The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1892-06-10
ACCIDENT SUNDAY.
Killed by a Special Train on the
Oregon Pacific.

ever occurred On the Oregon Pacific railroad
happened last Sunday morning While 9
special train was going around sharp
curve west of Boone's, on its way to va
quina, it ran into a hand car containing
eleven persons, as follows: Jake Devine,
section foreman, S. II. Pruett, wife and two
children, Lafe Manning, theeompany's black
smith, wife and five children. The enei.
neer only saw the hand car about 100 feet
ahead. He applied the air brakes and sand,
and stopped the train in about $50 feet, but
not before it struck the hand car. At the
sight OF the train the section men applied
the hand car brake, but before the people
could get clear of the track the train was
upon them. Mrs. Pruett was caught be.
meath the wheels of the locomotive and the
entire train passed over her body and cut.
ting in to, and mangling it beyond all recog.
milton. The Oldest boy of Lafe Manning
was instantly killed, his neck being broken.
Manning had his leg broken while trying to
save one of the children and Mrs. Manning
received serious internal INJURIES and an.
other one of Mannings children was in.
jured. Mr.. and Mrs. Pruett's two children
were frightfully mangled, the little girl
who has since died, had both Of her lower
limbs broken in several places, and one
foot crushed SO badly that it had to be am.
putated, besides several serious wounds
about the head and body. The boy also
had his feet crushed so that both legs had
to be amputated. His shoulder blade and
arm was broken, he is lying in critical
condition, but at last accounts the chances
of his recovery are more favorable. Mr..
Pruett, who escaped uninjured, is crazed
with grief and 1t has been reported that he
has threatened suicide if his remaining child
died. Two of Manning's little girls escaped
without injury, and Devine was only
slightly bruised. Immediately after the &C.
cident the wounded were placed on the train
and taken to Yaquina and Drs. Rich and
Davis were summoned, and also Drs. Smith
and Warren, of Newport, and the injured
were carefully and promptly attended to-
The funeral of Mrs. Pruett and her little
child took place Tuesday at the residence
of her father, M. L. Trapp, at Chitwood,
and was largely attended by many sympa.
thizing friends. The scene was most af-
fectlng as the mother and child :::,re laid to
rest in the same grave and Rev. j. &. Booth
pronounced the benedction. The grave
was covered with perfussion of flowers
received from friends in Albany, Corvallis,
Philomath and other places. The funeral
of Mr.. and Mrs. Manning's child took place
at Yaquina.
The following is synopsis of the testi-
mony taken before the coroner and his jury
of some of the witnesses to the accident,
which occurred on June 5th by the Oregon
Pacific Company's special train running into
hand car, on which were the following
persons:
two children; Lafe Manning. company's
blacksmith, wife and four children; Jake
Devine, section foreman.
YAoUrNA, Or, June 5, 1892
In the matter of the accident in which
the death of Mrs. Effie Pruett and Virgil
Naming occurred.
MIR. L. P. Manning being duly sworn tes-
titled that he was on the hand car with his
family and family of s. A. Pruest going up
short distance above mill No. 4, when
rounding short curve near MIR. Boone's
place he discovered a train coming from op-
positedirection. He applied the brake on
hand car and tried to get away from train
with his wife and child. He further stated
that train was running about 20 miles per
hour when sIgnaled, and considered acci-
dent was unavoidable under the circum.
stances, and he attached no blame to any Of
the employees of the K. Il. Co.
They adjourned from Mr.. Manning's
house to the passenger car, and the next
witness, Mr.. S. A. Pruett, testified i'll sub.
stance as follows: That there had been a
cow killed the day before and he thought
he would 90 up and take look at it, and he
would make the trip pleasure and business
combined, and, therefore, concluded to take
his family and invited MIR. Manning and
his family and Mr.. Deyine to accompany
him. They were gong along on the hand
car at about the usual speed that hand
cars are propelled on the track. When
they got near the eight-degree curve,
just west of Boone's, all of sudden they
looked up and discovered the locomotive
close to them; that they put on the brake
and stopped the hand car suddenly. His
wife became very much frightened and he
tried to pacify her, ont he could not, and
she jumped off in front of the car and fell
and the hand car ran on to her.. He jumped
off in front of the hand car and tried to
save his wife, and trying to do SO he lost
them all. He could not attach any blame
to any one.
Jake Devine, section foreman, swore that
he was on the hand car at the eight-degree
curve just west of Mr.. Boone's, all of a
sudden he looked up and saw the locomo.
tive, when it could not of been over one
hundred feet from them, and thought when
he first saw the train it was running about
twenty miles an hour. Instantly the brake
was Put on the hand car, stopping it sud-
denly Mr.. Manning threw his wife off and
got off himself, and his oldest girl, he
thought, jumped off. Mr. Manning and
his wife looked and saw their little child in
front of the cars, he tried to hold his wife
back. Both Mr.. Manning and his wife
went to save the little child, but the loco.
motive ran on them both, knocking Mrs.
Manning down and injuring her severely
and breaking Mr. Mannings leg. The sud-
den jar from stopping the hand car threw