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This ballad describes the wreck of mail train #97 with four cars and locomotive #1102 which wrecked near Danville, Virginia on September 27, 1903.

Engineer Joseph A. Broady was running late and in an attempt to make up lost time, he was running at top speed down a three mile grade as he approached Danville. He did not have enough air pressure to slow the train as it neared a curved trestle and the rest is history - made famous by the ballad written by David G. George but rights to the ballad were contested by RCA Victor Co and he never received anything from all the sales of the record.

The song was first recorded by G.B. Grayson and Henry Whitter. It became the first million selling record in the United States when released by Vernon Dalhart.

 
~ Wreck Of The Old '97 ~
as sung by the late, great Johnny Cash

Well they gave him his orders at Monroe, Virginia,
Said: "Steve, you're way behind time,
"This is not 38, this is Ol' 97,
"Put her into Spencer on time."

Then he turned around and said to his black, greasy fireman,
"Shovel on a little more coal.
"And when we cross that White Oak mountain,
"Watch Ol' '97 roll."

It's a mighty rough road from Lynchburg to Danville,
And the lie was a three-mile grade,
It was on that grade that he lost his air brakes,
And you see what a jump that she made.

He was going down the grade making 90 miles an hour,
When his whistle began to scream,
He was found in that wreck with his hand on the throttle,
He was scalded to death by the steam.

And then a telegram come from Washington station,
This is how it read:
"Oh that brave engineer that run ol 97,
"Is lyin in old Danville dead."

One more time!

Oh, now all you ladies you'd better take a warning,
From this time on and learn.
Never speak hard words to your true-lovin' husband.
He may leave you and never return.
Poor Boy.

 



 

Moon And Back wishes to thank Kurt Grigg for developing this wonderful java script.  We made our own graphic for it to emulate smoke.