Lucin Cutoff Accident, 1904
The Lucin Cutoff is a 102-mile long railroad line that cuts across the Great Salt Lake from Ogden to Lucin in Box Elder County. It was constructed between 1902 and 1904 to shorten the route of the transcontinental railroad. On February 19, 1904, one of the worst train accidents in the history of the Lucin Cutoff occurred when a supply train and water train collided near Jackson Station, 85 miles west of Ogden.
The supply train had left Ogden and was traveling west. Onboard were several Greek laborers and T.W. Burke and family. Burke was employed as section foreman for the Southern Pacific and was traveling with his wife, three children, and his brother. A defective switch and brake failure caused the incoming water train to crash into the supply train, which was carrying a carload of black powder and dynamite. After the initial crash, the men got off the train and were near the car when it exploded, killing most of the men and injuring several others. The entire Burke family was killed instantly.
The explosion, heard at least 15 miles away, reportedly left a hole large enough to bury a train. Over 500 yards of track and three telegraph poles were blown. At the nearby Jackson Station, Mrs. Taylor, daytime telegraph operator, barely escaped with her life by jumping out a window before the entire station caught fire. Four other depot employees died later because of their injuries.
An inquest later found that the accident could have been avoided if the supply train had followed the rule that explosives should be at least 10 cars from the engine. They decided not to follow the rule because they were traveling only a short distance. It would be more than 40 years before another accident of similar magnitude would occur on the Lucin Cutoff.
Laborers on the Lucin Cut-off