Gasconade Bridge train disaster
Encyclopedia
The Gasconade Bridge train disaster was a rail accident at Gasconade, Missouri
on November 1, 1855.
At the time of the disaster, the Pacific Railroad
was being built west from St. Louis toward the Pacific Ocean. It had been completed to Jefferson City, 125 miles to the west.
On November 1 on a day of rain, an inaugural train carrying some 600 invited visitors and dignitaries, set out from St. Louis. As the train started to pass over the Gasconade Bridge, a 760-foot wooden structure spanning the Gasconade River
, the span between the bank and the first pier
collapsed. It consisted of temporary trestle
work. The engine
and all but one of the 15 cars
fell off the tracks, some going through the broken wooden timbers, and others rolling down the bank into the river. Thirty-one people were killed, and hundreds were injured, making this the worst railroad disaster in Missouri history.
Many of the dead were buried at Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis.
Gasconade, Missouri
Gasconade is a city in Gasconade County, Missouri, United States, at the confluence of the Missouri and Gasconade Rivers. It was the first county seat, but the designation was moved in 1825 to Bartonville after flooding...
on November 1, 1855.
At the time of the disaster, the Pacific Railroad
Pacific Railroad
The Pacific Railroad was a railroad based in the U.S. state of Missouri. It was a predecessor of both the Missouri Pacific Railroad and St. Louis-San Francisco Railway.The Pacific was chartered by Missouri in 1849 to extend "from St...
was being built west from St. Louis toward the Pacific Ocean. It had been completed to Jefferson City, 125 miles to the west.
On November 1 on a day of rain, an inaugural train carrying some 600 invited visitors and dignitaries, set out from St. Louis. As the train started to pass over the Gasconade Bridge, a 760-foot wooden structure spanning the Gasconade River
Gasconade River
The Gasconade River is about long and is located in central and south-central Missouri in the United States.The Gasconade River begins in the Ozarks southeast of Hartville in Wright County and flows generally north-northeastwardly through Wright, Laclede, Pulaski, Phelps, Maries, Osage and...
, the span between the bank and the first pier
Pier
A pier is a raised structure, including bridge and building supports and walkways, over water, typically supported by widely spread piles or pillars...
collapsed. It consisted of temporary trestle
Trestle
A trestle is a rigid frame used as a support, especially referring to a bridge composed of a number of short spans supported by such frames. In the context of trestle bridges, each supporting frame is generally referred to as a bent...
work. The engine
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
and all but one of the 15 cars
Railroad car
A railroad car or railway vehicle , also known as a bogie in Indian English, is a vehicle on a rail transport system that is used for the carrying of cargo or passengers. Cars can be coupled together into a train and hauled by one or more locomotives...
fell off the tracks, some going through the broken wooden timbers, and others rolling down the bank into the river. Thirty-one people were killed, and hundreds were injured, making this the worst railroad disaster in Missouri history.
Many of the dead were buried at Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis.