May 22, 1915: Britain's Worst Rail Disaster

May 22, 1915: A train collision in Quintinshill, Scotland causes a fire. Between the crash and fire, 226 people are killed, mostly British troops.

An official inquiry, completed on June 17 for the Board of Trade found the cause of the collision to be neglect of the rules by two signalmen. With the northbound loop occupied, the northbound local train had been reversed onto the southbound line to allow passage of two late-running northbound sleepers. Its presence was then overlooked, and the southbound troop train was cleared for passage.

As a result, both signalmen were charged with manslaughter in England, then convicted of culpable homicide after a trial in Scotland. While there are difference in the laws, and in the legal terms, of the jurisdictions of "England and Wales" and "Scotland," the two terms are broadly equivalent. After they were released from a Scottish jail in 1916, they were re-employed by the railway company, although not as signalmen.

The Quintinshill Disaster remains the deadliest train crash in British history. The worst in American history killed 101, half as many, in Nashville in 1918 -- also during World War I, and related to it, since many of the dead were men heading to a gunpowder factory to work.

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May 22, 1915 was a Saturday. Rhine Maiden, a filly, won the Preakness Stakes. I wonder how many Americans would have bet on a horse with such a name from 1917 onward, due to World War I.

This was the 2nd of the 2 seasons where there were 3 major leagues in baseball. In the American League:

* The New York Yankees lost to the St. Louis Browns, 6-2 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. Burt Shotton, later to manage the Brooklyn Dodgers to the 1947 and 1949 NL Pennants, was the Browns' left fielder in this game, and went 3-for-4 with an RBI. The entire Yankee team only got 3 hits.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Washington Senators, 7-6 at League Park in Cleveland. Jack Graney, later to become the 1st former player to become a baseball broadcaster, singled Terry Turner home with the winning run in the bottom of the 12th inning. Ray Chapman, later to become the only player ever to die from an in-game injury, went 3-for-5 with 2 RBIs. Shoeless Joe Jackson went 1-for-5 with a walk.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Philadelphia Athletics, 5-2 at Navin Field in Detroit. (It was renamed Briggs Stadium, and later Tiger Stadium.) Ty Cobb went 1-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base and an RBI.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Boston Red Sox, 11-3 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Joe Benz went the distance for the ChiSox. For the BoSox, a rookie lefthander named Babe Ruth was the losing pitcher. He was taken out in the 2nd inning, having gotten only 3 outs, allowing 4 runs, 5 hits and 3 walks, with no strikeouts. He batted once, and struck out. He was 20 years old. He got better.

Eddie Collins went 2-for-3 with a stolen base and 5 RBIs. Tris Speaker went 2-for-3 with 2 walks and 2 RBIs.

Only 1 game was played in the National League: The Chicago Cubs beat the Boston Braves, 5-4 at Fenway Park in Boston. The Red Sox were letting the Braves groundshare between the closing of the South End Grounds on August 11, 1914, and the opening of Braves Field on August 18, 1915.

And in the Federal League:

* The Brooklyn Tip-Tops lost to the Chicago Whales, 4-2 at Weeghman Park in Chicago, the ballpark that would become Wrigley Field.

* The Newark Peppers lost to the St. Louis Maroons, 6-2 at Handlan's Park in St. Louis.

* And the Buffalo Blues beat the Kansas City Packers, 3-2 at Gordon and Koppel Field in Kansas City.