Gasconade Bridge train disaster
The Gasconade Bridge train disaster was a rail accident at Gasconade, Missouri on November 1, 1855.
At the time of the disaster, the Pacific Railroad was being built west from St. Louis toward the Pacific Ocean. It had been completed to Jefferson City, 125 miles to the west.
On November 1 on a day of rain, an inaugural train carrying some 600 invited visitors and dignitaries, set out from St. Louis. As the train started to pass over the Gasconade Bridge, a 760-foot wooden structure spanning the Gasconade River, the span between the bank and the first pier collapsed. It consisted of temporary trestle work. The engine and all but one of the 15 cars fell off the tracks, some going through the broken wooden timbers, and others rolling down the bank into the river. Thirty-one people were killed, and hundreds were injured, making this the worst railroad disaster in Missouri history.
Many of the dead were buried at Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis.[1]
References
- ↑ "Gasconade Bridge Train Disaster". WikiLou website. Retrieved 2008-08-22.
Information not specifically attributed comes from:
- Bob Aubuchon. "Remembering the Gasconade Disaster". Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum. Retrieved 2008-08-22.
Coordinates: 38°40′09″N 91°33′12″W / 38.669211°N 91.553278°W