The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-10-07
HURLED TO DEATH.
Ora May, a Teamster,
is Victim Of Grade
Crossing.
CLOSE CALL FOR A COMPANION.
Hope Avenue the Scene of
the Frightful
Accident.
CLOSE CALL FOR A COMPANION.

Ora May, a driver for Houghton &
Whittemore, the grain dealers, was in
stantly killed yesterday afternoon about
1.30 o'clock, at the Hope avenue cross
ing, on the New England division of
the New York, New Haven and Hart
ford Railroad. In addition to his death,
valuable horse was horribly mangled
and a truck wagon smashed into
thousand pieces.
May, who is best known to his friends
as Ed" was sent to a barn on Hope
avenue, yesterday noon, with a load
of hay and grain, and Timothy Shea,
a driver for the same concern, was sent
in charge of another load. On re-
turning, Shea started first and as he
approached the crossing, he noticed the
train due in the Union station at 1.55
o'clock, rounding the curve. He hur-
ried his horse across and turned to
warn May of the danger. He had bare
ly got over the crossing when the train
rushed behind him at a high rate Of
speed and striking Mays wagon near
the front wheels, hurled man, horse and
wagon high into the air
Shea jumped from his team, and the
train, which was in charge of Conduct
or G. p. Roach and Engineer Ed
Sparks, was brought to a stop and as
soon as possible the unfortunate man
was picked up from the mass Of ruins.
He was dead, and there is little doubt
but that his death came instantly. The
horse was pounded into an almost I'M
recognizable mass, and the wagon was
smashed to pieces.
Mays body was lifted into the bag
gage car and taken to the Union sta
ton, where the police ambulance was
summoned and it was taken to Athy's
undertaking rooms at 16 Green street.
There it was examined by Medical Elk
aminer F. III. Baker, and later removed
| to Undertaken Hildreth's on Foster
street, where it was prepared for bu-
! rial.
Shea was badly used up for a time
after the accident, and says that the
first he knew of the approach of the
train was when he reached the middle
of the tracks and saw 1t rounding
the curve. The engineer did not blow
his whistle, he says, and in order to
save himself, he whipped his horse W
and hurried him across the track. Just
as he turned to warn the other driver
of the danger, the train rushed past
and heard the smashing of the wagon
and the yell of the horse as it was
hurled to it's death.
May has been working for the
Houghton & Whittemore Co. but a few
days, and was not known by name to
his fellow workmen. He worked for a
time for the American Car Sprinkler
Company as driver, and hearing that
Mr.. Whittemore wanted man, dropped
| in, looking for work. Tuesday. He was
4 told to start in, and the firm, satisfied
with his work, decided to hire him.
He lived at 241a Orchard street, and
was married. When picked up, there
were several Commissions on his head
and several small cuts on his face, but
apparently there were no bones broken.
The Hope avenue crossing, where the
accident happened, is not tended by a
gateman, and is particularly dangerous
owing to the curve on the south side
Engineer Sparks did not see either
wagon until he was within a short dis
taQce Of the crossing, and then, he says,
| he could not stop.