Cause of deadly 1905 derailment was never solved.
By Deanna Adams
Many northeast Ohioans have heard about the great Ashtabula train wreck which occurred in 1876. A train on the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway was traveling through Ohio bound for Chicago in a blinding snowstorm when the bridge collapsed. It was the worst U. S. railroad accident of its time, killing nearly 100 people.
In 1905, another accident occurred along the same line, this time right here in Mentor. Although this one was much less known, it was just as notable.
The tragedy occurred at the former railroad passenger depot located on Station Street, just east of Center Street behind what is now Deeker’s Bar & Party Center. The accident raised some controversy before becoming a part of Mentor’s forgotten history.
Historic Train Derailment
The 20th Century Limited express passenger train was the fastest long-distance train in the world at the time of the crash. On June 21, 1905, at approximately 9:20 p.m., it was traveling eastbound at a rate of 70 miles per hour through the sleepy farm town of Mentor, when it was diverted from the main line and straight into the freight station. An emergency application of brakes could not stop the train before the locomotive, tender, and the first few cars derailed and fell onto their side. Immediately after the crash, the engine’s boiler exploded, and the ensuing fire spread quickly since most cars were still made of wood. Locals bravely rushed to the scene, but the flames were too intense for them to be very helpful and they were forced to abandon their efforts.
Despite the rapid appearance of the fire department, it took up to five hours before the flames were under control. Twenty-one people died, including the locomotive’s engineer. Several passengers were hurt, some seriously, while others were able to walk away from the wreckage.
So, what was the cause of the derailment? Upon inspection, it was widely suspected that the switch had been tampered with. The question of who or why has never been answered.
The assistant general superintendent, D. C. Noon, stated soon afterward, “So far as can be learned, the switch was opened and locked open by some party unknown, probably a crank, and evidently with malicious purposes.” He went on to say that another fast east-bound train had passed through the switch 45 minutes earlier, without incident. The crash also created a fervent debate over the speed of the engine, which was over the designated limit. There was talk that the train was behind schedule and trying to make up time.
The railroad was insistent that this was no accident. The conductor of No. 26 examined the switch immediately after and told general passenger agent W. J. Lynch, who was on the train, that it was set and locked for the sidetrack with the lights extinguished. The switch was not damaged and worked perfectly after the accident.
The man who was firing the locomotive that night recalled that light signals indicated a clear track ahead and that nothing was out of the ordinary.
Although it was reported that “every possible effort is being made to locate the party who misplaced the switch,” nothing ever came of the investigation. If there indeed was malice involved, the train wreck remains Mentor’s greatest unsolved crime.
Mentor has undergone many changes since 1905. The freight station was destroyed in the accident and rebuilt shortly thereafter. The passenger depot across the tracks remains intact and recognizable, although the buildinghas changed a bit of its look since becoming a restaurant/bar.
The Mentor station, located at 8455 Station Street, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern RR Depot and Freight House.
This article originally appeared in Mentor City Magazine 2020.
