The System's Perfect Victim - Part 2: The Railroad Manager Who Followed Policy
System's Perfect Victim 1 Part 1: The By-the-Book Admiral 2 Part 2: The Railroad Manager Who Followed Policy 3 Part 3: The Architect Who Obeyed the Emperor 4 Part 4: The Minister Who Balanced the Books ← Series Home The Clock That Killed a Hundred On July 9, 1918, at 7:20 AM, two Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway trains approached each other on a single-track section near Nashville, Tennessee. Train #4, the “local,” was running late. Train #1, the “express,” was on time. They were supposed to meet at the double-track passing siding at Shops Junction, but the local was behind schedule. The dispatcher, David Kennedy, followed company policy precisely: he telegraphed orders for the local to wait at the siding for the express to pass. But his clock was four minutes fast. The express engineer’s watch was seven minutes slow. When the dispatcher calculated the meeting time, he used his fast clock. When the express engineer calculated his arrival at the siding, he used his slow watch. The two trains met head-on at 50 miles per hour on a curve, killing 101 people and injuring 171 in what remains the deadliest rail accident in U.S. history. Kennedy had followed every rule. He was using the official company clock. He issued the correct orders. He was the perfect employee. And his perfection helped produce one of transportation’s worst catastrophes. ...