Meldrim trestle disaster: Difference between revisions
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{{Infobox event|date=June 28, 1959|also known as=Freight train derailment & fire|casualties1=23 + unborn child}} |
{{Infobox event|date=June 28, 1959|also known as=Freight train derailment & fire|casualties1=23 + unborn child}} |
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The '''Meldrim trestle disaster''' occurred at [[Meldrim, Georgia|Meldrim]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], on June 28, 1959. Involved was a [[Seaboard Air Line Railroad|Seaboard Air Line]] mixed freight train that derailed over the [[Ogeechee River]]. Loaded [[liquified petroleum gas|LPG]] [[tank car]]s from the train plunged into the river below and ruptured. The resulting [[Boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion|explosion]] and fire killed 23 people--including entire families and a woman who was eight months pregnant--who were at the river that day as it was a popular area to swim and picnic at.<ref name="report">{{cite web|title=I.C.C. Official Investigation Meldrim Trestle Disaster June 28, 1959|url=http://www.meldrim.com/page6.html|work=Meldrim.com|publisher=Interstate Commerce Commission|accessdate=14 September 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Komanecky|first=DeAnn|title=June 28, 1959: Meldrim's saddest day|url=https://www.savannahnow.com/article/20090627/NEWS/306279861|access-date=2020-07-22|website=Savannah Morning News|language=en}}</ref> |
The '''Meldrim trestle disaster''' occurred at [[Meldrim, Georgia|Meldrim]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], on June 28, 1959. Involved was a [[Seaboard Air Line Railroad|Seaboard Air Line]] mixed freight train that derailed over the [[Ogeechee River]]. Loaded [[liquified petroleum gas|LPG]] [[tank car]]s from the train plunged into the river below and ruptured. The resulting [[Boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion|explosion]] and fire killed 23 people--including entire families and a woman who was eight months pregnant--who were at the river that day as it was a popular area to swim and picnic at.<ref name="report">{{cite web|title=I.C.C. Official Investigation Meldrim Trestle Disaster June 28, 1959|url=http://www.meldrim.com/page6.html|work=Meldrim.com|publisher=Interstate Commerce Commission|accessdate=14 September 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090701043739/http://www.meldrim.com/page6.html|archive-date=2009-07-01|url-status=usurped}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Komanecky|first=DeAnn|title=June 28, 1959: Meldrim's saddest day|url=https://www.savannahnow.com/article/20090627/NEWS/306279861|access-date=2020-07-22|website=Savannah Morning News|language=en}}</ref> |
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The derailment was caused by the movement of rails on the trestle, as they were compressed by the moving train.<ref name="report"/> |
The derailment was caused by the movement of rails on the trestle, as they were compressed by the moving train.<ref name="report"/> |
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Revision as of 04:33, 19 January 2024
| Date | June 28, 1959 |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Freight train derailment & fire |
| Casualties | |
| 23 + unborn child | |
The Meldrim trestle disaster occurred at Meldrim, Georgia, on June 28, 1959. Involved was a Seaboard Air Line mixed freight train that derailed over the Ogeechee River. Loaded LPG tank cars from the train plunged into the river below and ruptured. The resulting explosion and fire killed 23 people--including entire families and a woman who was eight months pregnant--who were at the river that day as it was a popular area to swim and picnic at.[1][2]
The derailment was caused by the movement of rails on the trestle, as they were compressed by the moving train.[1]
An ICC investigation faulted the railroad for not installing guard rails along the trestle, which might have helped to keep the derailed equipment on the trestle deck, minimizing the risk of a hazardous materials release.[1]
Killed were the following:
- Jimmy Anderson
- Elizabeth Dixon Barnes
- Ted Barnes
- Julian Beasley
- Linda Beasley
- Reba Lamb Beasley
- Michael Bland
- Charles Carpenter
- Billy Dent
- Joan Dent
- Frank Dixon
- Edna Dixon
- Barbara Hales
- Claudia Johnson
- L.B. Lamb
- Terry Lane
- Elbie Lane
- Florence Lane
- Leslie Lee
- James Smith
- Margie Hales Smith
- Timothy Smith
- Wayne Smith
References
- ^ a b c "I.C.C. Official Investigation Meldrim Trestle Disaster June 28, 1959". Meldrim.com. Interstate Commerce Commission. Archived from the original on 2009-07-01. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Komanecky, DeAnn. "June 28, 1959: Meldrim's saddest day". Savannah Morning News. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
External links
- Final accident report - Interstate Commerce Commission - On ROSAP website.
- 1959 Meldrim Trestle Disaster 50th Anniversary Video
32°08′40″N 81°24′12″W / 32.144366°N 81.403369°W
Railway accidents in 1959 | |
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- Derailments in the United States
- Bridge disasters in the United States
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- Accidents and incidents involving Seaboard Air Line Railroad
- Railway accidents in 1959
- Railway accidents and incidents in Georgia (U.S. state)
- 1959 in Georgia (U.S. state)
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- June 1959 events in the United States
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