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N0KFQ > TODAY 22.09.14 16:19l 55 Lines 2337 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 36431_N0KFQ
Read: GUEST
Subj: Today in History - Sep 22
Path: IW8PGT<IZ3LSV<IR1UAW<IQ5KG<I0OJJ<N6RME<N0KFQ
Sent: 140922/1415Z 36431@N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA BPQK1.4.60
Sep 22, 1993:
Train derails in Alabama swamp
An Amtrak train headed to Miami derails near Mobile, Alabama,
killing 47 people on this day in 1993. The accident, the
deadliest in Amtrak's history, was caused by a negligent towboat
operator and foggy conditions.
The Sunset Limited train travels from Los Angeles through Texas
to New Orleans before arriving in Miami, Florida. It is known for
carrying older people who prefer not to make the trip by air or
car. In the very early morning hours of September 22, the train
was traveling through Alabama. Three locomotives pulling eight
cars left Mobile at 1:30 a.m. heading toward Birmingham across a
swampy area.
Meanwhile, the Mauvilla, a towboat operated by the Warrior and
Gulf Navigation Company, was pulling six barges of coal and wood
through the Alabama marshes. Andrew Stabler, the captain, was
sleeping as the towboat and barges made their way up the Mobile
River. Willie Odeon, another employee of Warrior and Gulf, was
driving the boat, but did not know how to use the radar system.
The boat had no compass or nautical charts to assist in
navigation on the foggy night and, without realizing it, Odeon
turned into the Big Bayou Canot, an area where barges are
prohibited.
At 2:45 a.m., the Mauvilla struck a rail bridge. The bridge was
only seven to 12 feet above the water (depending on the tides)
and was in place so that trains could pass through the swamps.
When the boat collided with the bridge, it knocked the tracks out
of alignment by three feet. Several minutes later, the Sunset
Limited came down the tracks at 70 miles per hour, hit the
misplaced tracks and derailed. The three locomotives and the
first four cars of the train plunged into the water.
The crew of the Mauvilla did not make a rescue call until 3:08
a.m., but did manage to pull seven survivors out of the swamp.
Those who did not drown were put in even more danger when a fire
broke out. Two of the disaster's 47 victims died from burns. The
Coast Guard did not arrive on the scene until 4:25 a.m., and it
was another hour before the first helicopter arrived to assist in
the rescue efforts.
The crew of the Mauvilla was severely criticized for their
actions but escaped criminal liability.
73, K.O. n0kfq
N0KFQ @ N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA
E-mail: kohiggs@gmail.com
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