133 years ago, on October 17, 1888, 43 miles from Kharkov between stations …

133 years ago, on October 17, 1888, 43 miles from Kharkov between Taranovka and Borki stations on the Kursk-Azov railway crashed the imperial train. Two steam locomotives and 15 passenger cars (whose weight was more than 800 tons) went at a speed of 60 miles per hour (instead of permissible 40) with invalid automatic brakes. The rear wagons hit the front ones with great force. The blow was so power that the royal train in an instant turned into a pile of debris. 23 people were killed, 35 cars were seriously wounded, in which the family of Emperor Alexander III was completely destroyed at the time of the crash after breakfast. The footman, who gave the emperor coffee, fell dead. Favorite dog, white like Kamchatka, who was nearby, died.

When Emperor Alexander III went out of the restaurant car to the railway path, he came across a piece of a rotten sleeper, which he immediately handed over to the Minister of Railways K.N. At the same time, Posyet, at the same time that such “rotten sleepers” cannot withstand the severity of the movement of two steam locomotives of the imperial train, which probably explains the “incident of the train”.

The disaster was investigated by the chief prosecutor A.F. Koni, who so explained what happened: “Incorrect compilation of the train, the incorrectness of the building, the weakness of the canvas and intoxication of zeal, which played a fatal role in the disaster itself.”

They were involved in the investigation with removal from posts: Minister of Railways Admiral K.N. Posyet, chief engineer of the railways Baron K.G. Shernaval, inspector of imperial trains Baron A.F. von Taube, managing Kursk-Kharkov-Azov Railway Inspector V.A. Kovanko and other faces.

However, after the consideration of the case in the State Council, there was no prosecution against the ministers involved in the investigation.

Everything was limited to a rescript by the chairman of the Committee of Ministers of May 13, 1889 that the monarch of mercy was motivated by “God’s mercy, in which a formidable suggestion from above was seen, to each of the authorities to correctly observe the duty of their rank.”