Jack County, TX - Obituary - Luther Wilson ********************************************************************************** This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Dorman Holub Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ********************************************************************************** Jacksboro people regretted the death of Luther Wilson, who was a fireman on the Texas and Pacific, which occurred last Saturday night west of Fort Worth. Mr. Wilson was well known here having once lived in Jacksboro and his old home was at Cundiff. The Fort Worth papers state that three hours behind time and heavily loaded with passengers, the Cannonball, the through train from El Paso to Texarakana, made up of 15 cars and pulled by two engines, was slowly toiling up the long grade east of Aledo when the wreck occurred. Both engines had been reinforced at the bottom of the grade by a helper locomotive in charge of Engineer Swick and Conductor Corpany. Luther Wilson was the fireman. Both engines, struggling with the dragging weight behind, swayed from side to side as they tugged at their load, and though under heavy steam, their progress was so slow trainmen among the passengers estimate their speed at not exceeding 15 miles an hour. At the top of the Aledo grade is a curve. Just as the helped engine which was in front struck this curve it toppled over suddenly and fell into the ditch beside the rails. Crushing after it the heavy regular locomotive and tumbling after the engines pitched the two baggage cars and the first coach of the train. The wreck occurred with a suddenness that gave the train men no warning signal which they might have heeded in time to jump for their lives. All were buried beneath the grinding mass of hot iron, burning coals and cinders, while hissing steam and boiling water from bursting steam pipes scalded them as they struggled to free themselves. Only two of the trainmen escaped serious injury. Jacksboro Gazette Jacksboro, Texas Thursday, November 16, 1905