| Wheeling rail disaster | |
| Time: | 3 p.m. |
| Location: | Wheeling, West Virginia |
| Line: | Baltimore and Ohio Railroad |
| Type: | Derailment |
| Cause: | Poor rail quality |
| Trains: | 1 |
| Passengers: | 50 |
| Deaths: | 8-17 |
| Injuries: | 25-40 |
| Footnotes: | List of rail accidents (before 1880) |
The Wheeling rail disaster refers to a train derailment that occurred near Wheeling, West Virginia in March of 1853.
In January of 1853, Wheeling, West Virginia was officially connected by rail by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, which was the first time that the ports of the Atlantic Ocean were connected by rail to the Ohio River valley. The Appalachian Mountain range proved to be difficult in term of forming a railway connection, however, when completed, rail travel across the mountainous area began immediately.[1]
The completed railway included a rail bridge that crossed over the Cheat River; the bridge had a curved 116-foot grade, but the construction of the bridge included crossties being held in place by loosened nails.[2]
On March 27th, 1853, around 3 o'clock, P.M.,[3] a two-engine train carrying four cars (three of which were full of passengers) departed from Wheeling was crossing the bridge over the Cheat River. As the train passed over the already-loose crossties, the nails holding the beams in place detached. The train derailed as a result and sent the cars down the hundred-foot embankment.[2]
As the passenger carriages tumbled down the embankment, furnaces in the passenger cars broke loose and spilled burning-hot coals onto the floor. The passenger coaches, which were made of wood at the time, proved to be weaker and would shatter and splinter in severe accidents; this combined with the spilled coals started a fire, further trapping passengers already caught in the disaster.[2]
The initial death toll is stated as 8, but is believed to be as high as 17.[2] This was the first time in the history of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad that passengers perished as the result of an accident.[4]