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Train Collision at Wellington, AL Early 1900's
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman">So 1912 is the recent end of the time frame.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Is there any way to establish the early end such as the origination of the railroad or relocation of track?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I’m guessing that the origination of that crossing might have been 10-40 years prior to 1900, so that would make a fairly large time frame to search.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It sounds like the information is coming from a relatively credible source.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></P><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"> <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>I can’t get the link to take me to what you are referring to, so I have not read Mr. Voyles’ account.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Is there any way that his account might tend to describe something that has just occurred a couple years previous to his description, versus 15-20 years previous?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Generally, with no indication of when prior to 1912, and assuming that the crossing pre-dates 1912, I would start looking at newspapers on microfilm starting at 1900 and working forward.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>And the success of finding the wreck would depend a lot on what newspapers covered that area in the time frame.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>A daily paper would be more apt to cover it in terms of days covered, but searching a daily for a several-year time frame is a big task.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>A weekly probably would have covered it if it were serious.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Generally, any accident that produced a fatality was covered by the papers.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It is possible that you might first find some passing reference to the collision in relation to some other story, and then that reference might target the exact date or at least narrow it down.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>And if you do find it in one paper, then by knowing the date, you can target that date for searching other papers as well as any other conceivable record.</FONT></P><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"> <o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Railroad records and archives could possibly contain the details, but there is a lot of lost history.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Moreover, railroads had an interest in suppressing wreck coverage, so that might enter into a decision as to whether or not to preserve it.</FONT></P><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"> <o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT> <P mce_keep="true"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">Another possibility is the <I>Railroad Gazette</I>.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I know that during the 1880-1890s period, they chronicled railroad wrecks and accidents in the U.S. on a monthly basis.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I am not sure how, or if, this compilation was continued into the post 1900 period.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>But if it did continue into that era, there is a very good chance that they would have covered the collision you describe.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>You would have to check with your local libraries to see if they have the <I>Railroad Gazette.</I><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></SPAN></P>
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