Miller's Spring Trestle Disaster (Centre County)

Looking across what was Miller's Spring Trestle

Safety and progress will forever be in a race against each other. Such was the environment during the growth of rail travel in the mid-19th Century. The iron horse opened a plethora of new opportunities and the ability to tame the landscape like never before. However, when progress outdistances safety, only tragedy awaits at the finish line. On June 11, 1878, that is exactly what awaited a short train bound for Bellefonte.      

The railroad's famous switchbacks up the mountain at Gum Stump
Image Retrieved From: Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania Photo Archives

    The distinction of being the first railroad in Centre County goes to the Bellefonte & Snow Shoe Railroad. Constructed in 1858-1859, its construction was revolutionary for the region, as previously passengers and goods could only move as fast as canal boats or dirt roads could take them. Built primarily to haul coal from mines around Snow Shoe to markets in Bellefonte, the route quickly garnered attention as an attraction for its scenic views as the tracks switchbacked up the rugged Allegheny Front. While the route was scenic, steep grades, sharp curves, high embankments, and numerous bridges spanning over deep hollows posed significant challenges and dangers for those traveling the route. 

   Wood was the material of choice for 19th Century railroads both for infrastructure and equipment. Wood was both economical, and for the time, adequate for the relatively lightweight engines and cars. On the Bellefonte & Snow Shoe, all of the railroad’s bridges and trestles were wooden structures. One of the most prominent was the trestle at Miller's Spring, located just a mile east from station in Snow Shoe. It stretched 650 feet long and towered 65 feet above the ground. It would be here that one of the worst railroad incidents in Centre County would transpire.

The railroad's trestle over the South Fork of Beech Creek
which was slightly larger than Miller's Spring.
Image Retrieved From: Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania Photo Archive

    On June 11, 1878, a mixed train comprised of a locomotive, three freight cars and a passenger car departed Snow Shoe for the downhill trip to Bellefonte. Three passengers and four crewmen were onboard. As the train reached the mid-point of Miller's Spring trestle, the spans suddenly collapsed under it, dropping the train and 550 feet of the trestle into the hollow in a thunderous crash of splintering wood.

The battered train after crashing to the ground.
Only the engine and passenger car were able to be salvaged
Image Retrieved From: wikipedia.com

    It was reported that after the train reached the ground, the injured engineer blew the engine’s whistle for as long as possible to alert anyone nearby of the disaster. Doctors and first responders soon reached the scene. Everyone onboard had sustained injuries of various severity. All were taken back to Snow Shoe by train for further examination and treatment.

A close up of the damaged passenger car.
The engine and freight cars can be seen in the background
Image Retrieved From: wikipedia.com

    Passenger William Holt of nearby Moshannon was the most grievously injured. Both of his legs were broken in addition to other unspecified injuries. Sadly, William succumbed to his injuries around     8:00 PM that same night. He was the only fatality of the disaster. A suit for the loss of her husband was filed by Mrs. William Holt against the railroad. Initially filed for $25,000, the suit was later settled with the railroad agreeing to pay $8,000. 

Juniata Sentinel and Republican., June 19, 1878
Retrieved From: Pennsylvania Newspaper Archive

    What caused the disaster was never definitively proven, although it was surmised that the bridge had been weakened by a heavy freight train that had crossed just an hour before. This conclusion seems to be supported by documentation regarding a substantial increase in train weight in the years leading up to the disaster. In 1864, freight train weights (excluding the freight itself) averaged 70 tons. In 1878-79, freight train weights averaged 250 tons. If the trestle remained unchanged since its construction, it is no wonder that it could no longer support this increased strain.

     Another potential influence of the disaster may stem from a wildfire that damaged a portion of the bridge in 1875, three years before the disaster. Two spans, comprising 53 feet, were burned, forcing the railroad to suspend operations until the trestle was repaired. Could the fire have further weakened the trestle that was already suffering from excessive loads it was not designed to carry? We will never know for sure.

    The railroad responded to the collapse by deciding not to rebuild the trestle. A new track was constructed around the hollow to eliminate a bridge crossing altogether. Perhaps questioning the integrity of their other trestles, the railroad added additional structural supports to their remaining structures.

A LiDAR image of the Miller's Spring Trestle site showing the embankments from the original trestle and the track that was built to eliminate the bridge
Image Retrieved From: USGS National Map

                                                                 William Holt's final resting place in  Snow Shoe's Askey Cemetery

Author's Photos                                              

    Additional improvements to the railroad would commence after the company was absorbed into the  industrial giant that was the Pennsylvania Railroad. Many of the remaining trestles on the line were later upgraded to steel spans, replaced by earthen fills or eliminated by new alignments. While the events of that June day were tragic, it brought about a greater appreciation for safety in a rapidly growing form of transportation.  

Information Retrieved From:

Bezilla, M (2017). Branch line empires: the Pennsylvania and New York Central railroads. Indiana University Press.

Clearfield Republican (1878, June 19). Terrible railroad accident. Pennsylvania Newspaper Archive.https://panewsarchive.psu.edu/lccn/sn83032199/1878-06-19/ed-1/seq-3/#date1=01%2F01%2F1875&city=&date2=12%2F31%2F1880&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&index=12&words=Miller+Miller's+Spring&county=&frequency=&ortext=&proxtext=Miller's+Spring&phrasetext=&andtext=&rows=20&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

Democratic Watchman (1929, December 13). Fifty years ago in Centre County.  Pennsylvania Newspaper Archive. https://panewsarchive.psu.edu/lccn/sn83031981/1929-12-13/ed-1/seq-4/#city=&rows=20&proxtext=miller+spring+trestle&searchType=basic&sequence=0&index=4&words=Miller+Springs+trestle&page=1

Centre Reporter (1875, June 10). Snow Shoe saved by rain- a bridge burned. Pennsylvania Newspaper Archive.https://panewsarchive.psu.edu/lccn/sn83032058/1875-06-10/ed-1/seq-3/#words=Miller+Spring+trestle 

Legislative documents, comprising the department and other reports made to the Senate and House of Representatives of Pennsylvania during the session of 1879. (1879). Bellefonte and Snow Shoe. Retrieved from: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Legislative_Documents_Comprising_the_Dep/26YrAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1 

Miscellaneous documents read in the legislature of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. (1864). Bellefonte and Snow Shoe. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/TTg1AQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1