C. & O. Wreck, The (1913) [Laws G4]

DESCRIPTION: Men are at work on the C & O bridge at Guyandotte, but a train is given permission to cross it. The bridge fails, taking the train, the engineer, and seven bridge workers with it. The ballad ends with the usual wish for the widow and orphans
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1924 (recording, George Reneau)
KEYWORDS: train death wreck
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
Jan 1, 1913 - Reported date of the C. & O. Wreck at Guyandott(e), West Virginia
FOUND IN: US(Ap,MW)
REFERENCES (5 citations):
Laws G4, "The C. & O. Wreck"
Gardner/Chickering-BalladsAndSongsOfSouthernMichigan 121, "The Seno Wreck" (1 text)
Combs/Wilgus-FolkSongsOfTheSouthernUnitedStates 73, pp. 172-174, "The C. & O. Wreck" (1 text)
Lyle-ScaldedToDeathByTheSteam, pp. 83-91, "The Guyandotte Bridge Disaster" (1 text
Cohen-LongSteelRail, p. 274, "The C & O Wreck" (notes only)
Roud #3248
RECORDINGS:
George Reneau, "The C & O Wreck" (Vocalion 14897, 1924)
NOTES [65 words]: Laws has some notes about the actual facts of this case (NAB, pp. 65-66). Lyle has much more, noting that the bridge involved had caused problems before and was in the process of being strengthened; also, the water level was high that day. But there wasn't much choice about using the bridge; it was a major bottleneck (the rest of the line had been double-tracked) on a major rail line. - RBW
Last updated in version 3.6
File: LG04

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