North Fork Junction, WV Train Accident, Feb 1902

MANGLED BY FREIGHT TRAIN

Miner's Body Torn to Pieces and Scattered Along the Tracks.

TRAGIC DEATH AT NORTH FORK.

Was Walking on One Track to Escape a Train on the Other When He Was Run Down.

DETAILS OF THE ACCIDENT

A man named Chekrum, a miner in the employ of the Lynchburg Coal & Coke Company met a horrible death between North Fork Junction and Kyle Friday night.

He left work and started for Kyle to board No. 47 for Keystone He was walking briskly down the track. A heavily loaded freight train was coming up the grade, and he noticing it stepped onto the next track, on which was a freight, west bound. It is thought that the exhausting of the eastbound engines pulling the grade, deadened the sound of the west freight which was rolling down the grade to such an extent that it was entirely unnoticed by him.

The engine of the west train was hooked up rear end forward, and it was not known that any one had been hurt until the train had gone nearly a mile beyond the scene of the accident, when one of the crew went back on the tank and found a hat. This aroused some curiosity and a part of train crew walked back to investigate On reaching the end of the bridge at North Fork, they were horrified to find the leg of a man Going farther, the party found the body of the victim with his head lying directly across the rail, and a few feet further on, his second foot was found. It is a mystery how he was left with his head across the rail. No. 47 was flagged just in time to save the head being severed from the body He had been rolled and dragged by the train until it was almost impossible to recognize him. He was single, and about 28 years of age.

Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Bluefield, WV 9 Feb 1902
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Transcribed by Linda Horton. Thank you, Linda!