July 9, 1918: The Dutchman's Curve Train Wreck

July 9, 1918: The worst train disaster in American history occurs, in Nashville, Tennessee. Two passenger trains, operated by the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway -- the "NC&StL" -- collided head-on, costing at least 101 lives, and injuring an additional 171.

The trains involved were the No. 4, scheduled to depart Nashville for Memphis, Tennessee at 7:00 AM; and the No. 1 from Memphis, about half an hour late for a scheduled arrival in Nashville at 7:10. At about 7:20, the trains collided while traversing a section of single track line known as "Dutchman's Curve," west of downtown Nashville, in the present-day neighborhood of Belle Meade. The trains were each traveling at an estimated 50 to 60 mph. The impact derailed them both, and destroyed several wooden cars.

An investigation by the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) attributed the cause of the accident to several factors, notably serious errors by the crew of train No. 4 and interlocking tower operators, all of whom failed to properly account for the presence of train No. 1 on the line. The ICC also pointed to a lack of a proper system for the accurate determination of train positions and noted that the wooden construction of the cars greatly increased the number of fatalities.

Just 4 months later, on November 1, the 2nd-worst American train disaster occurred in Brooklyn, the Malbone Street Wreck. It remains America's worst rapid-transit disaster.

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July 9, 1918 was a Tuesday. These baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox split a doubleheader was split at the Polo Grounds. The Yankees won the opener, 6-4. Ray Caldwell outpitched Eddie Cicotte. The White Sox won the nightcap, 4-3. John "Shano" Collins singled Charles "Swede" Risberg home with the winning run in the top of the 10th inning. Joe Benz went all 10 innings for the win.

Over the 2 games, Eddie Collins (Hall of Fame 2nd baseman, no relation to Shano) went 2-for-7 with a walk and 2 RBIs. "Shoeless" Joe Jackson missed most of the season due to working in a shipyard, part of the U.S. government's "Work Or Fight" order for World War I. Jackson, Cicotte and Risberg would be among the "Eight Men Out" in the Black Sox Scandal.

* The New York Giants beat the Chicago Cubs, 7-6 at Weeghman Park (later Wrigley Field) in Chicago. Jim Thorpe went 3-for-5 with 2 RBIs, including a home run that won the game in the top of the 10th inning.

* The Brooklyn Robins, as the Dodgers were known while Wilbert Robinson managed them from 1914 to 1931, lost to the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-4. Zack Wheat went 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Cleveland Indians, 1-0 at Fenway Park in Boston. Wally Mayer singled Frank Truesdale home with the winning run in the bottom of the 12th inning. Bullet Joe Bush went all 12 innings for the win, outpitching Jim Bagby Sr., who also went the distance. Babe Ruth went 1-for-3 with 2 walks. Tris Speaker went 1-for-5 against his former team.

* A doubleheader was split at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Athletics won the 1st game, 3-1. The Detroit Tigers won the 2nd game, 5-4. Over the 2 games, Ty Cobb went 4-for-8 with a stolen base.

* The St. Louis Browns beat the Washington Senators, 7-6 at American League Park (later Griffith Stadium) in Washington. George Sisler went 2-for-5 with an RBI. Walter Johnson did not pitch, but drew a walk as a pinch-hitter.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Boston Braves, 7-2 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh.

* And the Cincinnati Reds and the Philadelphia Phillies were supposed to play at Redland Field (later renamed Crosley Field) on this day. To ease the strain on America's railroads during the war, the game was moved back, so that they played a doubleheader on July 7. The Reds won the 1st game, 5-2. The Phils won the 2nd game, the would-be July 9 game, 4-3.