 1,200 and worked with the
208:According to a newspaper article at the time:
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635:Unsolved mass murders in the United States
371:Close-up view of the trestle, facing west.
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490:"Original story from 1894: Death by fire"
133:Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
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492:. Lincoln Journal-Star. 2010-02-22
471:. Lincoln Journal-Star. 2010-02-22
383:List of rail accidents (1880–1899)
161:List of rail accidents (1880–1899)
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323:Nebraska State Historical Society
630:Derailments in the United States
595:Mass murder in the United States
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230:equipment available at the time
170:1894 Rock Island railroad wreck
19:1894 Rock Island railroad wreck
347:Another view of the aftermath.
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620:History of Lincoln, Nebraska
398:History of Lincoln, Nebraska
330:, at the site of the crash.
298:. The 1958 killing spree by
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625:Lancaster County, Nebraska
600:Railway accidents in 1894
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388:List of unsolved deaths
304:Westroads Mall shooting
247:George Washington Davis
46:; 130 years ago
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30:Aftermath of the wreck
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97:40.74389°N 96.71250°W
300:Charles Starkweather
278:second-degree murder
517:on December 7, 2007
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102:40.74389; -96.71250
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44:August 9, 1894
645:August 1894 events
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75:Coordinates
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574:2012-04-24
553:2018-06-02
521:2012-04-24
496:2012-04-24
475:2012-04-24
404:References
195:Salt Creek
147:Statistics
106: (
87:96°42′45″W
84:40°44′38″N
51:1894-08-09
377:See also
296:Nebraska
142:Sabotage
61:Location
285:paroled
214:carmine
121:Country
49: (
36:Details
310:Legacy
152:Deaths
180:Crash
139:Cause
56:21:20
168:The
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201:at
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