New Orleans, LA area Excursion Train Wreck, Aug 1908

EXCURSION TRAIN BADLY WRECKED

New Orleans Great Northern Train Left the Track Near the City and Thirty Persons Were Injured.

New Orleans, Aug. 26.---What might have been one of the most disastrous wrecks which has taken place in this vicinity in many years was averted last night by the presence of mind of Engineer Chandler of the New Orleans Great Southern railroad, about one mile from Seabrooke station on the Northeastern railway, when an excursion train loaded to its utmost capacity, became derailed by the spreading of the rails and four coaches and the tender of the locomotive jumped the track.

The train was section No. 2 of No. 63 of the New Orleans Great Northern and was returning from an excursion of the New Orleans Glee Club, which had been held at Covington yesterday. The train was running at a fast speed, according to the passengers, and but for the quickness of the engineer in applying the brakes the locomotive and all the cars might have been hurled into a shapeless mass in the ditch.

As it was, a coach filled with people, young and old, was completely turned over, and almost everyone in it was more or less injured. Thirty persons were removed whose injuries were of consequence, and six of these were seriously injured, one of whom, Mrs. Alfred B. Lucas, aged twenty-six, of 915 Port street, may die.

It is stated that she might have escaped serious injury but for a jump in attempting to escape from the coach. In this her leg was broken and she sustained severe internal injuries.

The Biloxi Daily Herald, Biloxi, MS 26 Aug 1908
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Transcribed by Linda Horton. Thank you, Linda!