Scalded to Death by the Steam: Authentic Stories of Railroad Disasters and the Ballads That Were Written About Them

Rating:
Summary: Folk songs about train wrecks are put in perspective.
Review: Ms. Lyle shows a historian's perspicaciousness in her investigation of "Wreck of the Old '97" and other train wreck songs. She finds people who were at the wrecks and digs up news accounts of the wrecks--not all wrecks, just the ones with songs about them. Her comparisons of the myths in the songs and the history itself make a wonder read.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting, but incomplete!
Review: My father, Fred J. Lewey has been credited with writing the original words to "Wreck of the Old 97", by Robert Gordon's papers, accepted and held by the Library of Congress, where there is a cylinder recording of him singing the song. That recording was used in Supreme Court, in the George trial about the composer. Also, Reader's Digest in their "American Classics" recognised him, and Shapiro & Berstein, (who hold the copyright on the song), have acknowledged his authorship.I have sheet music, and a folk music song book showing him and Charles Noell as co-writers, (although Mr Noell has acknowledged that he rewote some of the words at a much later date). Henry Whitter recorded the song, and changed some words, but certainly did not compose the song. Why then, did the author of this book discuss Norm Cohen's and Robert Gordon's documents, plus mentioning a man proven to have made a fraudulant claim to the song, and never mention the actual writer? Did she fail to complete her research? My sister and I, Fred J. Lewey's only surviving children, are somewhat offended by this omission. Otherwise, we enjoyed the book, although we only recently became aware that it had been published, using a line from our Dad's song as the title!

Rating:
Summary: An intriguing integration of railroad history and folksongs.
Review: Who was Casey Jones? How did he really die? How did a child bring death to Engineer Ben Dewberry? Of all railroad disasters, why did the "Wreck of the Old 97" become so well known in song?

Lyle spins us stories of the real histories behind two dozen American railroad disasters that spawned folksongs that will not themselves die, though death figures prominently in their stanzas. Having learned most of these songs by heart as a child, Lyle writes this book as a labor of love and makes it the most readable history book in print, imbuing its historical facts with the pathos and the frailty of real humans, whose all-too-human errors occasioned many of the disasters described in these pages.

Of course, this is also a song book, and the music and words of the old railroad ballads are woven into each story. The sole disappointment in the book is that it comes to an end. Found by happenstance, it quickly became a cherished addition to my library, though whether to put it with my railroad collection or my folklore collection remains a bit of a question, but that really doesn't matter since it's in my hands much more than it's on the shelf! Readers of railroad folklore and singers of railroad ballads will surely find the lure of Lyle's writing irresistible.

Also, while you're browsing here, be sure to check out Norm Cohen's "Long Steel Rail," a thoroughly researched and scholarly work on railroads in American folksongs. Together, Lyle's book and Cohen's will provide hour upon hour of enjoyable reading to everyone whose interest includes folk music and iron rails!

Rating:
Summary: Interesting, but incomplete!
Review: Who was Casey Jones? How did he really die? How did a child bring death to Engineer Ben Dewberry? Of all railroad disasters, why did the "Wreck of the Old 97" become so well known in song?

Lyle spins us stories of the real histories behind two dozen American railroad disasters that spawned folksongs that will not themselves die, though death figures prominently in their stanzas. Having learned most of these songs by heart as a child, Lyle writes this book as a labor of love and makes it the most readable history book in print, imbuing its historical facts with the pathos and the frailty of real humans, whose all-too-human errors occasioned many of the disasters described in these pages.

Of course, this is also a song book, and the music and words of the old railroad ballads are woven into each story. The sole disappointment in the book is that it comes to an end. Found by happenstance, it quickly became a cherished addition to my library, though whether to put it with my railroad collection or my folklore collection remains a bit of a question, but that really doesn't matter since it's in my hands much more than it's on the shelf! Readers of railroad folklore and singers of railroad ballads will surely find the lure of Lyle's writing irresistible.

Also, while you're browsing here, be sure to check out Norm Cohen's "Long Steel Rail," a thoroughly researched and scholarly work on railroads in American folksongs. Together, Lyle's book and Cohen's will provide hour upon hour of enjoyable reading to everyone whose interest includes folk music and iron rails!