Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1899-06-23
BRAKEMAN KILLED.
Chas. Il. Thomas Struck by Stag
ing at a Railroad Bridge.

He WINS Married Only Three Months
AgO---BOdy Brought TO BrattlebOrO
aud Taken to st. Albans for Burial.
Death came almost instantly to Chas. f.
Thomas, 81, of Brattleboro near Yantic,
Conn.,, Wednesday afternoon while he was
i'll the performance of his duty. Mr.
Thomas left Brattleboro at $3.50 o'clock
Wednesday as brakeman on the New
York freight which runs from Brattleboro
to New London and back The train was
in charge of Mr.. Thomas's father, Con-
| ductor q. f. Thomas, who had just been
transferred from another train and who
was making his first trip as conductor of
the york" Chas. f. Wheeler and Roy
| Cook of Brattleboro were respectively the
engineer and fireman. Young Thomas
had been employed on the train but few
months and his position was therefore on
the head end On the return trip Mr..
| Thomas was struck in the head by stag
ing which workmen had built in order to
paint the railroad bridge near Yantic, and
he did not regain consciousness. The
newspaper accounts of the accident vary
considerably, but the following from the
Norwich Bulletin of yesterday is pronounc-
ed correct by the trainmen
"Charles F. Thomas, a brakeman on
the Central Vermont railroad, was killed
by being struck by the iron bridge in the
rear of the Yantic cemetery Wednesday
afternoon about 5:12 o'clock He was
front brakeman on the southbound freight
due here about $500, of which train his
father, Chas. Thomas, is conductor. Some
workmen had been engaged in painting
the bridge and had erected staging across
| Nl,aV Ia 90 Il
! two feet below the top. Ordinarily the
bridge, which is a new one, is high enough
for brakeman standing erect on the car
to pass under in safety.
"Mr. Thomas did not see the staging as
he was standing with his back to the en-
CINE, and he struck the heavy plank, be-
ing hit on the right side of the neck He
fell on top of the car, which was the third
from the engine. The rain was stopped
and Thomas was carried down to die af-
ter gasping a few times. His father was
present when he died.
1.-The body was brought to this city on
the train, and Medical Examiner L. S.
Paddock was notified. DR.. Paddock
found the neck broken and the face
bruised. Mr.. Thomas had been in the
employ of the road about year, and he
was a capable and popular employe."
Mr.. Thomas was born in Canton, n. Y
He lived with his parents in several places
but for several years previous to his com
| ing to BrattlebOro he was employed in St
Adams in the Office of the Central Yer
mont Railroad company. He came tC
Brattleboro less than year ago, and he
had since been employed as brakeman
He married Mabel Rodden of St. Alban.
March 20 last, and they had since lived il
Milestone block. Mrs. Thomas was at
tending the Methodist picnic in Vernon
when the news of the accident was receiv
in Brattleboro. Mr.. Thomas was insured
for $1,000 in the Travellers Insuranc,
company, through the agency of A. w
Childs Il Co., as a passenger brakeman. a
he expected to be promoted TO that posi-
ton.
The body was brought to Brattleboro oil
the morning train yesterday and was takel
TO Bonds undertaking rooms. 1t wa
taken to St. Adams on the evening train
The funeral services were held in tn
Methodist church in St. Adams this morn
ing.
Mr. Thomas was a young man of goo
habits, and he was highly esteemed b
those who knew him here and at st. Al
bans.
Conductor C. F. Thomas has been
conductor for the Central Vermont Raj
road company for II years. His brother
Warren Thomas, Engineer Otis Hall an
Fireman Benjamin Hall were killed nea
Eagleville, Conn, Dec. 4, 1896, when tn
boiler of the engine exploded and tn
train was wrecked. Conductor Thoma
was in charge OF that train.