The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1896-12-10
Right Hand Cut on.

Chas. Kinkead, who IL brakeman or
the Rock Island, met with painful acct.
dent while switching at Mcfarland, on
Friday last. His right hand was badly
mashed, and amputation was necessary.
He was taken to the hospital Of thr SAINTS
Fe railway at Topeka. Mr.. Kinkead's
parents reside in this city. The anfor.
tunate young man was employed by the
Santa Fe some two years ago or more.
Miss Kate kinkeaj. sister Of Charles,
left Saturday night for Topeka. and will
care for her brother during his stay In tho
hospital. The Topeka Journal. Dee. 8,
says Of the accident:
G. F.. kinkead was brought to the
Santa Fe hospital Ia this city at 4 O'Clock
this morning with q horribly mutilated
arm. The flesh Of the wrist and hand
was mashed to pulp aud the bones of
the hand crushed and broken. The in
jured member was amputated near the
wrist.
Kinkead Is brakeman in the employ
of the Rock Island and resides at Horton.
Last night the freight train on which he
was running stopped at Mcfarland in Or
der to do some switching. and it was In
the act of coupling box car supplied
with Janney coupler to car equipped
with an old fashioned coupler that be re-
ceived the injuries which necessitated
the amputation of his arm. This same
difference between the old fashioned and
Janney couplers is shown BY statistics to
be responsible for the majority of mutt
lations sustained by railroad trainmen In
the United States.
Kinkead had signaled the engineer to
back toward the car which was to be
coupled to the tram, and was arranging
to have the coupler strike in such a way
as to make the coupling. The train
moved backward at greater rate Of
speed than he realized, and before he
could remove his hand from the front Of
the coupler thecars came together with
terrific force. His hand and arm were |
caught and mashed in to conform with |
the uneven surface of the couplers.
The backward movement of the can
caused him to stumble and fall to one
ide, but the hand caught fast between
he couplers prevented him from striking
he rail long enough for him to recover
lis balance, and in that way probably
aved his life. II
Kinkead's screams and cries attracted
be attention Of another brakeman and
he station agent at the Mcfarland de-
'ot, and they both rushed to his assist
nee. 1t was several minutes. however,
efore they were able to make the en-
ineer understand what had happened.
nd ali of this time the brakeman hand
held fast between the iron {
ouplers.
When the forward portion of the train
'as at last pulled away from the car it
'as with the greatest difficulty and with =
pain to Kinkead that the in
lred member was removed. The hand |
as literally mashed into the coupler and
ieces of flesh remained stuck fast to the +
on when the mangled hand was taken +
way.
The wound was temporarily dressed
Mcfarland, and afterwards Kinkead
as placed on the first train east in the
Nk 4 1
lis city. DR.. Mum, the company sur.
con, was called and the hand amputated
hortly after 4 O'Clock this morning.
Kinkeac rallied we'll after the opera
ION and is feeling reasonably we'll to-
ay. although yet very weak from the
fleets of the shock of the accident. He
ill remain in the hospital for some
me.