125 years later: Vestal remembers deadly train explosion that killed 5
Town historian marks anniversary of 1901 collision involving 24,000 pounds of dynamite
VESTAL, N.Y. (WBNG) - A train collision involving 24,000 pounds of dynamite killed five people and injured seven in Vestal 125 years ago today.
The explosion occurred when a “wildcat” train collided with Train Number 61, which had stopped in Vestal for water after leaving Scranton, Pennsylvania, on a Saturday afternoon in 1901. The dynamite had been placed incorrectly in front of the caboose instead of in the center of the train.
Shockwaves reached Binghamton
The blast shattered windows and peeled plaster from walls inside nearby houses. The sound traveled as far as Binghamton, according to Margaret Hadsell, town historian for the Town of Vestal.
“24,000 pounds of dynamite was placed incorrectly right in front of the caboose,” Hadsell said. “Normally that car would be in the center of the train so that it was protected. But it wasn’t.”
A wildcat train is a train that runs with no set schedule and only stops according to requests from stations it passes.
Onlookers swarmed wreckage
Hadsell said hundreds of people got close to the wreckage, many arriving directly from church services on Sunday morning.
“The thing that fascinated me the most was to see them crawling all over the wreck,” Hadsell said. “It was a Sunday morning so people were in suits and women were in nice dresses. Apparently they had just come from church services.”
The lack of police presence in Vestal at the time allowed crowds to approach the site. The collision happened where Vestal Parkway is today.
“There were only three main roads in Vestal at the time,” Hadsell said. “And there were very few houses. We didn’t have any of our subdivisions.”
Newspapers overstated impact
Hadsell said newspapers at the time overstated the impact of the crash.
“People want to read interesting things,” Hadsell said. “They don’t pick up a dull book and read it. People read more back then, but still, they want excitement and kind of gossip, maybe, in the stories.”
Hadsell has created an exhibit about the train explosion at the Vestal Library.
According to Operation Lifesaver, there have been 37 railroad collisions in New York State.
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