Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1872-08-23
Horrible Accidental Young Man Run over
by a car, and instantly killed.

L
by q car, and instantly killed.
A few minutes before IL o'clock yesterday
noon, John Dixon, Jr., of this city, was in
stantly killed at the Augusta depot by being
| run over and crushed by car loaded with
lumber. The regular half-past ten mixed
! train from Portland had arrived and switched
| off on to turnout at the station, west of the
main track, called the Lambard turnout, in
| order to let the noon passenger train west
| pass 1t then backed TO the main track again
The engine was then htched to two cars load
ed with pitch-pine lumber, for the purpose of
switching these cars on to the side track be-
fore mentioned The rope used for this pur
pose was between 80 and 40 feet in length.
engine moved or stopped at his signal, and
when the cars were switched off it was his
duty to disconnect the rope from the car.
The engine was moving slowly on the main
track, while the cars were being switched on
to the "Lambard turnout" Dixon was on the
south side of the rope, q few feet from the
car, and two persons saw him riding upon the
rope while the car was moving. He had been
seen doing this several times previously. and
was cautioned against it. After the engine
had proceeded on little distance, it was re-
versed, according to the signal given by Dixon.
There is a switch frame at that place, just
south of Bridge street, which it is necessary
to have in the place it occupies, but against
which thA
it. Dixon failed to clear this frame the rope
caught against it, and as it was fastened
both to the engine and freight car, it
drew taught and made a lite, probably
throwing Dixon under the car. lie was seen
bearing down upon the rope with
his left hand, and trying to remove the pin
with his right, but did not succeed. He
might have tripped and fell, but the probabil-
tiles are that he was swept under the car by
the frightened rope. He was thrown upon his
face, across one of the rails, his head and
arms outside of the track. Two forward
wheels passed over his left leg and thigh, and
the rear wheel caught under his jaw, and
there trigged, slipping him along for some
distance. His left leg, foot and thigh were
badly mangled, body bruised, jaw and neck
crushed, chest badly bruised and was Of
course dead before he could be taken out
The body was taken TO the gen;lemen's room
in the depot, and jury of inquest promptly
summoned by Coroner VIM. H. Libby. The
jury consisted of the following gentlemen:
Owen c. Whitehouse, Seth C. Whitehouse,
Sumner Barton, Hiram X. Choate, John B.
Shaw, Albin f. Emery. A partial examina-
ton of the body was had, and the jury ad-
journed to two O'clock, z. NJ, at the office of
Mr.. Libby, where the following witnesses
were examined: II. B. Griffin, acting engi-
neer at the time of the accident, Alex. Kin
caide, flag man at the Bridge street crossing,
DR.. Martin, who had examined the body,
Geo. W. Pillsbury, employed at the station,
Lendell Titcomb, and a couple of lads. The
testimony was substantially according to the
facts as we have given them, to which the
verdict of the jury also agreed. No blame
attaches TO the railroad company. or any of
its employees.
Young Dixon was 10 years. Old yesterday,
so that his birthday was also the day of his
death. He had been in the employ of the COM
pany for nearly two years, and had shown
himself smart and active, and very powerful
physically. He was young man of steady
habits and kindly disposition. We have no.
tced several times his extreme carelessness
while at work and was therefore not much
4 - II. e
his violent death.