Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 15 – Eight trainmen killed and fifteen passengers injured, two fatally, perhaps, is the result of a collision between a passenger and a freight train this morning on the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis at Pegram Station, twenty miles west of here. In the fire that followed at least one of the two mangled bodies were completely consumed and it is feared that others not yet found have been reduced to cinders undistinguishable from the mass of debris about them. At a local undertaking establishment tonight rest the badly charred remains of three victims recovered. Along with them is an unidentified arm pulled from a corpse in an effort to extricate it from the wreckage.

The dead:

WILL MOGAN, traveling engineer, Nashville, body burned.
JOE GOWER, engineer on passenger train, Nashville, body badly burned.
JESS TARKINGTON, engineer on freight, Nashville, body burned.
WALTER ROACH, messenger, Nashville, body badly burned.
SAM WHITED, Nashville, fireman of freight, burned.
S. B. WELP, Burns, Tenn., head breakman on freight.
W. S. STALCUP, mail clerk, Martin, Tenn., burned.
L. C. BAILEY, mail clerk, Martin, badly burned.

The injured:

Bob Hailey, fireman No. 4, Nashville, two ribs broken and left side injured.
Ellis Martin, conductor No. 51, Nashville, injured in head and internally, May die.
Capt. T. J. Jobe, Burton, N. C., right side and back injured.
William Lunsford, Peachtree, N. C.. right arm and shoulder bruised.
W. L. Thomassen, Peachtree, N. C., left shoulder and arm hurt.
S. W. Boyd, Almond, N. C., right shoulder and head hurt.
Mrs. T. M. Lee, Tullahoma, Tenn., right shoulder hurt.
Mrs. Tempie Lunsford, Murphy, N. C., shoulder and neck hurt.
Mrs. A. C. Thomassen, Murphy, N. C., left ankle and shoulder and neck hurt.
Mat Thomassen, Murphy, N. C., right arm hurt.
Mrs. Mary J. Jackson, McLean Branch, Tenn., right arm and back hurt.
Mrs. Joseph S. Lovely, McMinnville, Tenn., sprained knee.
Mrs. John Dunn, Cumberland Furnace, Tenn., nose hurt.
John Dunn, Cumberland Furnace, Tenn., nose hurt.
Mrs. Sam Warren, Nashville, right eye injured.
Mrs. M. J. Gillem, Nashville, slight bruise on hip.

The bodies of Mogan and Tarkington are believed to have been comsumed by the flames. The remains of Gower, Bailey and Stalcup were brought here this afternoon and prepared for burial. The injured needing attention were also brought here for treatment.

Wreckage Is Burned
The collision had occurred about 8 o’clock and was between passenger train No. 4 westbound, and fast freight No. 51, en route to Nashville. The wreckage at once caught fire. The baggage, mail, express and smoking cars of the freight cars were burned. But one bag of mail was saved.
Through the almost superhuman strength exercised by the passengers, who were lead by the cooler heads, the three day coaches and the Pullman were pushed back from the fire and the equipment saved.

Texan Assists in Rescue
Assisting in this work were: Attorney General Charles T. Cates Jr., Dr. J. C. Franklin of Nashville, W. L. Mitchell of Nashville, John W. Neal of Houston, Tex.; Dr. E. A. Age, postmaster at Pegram; J. E. And and J. M. Whitsett, Nashville; J. A. Boble, Union City; J. C. Cook Jr., Nashville; Max Isaacs, news agent, Nashville; Flagman T. J. Tucker of No. 4; A. F. Hoge, Waverly; R. E. Jones of Detroit and all other men who were not attending to dead and injured.
The railroad authorities are endeavoring to place the blame for the wreck. The passenger crew had orders to meet at Pegram and the wreck occurred west of that station. Mogan was on the engine with Gower.

Dallas Morning News, Dallas, Texas, September 16, 1909 – transcribed by Amanda Jowers