Miller's Spring Trestle Disaster (Centre County)

Looking across what was Miller's Spring Trestle after the collapse

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 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 Bellefonte and Snow Shoe Railroad has the distinction of being the first railroad in Centre County. Constructed in 1858-1859, it revolutionized transportation in the region, as previously passengers and goods could only move as fast as canal boats or dirt roads would allow 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 switch-backed up the rugged Allegheny Front. While the route was scenic, steep grades, sharp curves, and numerous expansive bridges over deep hollows, posed a constant hazard for those traveling the route. 

   Wood was the material of choice for 19th Century railroads both for infrastructure and equipment. It 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 19 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.

The railroad's trestle over the South Fork of Beech Creek
which was slightly larger than the Miller's Spring Trestle
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 tied down the engine’s whistle 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 wounds 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. 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 it just an hour before. Documentation in the form of annual railroad reports seems to point towards the idea that the bridge was being subjected to loads it could no longer bear. In 1864, the annual tonnage hauled by the railroad was 18,018 tons with 12,000 tons being coal alone. The average weight of a freight train (unloaded) was 70 tons. Much of the rolling stock were small four wheel freight cars.

    In 1878, the year of the disaster, gross annual tonnage had tripled to 54,562 tons with 41,000 tons being coal. Average train length was 10 cars and weighing 250 tons. Larger eight-wheel freight cars were added to the roster, increasing the railroad's hauling capacity.      

    No documentation has been found to ascertain what the trestle was actually designed to bear or how heavy the freight train was that may have weakened the bridge. No formal explanation for what caused the collapse was ever announced. However, from what these reports indicate, the bridge was being subjected to ever increasing strains. Was this a reality that the engineers had anticipated when the trestle was built?  

     Another aspect to consider is that three years before the disaster, a wildfire had damaged a portion of the bridge. 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 more than what was believed? Were the repairs made correctly? We will never know for certain.

    The railroad responded to the disaster by deciding not to rebuild the trestle. A new track was eventually constructed around the hollow to eliminate a bridge crossing altogether. Perhaps questioning the integrity of their other trestles, the company 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 purchased by 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 concern 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