Topic: Death on the Rails
Richard E. Allen
Richard E. Allen was killed on Oct. 11, 1849, near Bel-Air, Georgia, when the Georgia Rail Road locomotive Altoona suffered a boiler explosion while ascending a grade. Allen was standing at the gauges when the boiler exploded, blowing off part of the boiler and severing his right arm. He died from his injuries about an hour and a half later.
Charles F. Elliott
Charles F. Elliott (c. 1840s–March 30, 1898) was a locomotive engineer on the Western & Atlantic Railroad and a longtime resident of Atlanta. On March 30, 1898, Elliott was operating northbound freight train No. 18 when it collided head-on with southbound freight train No. 17 about a mile south of Adairsville, Georgia. Contemporary newspaper accounts reported that Elliott was killed instantly when the collision demolished both locomotives and several freight cars. His son, Charles Elliott Jr., served as fireman on the same engine and escaped with minor injuries. Railroad officials attributed the accident to a violation of train orders and