El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-11-20
HE FELL TO
HIS DEATH
Yard Master Scott Instantly
Killed In the G. H. Yards
MAKING UP A TRAIN

Attempted to Leap From One Car
Roof To Another and Missed His
Footing,
A distressing and fatal accident &C.
Cured ia the G.. II. yards yesterday
afteruooo at l 80 O'Clock by which w.
J. Scott, for i've years yardmaster in
she Ell Psso yards, was almost Instant
engaged in making up westbound ex-
ara freight in the east end of the yards
He was ON top of the cars on track /,
and bad signalled Yard Switchmsn
Weber to cut three cars to be kicked
off on lead track to track No. 2. The
cars were cut, but evidently Mr.. Scott
In some manner misjudgeo the loca-
ton of the one on which he stood and
JUS, As the cars separated, was attempt
ing to cross from one to the other.
Either he missed his footing, or in
some manner badly calculated the dis
sance, .or he fell between the cars.
just here accounts of the accident
vary. WE. Weber, the switchman
who was on the ground near the
engine, saw Scott as he fell, and was of
the impression that he went down feet
foremost. and, as he fell struck the
draw bar with his chest, bounding to
frog, and there he lay with the blood
gushing from his nose and ears.
Harry Battle, head coppersmith in
abe blacksmith shop of the G. H., was
the only eyewitness who saw the fall
clearly, and even his attention WAS not
attracted until Scott was free from the
ear and was fallin g. He then seemed
TO be falling back ward and, according
TO Mr.. Battle, struck on his back in
~ ~ 49, al 1 do
effort to rise, as he was then four feet
or more from the advancing car, but
before he could o so the brake beam
caught him in the chest and carried
him along few feet, until Engineer
Stead, attracted by the violent signal
ling OF Ba5he, threw his engine back
and the re bound brought Scott's head
against the frog where it was crushed
by the wheel.
still alive when the trainmen reached
the scene of the accident. The body
was tenderly picked up by Switchmen
NASH, Weber and Ostranner and
brought to the passenger depot on the
foos-bOsrd of engine TIA, and DIR. Tur
ner va, hastily summoned. By the
time he arrived, however, life was ex-
tinct. The body WAS removed to
Emerson & Berrien's undertaking es-
Mrs. Scott, who at present is residing
in Los Angeles, was at once notified by
wire and at first desired that the bod
should be shipped there at once. After
ward, however. she wired that che
would come on, and che is expected to
arrive here tomorrow night. The in =
serment will probably take place We'd
pesday afternoon. It Is understood
That MIR. Scott has 3 little boy buried
hot ia mi Az.
sires that he also be laid to rest in Ell
PasO.
w. J. Scott has been in the employ
Of the G. 81. road for fourteen years.
His record is an excellent one",
said Supt. Martin. "He WAS first class
railroad man, always reliable and al
ways attentive to duty, and the COM
psny loses faithful enploye by this
sad accident
From 1885 to 1890, he was foreman
End road engineer. and in 1890, was
made night yardmsster in the G. 81.
yards. Four years later he succeeded
Shorty" Ferguson as yardmaster, a
position he has held ever since. He
was not "A mem Der of any order, fra
ternsl or otherwise, but was extremely
popular among railroad men because
OF his honest straightforward ways
and his kindly disposition. 1t is told
many a poor devil, hungry and tired,
was brought there by w. J. Scott who
saw that he got a good square meal aud
gave him little change to carry him
or.
This is but an instance of the many
kind De5ses which made him liked.
Mr.. SCOTS family, 10 addition to his
wife, Included three boys, the eldest
now I3 years of age, who are with
their mother in Los Angeles. The
father wac 80 years of age.
The iuquest over the remains will be
held in Justice Spencer's Office tomor-
row morning, when the exact cause of
death will be more clearly ascertained.
A meeting of the G. 81. switchmen was
held at the Delaware last night and a
committee consisting of w. F. Weber,
N. j. Kingsberry. with Yard Switch
was appointed to draw
death of Mr.. Scott. Arrangements
viii of course be made for delegation
to attend the funeral and show the
proper respect to the memory of the
deceased.
Tine G. II. flag today flies at half
mast ard the unhappy accident is the
sad topic of conversation among shop
men and traiumen
A peculiar coincidence in connection
with the fatality is the fact that yes
serdsy morning, several hours before
the accident, Mr.. Scott met friend in
the yards, and said to him: "Some-
low / have the blues today. 1 feel as
though something would happen be-
fore the day is over