Wann Railroad Disaster

Wann Railroad Disaster (HM2KWM)

Location:
Buy flags at Flagstore.com!

N 38° 52.991', W 90° 6.659'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 724 views
Inscription
The Wann Disaster of January 21, 1893, is Madison County's most horrific railroad tragedy. It caused the greatest loss of life and cases of personal injury in a single incident. The accident occurred at the Wann Junction on the Big Four Railroad, near the intersection of Shamrock and Main Streets in present-day East Alton. An open switch allowed an approaching passenger train to collide with oil-tanker cars causing an explosion that ignited and sent 7,000 gallons of oil into the air. The resulting "rain of fire" killed more than 35 and seriously injured dozens of passengers, railroad workers, and spectators.
Details
HM NumberHM2KWM
Tags
Year Placed2019
Placed ByPhillip D. Walkington and the Illinois State Historical Society
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Wednesday, September 18th, 2019 at 8:02am PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)15S E 750598 N 4307781
Decimal Degrees38.88318333, -90.11098333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 38° 52.991', W 90° 6.659'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds38° 52' 59.46" N, 90° 6' 39.54" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling South
Closest Postal AddressAt or near , ,
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. What country is the marker located in?
  2. Is this marker part of a series?
  3. What historical period does the marker represent?
  4. What historical place does the marker represent?
  5. What type of marker is it?
  6. What class is the marker?
  7. What style is the marker?
  8. Does the marker have a number?
  9. This marker needs at least one picture.
  10. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  11. Is the marker in the median?