The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1876-08-26

ouc VI tuc uOSb ueTFiDic anu oiNhciiinR
accidents that has taken place In this
city occurred on the Cairo and Vincennes
railroad at Twentieth street, yesterday
nsesninR shout ten o'clock, by which
Silas Ostrander. yardmaster for that
road, come to an untimely and awful
death.
Ostrander had been in the yards during
the morning, and had completed making
up q train Of freight cars, several of
which were to be brought to the lower
end OF town to be unloaded. The rear
car of the train, the draw.head having
been pulled out, was fastened TO the
other cars by large log chain. When
near Twentieth street, coming down, the
engineer increased the speed Of the train,
as Is the usual custom, in order to get
up the grade, when the chain which was
some six feet long, Stacked up and
dragged on the rails, and the car wheels
ran over it, throwing the car off the track
bottom side up, making total wreck
of 1t, and pulling the next car off the
rails after it. Ostrander was sitting on
theSront end ofthe second car Rom the
rear Of the train. and feeling the jar,
jumped up and attempted to run for
ward, and losing his footing fell between
the second and third cars to the track.
Six pairs Of wheels passed oyer his body
before the engineer could stop the train,
mangling and cutting the flesh from the
bones OF the unfortunate man to shreads.
The only words Ostrander uttered after
the train struck him were. "FOr Gods
sake take me out" He was carried
away from the track and expired in
few minutes.
coroner Gossman was summoned and
held an inquest over the body, when the
following testimony. which we publish
in justice to the railroad company, was
given:
Tony kapps, engineer Of the train. was
sworn by Justice Commings and said:
~ was on the engine when the accident
occurred. We started from the yard
where the cars were weighed with seven
cars. We left one at Twentieth street,
and pulled out over the switch. Mr.. Os-
trander shut the switch. with the inten-
ton Of taking the other six down town.
We went faster at Twentieth street: was
running probably eight or ten miles an
hour. Ostrander was GU the rear end
of the car. Ifelt the jar and saw a man
fall.and stopped as quick as could went
back and looked, and found it was Os.
trander, who said: Help me out" We
helped him out and brought the section
men from up the road, and then sent tor
MIR. Morrill, and doctor. The train ran
proboblv four car lengths after l felt the
jar. We ran about twelve car lengths
from the switch before the car Jumped
the track. The car that ran off had q
broken draw-head and was chained to
the others. There was no other man on
the train. Ostrander was acting as
brakeman. II is the custom to chain
cars in this way when there is anything
wrong with the draw-head.
= ). q. Callahan wasswora and testified:
l am shoemaker; was looking at the
train when the accident happened. When
the Car ran of the track, saw Ostrander
try to grab the brake; he lost his footing
in trying to run from the second to the
third car. and fell between them. | do
not know what caused the train to run
Oft. Ostrander died before | could get
TO him. He was taken from the track
and died in four or five minutes He was
unable to talk. Ipicked up scraps of
bone and flesh after they carried him
away.
Leonard W. Harvey, car repairer for
the road, was sworn and said: All the
cars were in good condition but one,
which was being brought down to have
drawhead put in. did not see the acci-
dent. Ostrander knew the condition of
the cars. He could not have weighed
the cars without knowing. He could
not have made up the train without
knowing.
Richard Powers, track foreman, was
sworn; The track was in good and safe
condition. did not see the accident.
The jury, after listening to the evi.
dence, convinced that the misfortune was
purely accidental, rendered verdict in
substance, as follows:
We. the undersigned jurors, sworn to
inquire OF the death of Silas Ostrander,
on oath do find that he came to his death
by an unavoidable accident on the Cairo
and Nincennes railroad, near Twentieth
street, in the city of Cairo.
The deceased was about thirty-iive
years of age. has wife and son about
twelve years old, who have been making
their home in Nincennes, but who were
at the time Of his death in New York
state visiting the relatives of Mrs. Os-
trander.