By Betsy Thorpe

The worst passenger train accident in U.S. history occurred in a rural corn field three miles west of downtown Nashville the morning of July 9,1918. Two passenger trains on the Nashville Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway collided head on near The White Bridge at a section of tracks known as Dutchman's Curve. Researchers are still trying to tally the actual death toll. Official reports record 101 deaths; however that number has been in dispute since 1918.

An inbound train from Memphis collided with an outbound train from Nashville. Veteran engineers William Lloyd and David Kennedy were killed instantly. Engineer Kennedy had time to pull his emergency brake, Engineer Lloyd did not.

In spite of his reputation as a cautious engineer the responsibility for the accident has been placed on Mr. Kennedy. However a series of unfortunate circumstances were at play that resulted in the tragic event.

The United States Railroad Authority had taken control of U.S.rail service in March 1917. New schedules were implemented and wartime travel required more trains to be on the move. Much of the workforce was away at war and many inexperienced rail workers were on duty. Trains were overcrowded. Wooden cars were in use. Jim Crow laws were in effect.

A number of factors contributed to this accident. The change of schedules and the increase in traffic caused confusion for experienced engineers and their crew. Inexperienced personnel compounded the problem. The morning of the accident a local switch engine was misidentified as the arriving Memphis to Nashville train,signals that should have held the Memphis bound train at the New Shops near Centennial Park were either misunderstood or ignored. Both trains were running late. Overcrowding on the Memphis bound train caused Conductor Eubanks to be in the cars taking tickets, rather than watching for the superior inbound train to pass. Two Pullman cars were on the rear of the inbound to Nashville train, all other cars on both trains were constructed of wood. Near the front of the inbound train behind the baggage car, were two Jim Crow cars carrying more than a hundred passengers of color.

The head on collision was heard more than two miles away. Residents of West Nashville, Bell Meade, and the West End district of Nashville rushed to the site offering assistance. An African American newspaper, The Chicago Defender reported that local residents gave aid with no regard to race. The trapped and dying could be heard crying for water. Local housewives brought ice. West Nashville bootleggers ignored the "Bone Dry" laws, bringing whiskey to alleviate the pain and fear of the trapped. The Nashville Chapter of the Red Cross responded to their first local disaster.

By late afternoon, the tracks were cleared and the evening train to Memphis made its scheduled run leaving Nashville around 10:00 P.M.

The United States Railroad Authority fearing the public would lose faith in their ability to operate rail service, requested newspapers not write about the tragedy. After three days, most newspapers stopped reporting the accident.

On May 21st 2007, the Metro Historical Commission voted to approve a Metro Historic Marker near Dutchman's Curve. It will be dedicated on July 9th 2008.

On July 9th 2007, descendants of victims, survivors and rescue workers attended a ceremony near Dutchman's Curve marking the 89th anniversary of the accident.