Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1891-06-19
KILLED BY The CARS.
'onn Adam, Car Repairer on the North
ern Pacific, met With a Violent
Death Last Sunday
a Passenger Coach was run Over Him
While he was Repairing
the Brake.

AGAIN is it the HERALD's sad duty to
chronicle the violent death of a railroad
employee, citizen of Pullman.
John Adam came to Pullman from
Sprague about March 1st, and since then
mas been employed as car repairer in the
Northern Pacific yards here, He was
at his work last Sunday repairing a brake
shoe on the passenger coach which runs
from Pullman over the Lewiston branch
to Kendrick, Idaho The coach was on
side track when the regular morning
freight train came in. Mr.. Adam was
at work beneath the coach, lying with
his head and arm across the rail. Two
cars were dropped on the side track, and
as the brakes were not set the cars ran
INTO the coach with such force that it
was run over the unfortunate man work
ing beneath, and he was instantly killed.
When the car wheel struck Mr.. Adam
1t did not, at once pass over him, but
carried him along before it for a dis
tance of twenty feet, when it run over
and severed both arms, and mashed his
head IN horrible manner. The body
was found little later, by the conduc-
tor of the freight, and removed to the
depot, where physicians and others were
summoned, but nothing could be done;
death had been instantaneous.
Mr.. Adam was a native of Scotland,
and was about AZ years of age. He was
married in Albany, Oregon, at which
place he and his family lived before
coming to Sprague and Pullman. He
was the father of two children, who, in
company with Mrs. Adam, were assis-
ting IN Chlldren's Day exercises at the
Congregational church at the time Of
the accident. When the messenger ar
rived at the church to tell the family of
their terrible affliction, Lizzie. the
eldest child of the deceased, was lust
reciting The Story Hear;' surrounded
with bright flowers, singing birds and
admiring friends the daughter was
wholly unprepared for the news she re-
ceived on descending the platform.
The deceased was christian man,
member of the Methodist church. and
by conscientious application to duty
had won the confidence of his employers.
The remains were taken, Monday, to
Albany, Oregon, for burial, being accom-
panied by the family
A coroner's jury, consisting Of Fl.
Schlaefer, Barney Hattrup, R. A. Farr,
Silas Prather, W. H. Brabyn and N. S.
Hunt, was summoned, and twelve wit
nesses were examined. The verdict of
the jury was given in yesterday. The
following is portion thereof, the length
making it impossible for all to be pub
lished:
" We ind that the deceased was under a North
Pacific railroad passenger coach on the side track
in the N. p. yards at Pullman; that he was re-
pairing said coach That while deceased was
at work under said coach by some means un-
known to us, there were two cars started to NOV
ing toward said coach and did strike said coach
with sufficient force to cause said coach to move
and to pass over the person of the said John
Adam, the deceased, causing his death. We find
that his head and face were mashed and cut nearly
in two; that his left hand was cut off at the wrist
that his right arm was cut off at the shoulder
From the evidence obtained we are led to be-
Iieve that said two cars were started to moving
by a jar received from the train backing in on
said side track. We are also led to believe from
the evidence obtained that the brakes on said
two cars were not set up to hold said cars from
moving and that any precaution that the deceased
John Adam might have taken to protect himself
would not have saved his life, and we firmly be-
lieve it was carelessness on the part of the en-
ployees in not having said brakes set up, and
that it was through said carelessess that the de-
ceased. John Adam, came to his DEATH