Topics in Chronicling America - Train Wreck in Washington, DC, Dec. 30, 1906

On the foggy evening of December 30, 1906, a roaring steam locomotive crashes at full-speed into the back of three, flimsy, wooden passenger cars, sending bodies and debris flying for a quarter mile along the Baltimore & Ohio tracks, killing 53 people. As the huge locomotive lay hissing on its side, screams of agony pervaded the area as priests from the nearby Brookland Seminary administered last rites to the dead and doctors attended to the injured. It was the most disastrous train wreck in Washington, D.C. history. Read more about it!

The information and sample article links below provide access to a sampling of articles from historic newspapers that can be found in the Chronicling America: American Historic Newspapers digital collection (http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/). Use the Suggested Search Terms and Dates to explore this topic further in Chronicling America.

Jump to: Sample Articles

Important Dates:

• December 30, 1906, Train wreck on the B&O RR in DC; 53 people killed.

Suggested Search Terms:

• [Try the following terms in combination, proximity, or as phrases using Search Pages in Chronicling America.] Train Wrecks, Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, District of Columbia Disasters.

Sample Articles from Chronicling America:

• "43 Dead, 80 Injured in Terra Cotta Wreck," The Washington Times (Washington, DC), December 31, 1906, Last Edition, Page 1, Image 1, col. 1-7.
• "Washingtonians Victims of Horror," The Washington Herald (Washington, DC), December 31, 1906, Page 1, Image 1, col. 1-7.
• "Priests on Scene Give Last Rites to Wreck Victims; Map," The Washington Times (Washington, DC), December 31, 1906, Last Edition, Page 3, Image 3, col. 2-5.
• "Thirty-Eight Die in Wreck," New York Tribune (New York, NY), December 31, 1906, Page 1, Image 1, col. 3-6.
• "33 Killed in Train Wreck," The Sun (New York, NY), December 31, 1906, Page 1, Image 1, col. 5-7.
• "53 Dead in Train Horror and 50 Others Injured," The World (New York, NY), December 31, 1906, Night Edition, Page 1, Image 1, col. 5-8.
• "City is Stunned by the Tragedy; Double and Triple Funeral Arranged; Fixing Blame," The Washington Herald (Washington, DC), January 1, 1907, Page 1, Image 1, col. 3,5,7.
• "Interstate Commerce Commission Plans Investigation of Two Southern Wrecks and the Terra Cotta Disaster," The Washington Times (Washington, DC), January 1, 1907, Last Edition, Page 1, Image 1, col. 4-7.
• "Life-Long Girl Chums in the Wreck Together Now United in Death; Woman and Babe in Same Casket," The Washington Times (Washington, DC), January 1, 1907, Last Edition, Page 3, Image 3, col. 2-3, 5-6.
• "Terra Cotta Wreck Inquest is Started," The Washington Times (Washington, DC), January 2, 1907, Last Edition, Page 1, Image 1, col. 3-5.
• "May Shift Blame on the Railroad; Coroner Investigates Terra Cotta Wreck," The Washington Herald (Washington, DC), January 3, 1907, Page 1, Image 1, col. 1.
• "No Quarter in Wreck Inquiry for B.&O. Men; Wreck Inquiry by Congress, Asks Morrell; May Broaden Commission's Investigation," The Washington Times (Washington, DC), January 3, 1907, Last Edition, Page 1, Image 1, col. 5-7.
• "Swears Train Rushed Past a Red Signal; System or Men Cause?," The Washington Times (Washington, DC), January 4, 1907, Last Edition, Page 1, Image f1, col. 3, 7.