The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-10-25

MIR. Samuel IL. Cannon Instantly
Killed at Riehmond-Caught BE.
tween the Heads Of Freight Car
s~tOupfers

I'D 4
The Cva.) Times Of yes |
terday, says:
Mr.. Samuel r. Cannon. but a week
ago promoted to the position of freight
conductor Of the Chesapeake and Ohio
railway, was instantly killed while
performing his duty at the yards of
Orleans Station just after Midnight
last night,
"It was one of the most horrible of
the few fatal accidents h a has marx
ed the history of the Orleans yards. !
The bells of the city had Just finished
tolling the hour of midnight when
Conductor Carmen entered the station
to- receive his assignment Of duty fer
the night.
Assistant Yardmaster Bob l..
Lindsey was In charge Of the station
and he answered the CHEEKY greeting
of the young onducto Some little
talk passed in regard to trains and Mr..
Lindsey handed the conductor his
switch list.
Bidding the several occupants Of
the station good night Mr.. Carmen
went out to get his train in shape for
the run west to Gladstone, to which
he found himself assigned.
Hardly five minutes had passed
before the little group in the station
were startled by hurried footsteps on
the platform outside n a man VINO
proved to be Brakeman w. NJ. Duffy,
of Conductor Carmon's train, burst IN
upon them with the information that
Cannon had been killed. Without wait
ing for The brakeman's story, Mr.. Lind
sew, with q couple of men, followed
him to the spot where the body lay
and carried it tenderly to the station.
Life was extinct when the men
lifted the body from the track, and a
summons was sent for Conductor
Croxton, who responded promptly.
Brakeman Duffy was the only witness
to the fatality. He was with Carmen
by the side of the train. But one car
had been coupled up, and the second
was about to be added to this. The en-
eine with it's solitary car, approached
and was signalled to slow down as Ii
drew near the second car. Both Con
dustor Carmen and Brakeman Duffy
were experimenting this coupling.
"The cars were fitted with automatic
couplers, the operation of which re-
uuire only the lifting Of a lever hxed
to the side of the car before the cou-
ping can be made. This lever places
the coupler heads in position, and the
gentle collision of the cars, lnmaking
up locks them. The conductor had
opened the coupler and waited with
the brakeman for the engine to ap-
proach. But a few feet elapsed When
the conductor suddenly stepped for
ward to cross the tracks betWeen the
cars.
"It was the fatal half second that oc-
ours but once in a railroad mans life.
There was a sickening crushing OF
bones and the CLEAN of the brakeman 8
lantern next showed the unfortunate
CONDUCTOR in the merc1leSS grip OF the
coupler heads.
"In the pressure his body had been
forced around and had received one
coupler fun in the back while the 9TH
err had squeezed cut his life before the
Inflated conductor could utter a sound.
AS quickly as possible, although 1t was
several minutes before the badly scar
ed brakeman Gould recover The action
of his limbs and voice, the engine was
~signalled to pull away and the lifeless
form of the conductor droppch to the
ground.
Engineer Donovan and Fireman
Larry, of the locomotive, Joined the
brakeman and e~ndeavored to revive
their stricken comrade of the road, but
to no purpose and the brakeman was
then dispatched to notify the assistant
y~ardmaster.
From outward appearances there
was no indication of the violence of
the conductors death, and there was
hardly a mark upon his body save on
his back and stomach, where he had
caught the force of the blow.
From the rough examination that
was made and from the suddenness
with which death ensued it was evil
lent that the spine a bean crushed
Inside the dead conductors pocket
was found his watch-like it's owner,
crushed beyond recall, but the face was
intact and it gave the time of the &C.
cident to the second, reading six min
utes and thirty seconds after II o'clock.
Conductor Cannon had been in the
employ of the road for three years and
was spoken of as an exemplary en-
ploye. He was sober, Industrious and
ambitious and but a week g had
been raised from the position of brake
man to tina of conductor. lie was un-
married and was 20 years old
He came from Fayetteville, N. G..
where he leaves relatives, but a liv-
ed here for the last five years, formerly
in the employ of the Atlantic Coast
Line. He has a brother, Mr.. William
L. Cannon, with whom he lived in
Fulton, at No. 712 Louisiana street
The body was turned over to Under
taker Christian after Coroner CroX-
ton had determined an inquest unnec-
essary, and will be taken to Fayette-
Vile for interment."
Mr.. Samuel r. Cannon, whose tragic
death is reported above, is a nephew
of Captain Sam Cannon, the we'll
known conductor on the Atlantic Coast
Line, who resides in our city at 5l4
Chestnut street. The deceased has a
sister, Miss Bette Cannon, who makes
her home here with Captain Cannon.
The young man was 30 years of age
and was born in Fayetteville. His
father was the late Joshua Cannon,
Jr., and his grandfather was the late
Joshua Carmen, who for ffty-fve
years was connected with the Sank of
Cape Fear at Fayetteville. He leaves
a sister and five brothers, and an aged
mother who resides at Fayetteville.
For several years he resided with his
uncle here and was in the employ of
the Atlantic Coast Line in various Pc
s%itions, latterly as a freight conduc-
tor on the Wilmington and Weldon
railroad. He left here about three