{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"04 | Dutchman\u2019s Curve Train Wreck | Elmer Hinton\u2019s Humor Album | July 2018 Issue","description":"The deadliest train wreck in U.S. history occurred at Dutchman's Curve in West Nashville. Host Allen Forkum (editor of The Nashville Retrospect newspaper) interviews historian Betsy Thorpe about the July 9, 1918, tragedy. Thorpe discusses why there was a disproportionately high number of African-Americans killed, who was ultimately blamed for the accident, and how she became interested enough to write a book, The Day the Whistles Cried. (Segment begins at 03:40) Two Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis passenger trains collided in West Nashville on July 9, 1918, killing 101 people. Crowds can be seen gathering in the surrounding cornfields. A wreck train can be seen in the background. This photo was taken from a bridge over the track that is today part of the Richland Creek Greenway, near White Bridge Road and Harding Road. (Image: Betsy Thorpe, H.C. Hill III Collection, photo by H.C. Hill) In this photo of the wreck, rescuers work to remove survivors from some of the telescoped cars. Spectators can be seen standing on what later became known as White Bridge Road and is today part of Richland Creek Greenway, near today's Belle Meade. A newspaper reported that 50,000 flocked to the scene of the accident. (Image: Betsy Thorpe, H.C. Hill III Collection, photo by H.C. Hill) Also in Episode 04, hear excerpts from the album \u201cDown to Earth, with Elmer Hinton.\u201d Hinton was a popular columnist for The Nashville Tennessean for nearly 30 years. Known for his folksy humor and nostalgia for country life, Hinton recorded an album in 1968 that also featured music by Gary and Randy Scruggs and the Rudy Sisters, among others. (Segment begins at 28:00) The front cover of Elmer Hinton\u2019s 1968 album. And finally, Allen Forkum reviews some of the stories in the July 2018 issue of The Nashville Retrospect, including: the dedication of Hadley Park, the county\u2019s first municipal park for African-Americans (1912); the early 1800s settlement in Mexican Texas called Nashville-on-the-Brazos; the discovery of a comet by local astronomer E.E. Barnard (1884), and an army baseball tournament held in Nashville for the entertainment of soldiers stationed there during WWII (1943). (Segment begins at 01:35)   SHOW NOTES A list of articles relating to this episode contained in archive issues of The Nashville Retrospect (archive issues can be ordered by clicking here or on the issue links below): \u2022 \u201cPassenger Trains Collide at Dutchman\u2019s Curve,\u201d Nashville Tennessean, July 10, 1918 (The Nashville Retrospect, July 2010) \u2022 \u201cMassive Walls of City Reservoir Crumble Without Warning,\u201d Nashville Banner, Nov. 5, 1912 (The Nashville Retrospect, November 2009) \u2022 \u201cAvalanche of Flames in East Nashville,\u201d Nashville Banner, March 22, 1916 (The Nashville Retrospect, March 2016) \u2022 \u201cFlu Cases Exceeded 100,000 in Tennessee,\u201d Nashville Tennessean and Nashville American, Nov. 1, 1918 (The Nashville Retrospect, November 2014) \u2022 \u201c1918 Flu Epidemic \u2018Horrible,\u2019\u201d Nashville Banner, March 26, 1976 (The Nashville Retrospect, March 2018) \u2022 See the July 2018 issue of The Nashville Retrospect for other stories referenced on this episode, such as Hadley Park.   Other related articles: \u2022 \u201cThe New Elmer Hinton\u2014Even Better On Tape?!\u201d The Nashville Tennessean Sunday Showcase, June 2, 1968 \u2022 \u201cDeath at the Throttle on Dutchman\u2019s Curve,\u201d The Nashville Tennessean Magazine, July 10, 1960   Links relating to this episode: The Day the Whistles Cried by Betsy Thorpe Dutchman\u2019s Curve 100th Anniversary Event \u201cGreat Train Wreck of 1918\u201d at Wikipedia \u201cNashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway\u201d at Wikipedia \u201cHadley Park\u201d by Debit Oeser Cox \u201cElmer Hinton\u201d by Glenn A. Himebaugh, Tennessee Encyclopedia Elmer Hinton Memorial Public Library Middle Tennessee Strawberry Festival in Portland, Tenn. St. Cecilia Academy \u201cRailroad Sounds\u201d by Audio Fidelity   Audio: Excerpts from \u201cDown to Earth, With Elmer Hinton,\u201d by Geordie Records (1968); excerpts from \u201cRailroad Sounds\u201d by Audio Fidelity (1958) Music: \u201cNear You\u201d by Francis Craig and His Orchestra (Bullet, 1947); \u201cQuiet Outro\u201d by ROZKOL (2018); \u201cCovered Wagon Days\u201d by Ted Weems and His Orchestra; and \u201cThe Buffalo Rag\u201d by Vess L. Ossman ","author_name":"Nashville Retrospect","author_url":"http:\/\/nashretro.libsyn.com\/website","html":"