Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-10-31
CRUSHED BY A CAR,
Switchman K. J Evans Awful Fa-
tai Accident.
Ground to Death on a Rail White i'm
the Performance of His Duty In the
Rock Island Yards this Morning.

H. j. Evans, a well known and yery |
popular switchman in the lower c., R /.
Il T. yards, was crushed to death at the
foot OF Twenty-third street while in the
performance of his duty at $40 this
morning. Switch engine rs, with Engi>
neer Geo. Coleburn and Fireman VIM.
Grady in charge, were pushing c., R.
l. " 7. fat car loaded with twenty tons
OF soft coal down the yards in order to
put 1t on train to be drawn up TO the
G., r. |. & P. round house. As the car
reached Twenty-third street, Switchman
Evans attempted to mount the front end,
springing upon the brake beam as custo
mary, and catching hold of the brake
rod. The rod, however, was in frail
shape and as he grasped it, it broke near
the place where the cog is fastened.
Realizing his danger, Evans reached
higher for the brake wheel and as he
clutched att, he fell upon the rail and the
four wheels on the right side passed over
the body, somewhat diagonally across the
breast, crushing in the ribs and inner
organs, fracturing the backbone and
hanging the right arm in a frightful
manner Death was instantaneous.
Although Freight Agent S. B. Stoddard
who was coming down the yards, and
Thomas Penders. !. +. Mitchell John
Collins and James Kelly, all switchmen
in the yards, saw the terrible spectacle
soon after it happened, there was only
one witness to the actual occurrence, and
he was West Herbert, passenger train
brakeman on the c., B. s @, who saw
the horrible affair from the platform
| of a coach as he was coming in on hi:
regular run The whole tragedy wa:
over in an instant. The poor man:
fellow switchmen gathered about him
and finding that he was dead, tenderl,
covered his mutilated body and his fac,
with a coat belongingto one oftheir mum
Der and notified the coroner. Evans was
great favorite with the yard boys and tn
news OF his terrible fate spread rapidly
being received everywhere with expires
sions of horror and sorrow. Corone
Halves and Surgeon Plummer were 500
on the ground, and after making exam
nation of the body, ordered it sent I
Undertaken Knox's rooms, and the sa
news was sent by means of the wives c
two of the other switchmen 10 the wit
of the unfortunate man.
Coroner Halves summoned jury CON
posed of e. E. HodGson, foreman; E.
McKown. P. J. Cary, Geo Foster Henri
f.. krell and John Brennan, and an il
veloped the facts as above stated. II
verdict was that deceased came to b
death by the breaking of the brake rod
car No. 10. R l. & P, by trying to g
on the car while in discharge OF his d.
ties"
The dead switchman was thlrty-ol
years OF age and resided on Third aven1
between Twenty second and Invent
third streets, his family consisting of
wife and little son. He had been er
ploycd in the Rock Island yards for Gig
years and was master of Rock Islsl
Lodge No. . of the Switchmen's Mutt
Aid Association. He had been
duty week paying visit to his psrer
in Iowa, having returned yeste
day morning, and during the day W
about the yards in the best of spirits vii
his yonng son, exhibiting the little fello
to his fellow switChmen as the 10y
his heart. He had Just resumed his d
ties this morning when the accident G
CURED. and many of the switchmen wi
had seen him in the height of happine
Yesterday did not see him again until
bruised and mangled remains were tax
from the track. All who knew Eva
speak good word for him and allude
him as a man of industrious and stes
habits and cheerful disposition.
He was an officer of Mississippi tr
l. 0. r. NJ, and fraternal member
the Woodmen society.
Remember the fact that Circuit CLERK BoVE
tods obliged 10 discharge Geo. ". Gamble in o.
10 hare The records Of his office completely lri
up before tearing il in December. There trere
nsnrlu tim ht.ndrsH rnfO risl inSkrtLnlsnks