In the new Gray cemetery around Knoxville lays 'Daddy' Bryson, engineer of the ill-fated freight train, Shay #3, that wrecked in the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee.
Club Town was holding a dance that night. 'Daddy' wanted to get there in time for the fun. Shay #3, a type of locomotive that used gear driven drive wheels rather than the usual rod driven drivers, usually pulled three cars. Today it was pulling five. 'Daddy' really wanted to get to the dance in time.
Shays were built to pull heavy loads so they didn't think much about the extra two cars. Shays even had a sand system that dropped sand in front of the wheels to increase the traction of the heavy load. They didn't get too concerned when it started to rain.
Well, 'Daddy' Bryson never made it to the dance that night. In the early afternoon rain the sand system failed at the worse place possible -- the curve at the bottom of the steep grade by Jakes Creek and East Fork. Shay #3 went over the edge with 'Daddy' still at the wheel.
So cousin, dedicate a dance to ol' cousin 'Daddy' the next time you're at the square dance. And please remember - it's better to get there late than not at all.
For more information, consult "Whistle Over the Mountain; Timber, Track, & Trails in the Tennessee Smokies" by Ron Schmidt and William Hooks, Graphicom Press, 1994.
This site was made possible by
Rev. Donald L. Bryson and the Gospel Mailbox