The Wreck of the Don Milo

The Wreck of the Don Milo (HM1SRL)

Location: Hallettsville, TX 77964 Lavaca County
Buy Texas State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 29° 26.236', W 96° 56.508'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 1024 views
Inscription
The San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway Company (S. A. & A. P.) was chartered by the State of Texas in 1884 to connect the city of San Antonio with Aransas Bay, and the rail line officially came to Hallettsville on April 23, 1887. A large celebration on that date brought 5,000 to town to witness the completion of the track over the Lavaca River around noon, and the evening arrival of the first train.

The S. A. & A. P. railway met financial ruin when a disastrous train wreck occurred on the wooden bridge over the Lavaca River on January 2, 1890. The river had risen to within fifteen feet of the bridge's rails because of heavy rains. The engineer crossed the river in order to reach the water tank at the other side, because the water was necessary to power the trains steam-driven engine. The engineer then crossed back over the bridge to reattach the remaining cars. Upon preparing to cross the bridge with the entire train, the engineer realized that the trestle had been washed away by the surging water. Although the engineer was able to stop the train at the edge of the river, the weight of the train's cargo caused it to plunge into the raging floodwaters below. The train carried liquor as part of its cargo, and the consumption of the liquor by spectators added to the confusion caused by the crowd of onlookers that soon appeared
at the site.

The wreck of the Don Milo, engine no. 54, caused additional problems for the S. A. & A. P., which had already been experiencing financial difficulties. The resulting lawsuits forced the company to reorganize, and the S. A. & A. P. was acquired by the Southern Pacific Transportation Company in 1892.
Details
HM NumberHM1SRL
Tags
Year Placed2009
Placed ByTexas Historical Commission
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Friday, June 24th, 2016 at 5:01am 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)14R E 699641 N 3258195
Decimal Degrees29.43726667, -96.94180000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 29° 26.236', W 96° 56.508'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds29° 26' 14.16" N, 96° 56' 30.48" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)361, 979
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling South
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 606 S Main St, Hallettsville TX 77964, US
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. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. This marker needs at least one picture.
  9. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  10. Is the marker in the median?