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The Tay Rail Bridge Disaster
26/May/2003
The first Tay Railway bridge was completed in 1877. Thousands came to from all quarters to see the bridge, which was acknowledged to be one of the greatest triumphs of engineering skill the world had ever witnessed. The emperor of Brazil, General Grant, ex-President of the United States, and Prince Leopoid visited Dundee in the summer of 1877, the object of their visit being solely to see the great bridge.
To crown all, Her Majesty Queen Victoria crossed the bridge in the Royal train on her journey south from Balmoral on 20th June, 1879. Shortly after Her Majesty performed this memorable journey she conferred the honour of knighthood on Mr. Bouch, the engineer, in acknowledgement of his great achievement.
For eighteen months trains were run over the bridge night and day without the occurrence of a single accident, and the confidence of the public in the stability of the structure was fully established. Its capability to bear an enormous weight had been put to the severest test by the Board of Trade Inspector, and the engineers were confident that it was capable of resisting any strain that could be applied to it. Great consternation, therefore, which filled all hearts when the proud structure, by a blast of December wind, was hurled into the bed of the river without a moment's warning, involving a railway train and its freight of human beings in its destruction.
Sunday, 28th December, 1879, will long be remembered. All that day the wind blew strongly from the south-west, accompanied with occasional showers of rain. As the day advanced the gale increased in gury, and when night set in it blew a perfect hurricane.
The waves in the river were running mountains high, and dashing on the piers and along the shore with a noise like thunder. The ferry steamers continued to ply as usual, but the passage was only made with great difficulty. The angry waves dashed in tempestuous fury around the piers of the bridge, but proud and majestically it reared its head above the seething waters, and seemed to defy the elements to do their worst. But its hour had come -- the Storm Fiend was shrieking on the blast and claiming the proud structure for its prey.
The usual Sunday trains were run across the bridge in spite of the storm, no one ever dreaming for a moment that danger was near at hand. About four o'clock in the afternoon a train from Dundee passed over the bridge, and again at six o'clock another train made the passage in safety. This was the last train that ever crossed that fatal roadway. It was purely a local train, starting from Tayport at 5:50, stopping at East and West Newport to take up passengers, and reaching Dundee at 6:15. By this train the local passengers were enabled to come to Dundee and attend evening service, whence they could return homeeither by steamer or train as they might select. Though the storm was raging with terrific fury, nothing unusual was experienced by the officials or passengers who travelled by the Newport train. But the hurricane was still increasing in fury. The night was not dark; the moon at her full was shining bright and clear, only obscured at intervals as the driving clouds shot across her path.
The mail train which left Edinburgh at 4:15 pm for Dundee passed through Fife taking up passengers at the various stations and junctions along the route, and reached St. Fort about seven o'clock in the evening. After the halt of a few minutes, during which the tickets were collected and some passengers added to the number, the train started on its fatal journey.
In a few minutes the bridge was reached. The signalman stationed in the cabin at the south end of the bridge handed the baton to the engine-driver. Some fears were entertained regarding the storm, but none of the officials had power to delay the train, and so the engine and carriages swept past on to the treacherous bridge, and entered among the high girders, and that was the last that was seen of the ill-fated train.
A dark cloud obscured the moon; a wild gust tore down the valley of the Tay; flashes of fire were seen blazing from the bridge, and suddenly the lights of the train disappeared. When the "Queen of Night" emerged from behind the strom cloud, the eyes of those who witnessed the occurrence were strained towards the bridge.
To their horror and consternation a great gap yawned in the centre of the structure, and the train, a moment before speeding on its way, was now nowhere to be seen. The bridge has fallen, and the engine and a train of six carriages, and between seventy and eighty human beings, had sunk beneath the raging waves.
source:
- History of Newport, J. S. Neish, 1890.
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