Bridgeton pioneer. (Bridgeton, N.J.) 1884-1919, 1889-08-29
FATAL RAILROAD ACCIDENT.
LESLIE IRELAND KILLED BY
THE TRAIN.
Ihe Little Three-year-Old son OF
John Ireland Tries to Cross
the Track Under the Cars
and is Killed on the
Central


Central.
When the gravel train of the Central
road came up to Bridgeton Monday
afternoon to switch off out of the way
OF the passenger train which leaves
the station on Cohansey street at 4. Is,
1T brought with it sadness to the house
OF John and Emma Ireland at No. A
Nichols street, near by the switch.
! Their little baby boy, Leslie ]. Ireland,
three years old, by some means got
under the wheels of the caboose, and
was SO terribly mangled, that he died
about 12 o'clock that night.
Two wheels of the truck under the
caboose run over the poor little child's
right leg and hip, crushing and grind
ing up the flesh and bones in the most
sickening manner
How the child got down to the track
and under the car wheels no one seems
to know. "Only about three minutes
before the accident" said the poor
stricken mother, II was standing at
Mrs. Nichols gate talking to her; my
boy was with Inc but suddenly missed
MIN and exclaimed where is Leslie?
when they came bringing him up to HE
from the tracks" "Oh,if he could only
be unconscious ~ walled the mother.
| while the hearts of the lockers on bled
In sympathy for her, "but he knows
| AVprVthjnC l,o
right away for his sister, who is away"
Just then the little boy said Mamma
cant get up" mo, DEAR" said the
poor woman ''wait till the doctor fixes
your Leg" Mamma want to lay on
this side," continued he, and he was
turned over on his side.
A PIONEER reporter had just treached
the house and heard the above CONVEX
tlon; Doctor Harris was sitting by the
| side OF the settee upon which the child
lay and the DR.. L. G. Davis soon ar
rived with his instruments.
| Ahe fracture, DIR. Harris said, was a
| combination fracture; the crue! wheels
had crushed through the hip joint,
and apparently went fearfully close to
the lower part of the abdomen. The
child was nearly three years old but
very large for his age, looking like a
boy of five. Richard Leeds, seems to
have been the first one to see him un
der the cars; he was then hanging with
his hands to one of the iron braces un-
derneatb the car. The train had run
up on the switch to allow the passen-
ger train to go by, and was then slowly
backing down to the water tank; it
only had about a hundred feet further
to run back and was very nearly
stopped. Leeds gave the alarm to the
brakeman. who signaled the engineer,
| Eph. Cramer, and the train was
stopped; but before it had come to a
standstill John R. VanBrunt, one of
the laborers on the train, saw the child
and seizing it drew it from between the
wheels and carrying it a few feet away
laid its mangled form on a hand car
standing by. Then George Clayton,
the cook on the train, took up the
little one, and guided by some boys,
carried it to the stricken mother. Be-
side the mangled leg there was slight
cut on the head.
After consultation the doctors deci-
ded to amputate the limb and thus try
to save its life, and soon after o'clock
chloroform and ether was admin
istered and the operation was begun.
The little boy retained consciousness
until overcome by the ether. The limb
was amputated, the little fellow stand
ing the operation very well. DIR. Davis
remained with him until after II o'clock
at which time the boy was doing we'll,
but change suddenly came, and he
| died soon after 10.
The train was drawn by locomotive
No. 2, the conductor being James V.
Johnson, of Red Bank. 1t was engaged
in constructing the new road to Buena
Vista, and did not belong to the five
regular gravel trains of the road. In
addition to the gravel cars was a Sleep
ing caboose and dining caboose, the
laborers being boarded and lodged on
board the train.
1t is thought the child had run down
the hill to the track and attempted to
cross the track by running under the
car.
John Ireland, the father of the child,
was away from home at the time of
the accident, having gone out cunning
for birds. 1t was sad sight that met
him on his return.