The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1883-12-01
DEATH ON The RAIL-.
jay Griffin, q u. q N. Conductor,
Crushed and Mangled Under
q Switch Engine.

coy 0AAAAAs o OsO GNs SO~A~OsOA
Crushed and Mangled Under
q Switch Engine.
Train No. s came in yesterday
morning on time, at 10 o'clock. The
conductor, Jay Griffin, after attend.
ing to his usual duties in the caboose
car, stepped over to another caboose
standing on q side track on the south
side Of the yard. After talking q
few moments with friends in the Ca
boose, he noticed tho conductor of
the Deer Lodge train standing on the
depot platform and started in that
direction to speak to him. he step
ped of hurriedly, and his back being
turned toward a switch engine which
came laundering down an interven-
ing track, showing a coal car before
it, he evidently did not see it, and
was entirely oblivious of danger.
Mr.. Wetmore, the yard master
saw the perilous position Of Griffin
though not until the fatal a was
within two feet of its victim, and
signalled the engineer to stop. H.
w. Mcdonnell, q brother of the pop
ular General Western Agent of the
u. P. road, F. r. Mcconnell.
was the engineer, and says he
first saw a signal to stop given by the
conductor of the Deer Lodge train,
and he Immediately reversed his en-
CINE and applied the brakes, but it
was too late. When the switch en-
CINE came to a stop the engine and
car had passed clear over the body of
Griffin and his mangled remains laid
upon the track. The wheels had
severed his right hand from the
wrist and almost cut the body in two
at the waist, but he was still living
and was picked up and carefully
cared for and a surgeon summoned,
but he died without regaining con-
sciousness in about thirty minutes.
Justice of the peace e. A. Nichols
was notified and acting as coroner he
summoned a jury which viewed the
remains at the depot, after which it
was taken to J. M. Bowe's under
taking establishment to be cof1ned.
The jury subsequently met at Justice
Nichols Office. and after hearing the
evidence of several witnesses re-
turned the following verdict.
TERRY. OF MONT.)
COUNTY OF SILVER. "a. 8.
Bow.
At an inquisition holden at the U.
& N. railroad depot, in the county of
Silver Bow, on the 3Oth day of No
vember, A. D. 1883, before 3. A.
Nichols, a justice of the peace, and
acting coroner of said county, upon
the body of Jay Griffin there lying
dead, by the jurors whose names are
here subscribed, the said jurors on
their oath do say that the said Jay
Griffin did come to his death on the
3Oth day of November A. D. 1883, by
being accidentally run over by a car
and engine of the Utah & Northern
railroad near the town of Butte, Sill
yer Bow county, Montana Territory,
and we find that no blame cal attach
to the said railway company by ca
ann Of snch killing.
In testimony whereof the said
jurors have hereuntO set their hands
the day and year first aforesaid.
VIM. OwsLEY,
B. ID. BEAL,
E. BURKE,
FRANK MCKENNA.
J. s. REYNOLDS,
JOHN M. SMITH.
The deceased was 4 single man,
about thirty-five years of age. He
had been running as passenger coz
ductor on the U. P. road during the
past year. and had recently been
transferred to the U. & N. division.
By his manly qualities and faithful
attention to duties he had won the
confidence of his employers and the
good opinion of all WITH whom he
came in contact, and such an acct
dent to no other man on the
road could produce so pro-
found an impression as has
the death of Jay Griffin. Engineer
Mcconnell was an old friend of the
deceased and had not seen him for
ten years until a short time before
the accident when he had q few mo-
ments conversation with him. The
engineer is one of the most careful
men on the road and this Is the first
accident which has ever befallen
him. He was very much effected by
it, and became so unnerved by the
death of his friend that he was I'M
able to run his engine during the
afternoon.
The deceased had a father and
other relatives residing in Omaha,
Neb., who have been notified of the
sad accident and it Is expected they
will request that the remains be for
Warded to Omaha for interment.
Personal.
T. F. Ward, Clerk and Re-
corder of Deer Lodge county, paid