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The Angola Train WreckBy Charity Vogel | American History | 6 comments | Print This Post | Email This Post No one, in the end, knows exactly how many victims of the Angola Horror were laid to rest that day. Subscribe Today
Drive over Big Sister Creek in Angola today, and you’d never know that it had been the scene of anything important. No marker identifies the spot of the Angola Horror train wreck. The same is true of Forest Lawn; a simple sign once marked the spot where the unknown victims were buried, but it fell down, or was taken down, some decades ago. It has never been replaced. John D. Rockefeller went on to form the Standard Oil Company within three years of the Angola tragedy. By the early 1880s, Rockefeller—perhaps influenced by his brush with disaster—was selling oil products specifically designed to make rail travel safer. An 1883 advertisement for his Mineral Seal 300 Fire Test Burning Oil claimed superiority “to all other burning oils in this respect, withstanding a heat of 300 degrees before igniting, for which reason it is especially adapted for use in Railway Coaches and Passenger Steam Boats.” Another ambitious young American also took lessons from the Angola disaster: George Westinghouse. Shocked by train wrecks of his day, Westinghouse was determined to find a quicker and safer way of stopping rail cars in an emergency. The result was an invention that revolutionized train travel: the air brake. By 1893 the federal government made air brakes and automatic couplers mandatory on trains in the United States, a change that cut the accident rate on the nation’s rails by 60 percent. Meanwhile, Benjamin Betts—wood dealer, wreck survivor and unlikely hero—became a well-respected engineer and architect. Betts died at 65 and was lauded after his death for his contributions to bridge design—including the first cantilever bridge over the Niagara River, a span that drew international acclaim. Having seen one bridge cause such suffering, Betts dedicated much of the rest of his life to making them safer, stronger and more beautiful. He always regretted that he had been unable to do more. This article was written by Charity Vogel and originally published in the February 2008 issue of American History Magazine. For more great articles, subscribe to American History magazine today! Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6Help HistoryNet by bookmarking to
            Tags: 19th Century, American History, Historical Figures, railroad
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6 Comments to “The Angola Train Wreck”
What can I say: an extraordinary story, extraordinarily told. Kudos to Charity Vogel for a gripping story of an unconscionable tragedy.
By Paul Chimera on Jul 1, 2008 at 1:45 pm
Yes, I agree an extraordinary story. I live in Angola and never new about this. I will be taking a ride there in a few days to take some picture of the location, in fact I will be going to the town hall to find out more about the right location. If you want some pictures let me know I will Email them you everyone.
I will be taking my medel detector down there as well to see if I can find some medel from the train. I will let everyone know if I find enything as well. My Email is jeremynchristian@netzero.net
By Jeremy Otrosinka on Jul 29, 2008 at 10:09 am
I knew that there was a famous train crash i had no idea who was supposed to be on board. Good Reading thanks for the History.
By Bronson McGee on Nov 24, 2008 at 10:37 am
I was browsing through my family tree again tonight and stopped to revisit Zachariah Hubbard for no particular reason. Zach was a distant relative by marriage and possibly was much closer to my own Hubbard family. His life and times have been a mystery for me and although I knew of his death in the accident I’ve found very little about his life. Again tonight I looked at this article and tried to do some more research and failed to find anything new. I felt sorry that I could still not find more about him..
Sadly nothing came to light – except the date.
It was today’s date Dec 18 1867 – 141 years later.
I’m not a supersticious man but somehow I think Zach called out to me tonight.
Zach wherever you and your fellow passengers are now are now you are still remembered by your kinfolk. You are not lost to us.
By Nelson Denton on Dec 18, 2008 at 2:36 am
I recently moved to Western NY and was fascinated by this story, enough to venture up to Angola. My husband and I are pretty sure we were able to find the site of the train wreck, through many helpful residents and circuitous routes. It was eerie to be there, imagining what happened. Thanks, Charity Vogel, for the fascinating story.
By Sydney Kent on Jan 11, 2009 at 10:39 pm
This is great. I live in derby, Neighboring town of Angola and attend Lake Shore high School in Angola and for the most part live in Angola. I’m writing this from my grandmothers house, which is about a 2 min walk away from the spot of the Accident and with her son/my uncle whose house was used as a hospital.
I must say, I’ve inquired many times about this and this is the only article I’ve seen that has informed me so well.
I’ve traveled Holland road, where the train passed over that fateful night and have walked the tracks. It is without a doubt haunted by the souls of the those who died.
By Dan Bouvier on May 10, 2009 at 7:18 pm