The times., 1899-06-27
A Child FALLS TO DEATH
Thomas Kirby Drops From the N
Street Bridge.
He Was Climbing Along tie Water
main That Runs Under the Bridge
-Beiieved To Have Been Shocked
by a Live Wirc-Loses His Hold
and Strikes the Ground.

Thomas Edward Kirby, eight years old.
fell from the bridge spanning Rock Creek
at the corner of TwentysiXth and NJ
Streets northwest, about 1880 yesterday
morning, and was killed The little fellow
was endeavoring to climb out on the water
main. which extends under the bridge,
when he suddenly lost his hold and fell to
the ground, a distance of thirty feet. His
neck was broken and his skull fractured
He was removed to the home Of his uncle,
Peter Holleran, at 260S L Street north
west. where he died few minutes later
Coroner Carr was notified Of the death
and after viewing the body issued a GER
tificate of death from accident.
The dead boy was one of five children
who lived with their widowed mother. at
1S4 Jackson Street, Anacostia. He was a
manly little fellow, bright and full of life.
and served as an acolyte at st. Theresa 5
Church, at Anacostia. When school closed
/ Thomas requested that he and his brothers
and sisters be taken to visit his uncle.
Saturday morning Mrs Kirby closed her
house at Anacostia and came to the CITY.
Children of the neighborhood called at
the home of Mr.. Hoileran for Thomas
about 1l;15 o'clock and fifteen minutes
had scarcely elapsed when the children
returned and informed Mrs. Kirby of the
fatal accident She was frantic with griet,
but being unable to leave her other chill
dren, called to her brother who was wo k
ing in the garden. Ee welt at once to the
bridge and there found his nephew lying
just beside the creek. The child was mo-
tionless and was bleeding from an ugly
cash in the head. Tenderly the uncle
lifted him and carried him to his hone,
from where a call was sent for physicians.
They responded promptly, and upon ex-
animation found that though there was
still slight pulsation, life was practi-
cally extinct. From statements made 10
Mrs. Kirby by Ray and Harry Chicks and
other companions, it appears that Thomas
was climbing out on the water main when
for some reason he lost his hold and
pitched headlong to the ground, striking
the rock beneath the bridge. The story
of the children is 10 the effect that they
were playing about the bridge when some
one of them conceived the idea that it
would be great fun to climb under and
along the bridge All looked to Thomas to
make the start with the understanding
it is said. that the others would follow
in the event that he was successful in his
venture.
He had progressed but short distance
when the children were Mortified to see
they rushed to the home of Mr.. Holleran,
but a short distance away. where they &C
quainted Mrs Kirby with the facts. There
were burns on the hands and on one foot
CT the boy. This led TO the belief that
while climbing under the bridge ne had
come in contact with live electric wire.
Mrs. Kirby stated last night that she had
learned that wires were strung under the
bridge and she expressed the belief that
Thomas put his foot on one of them and
was shocked. She accounted for the burns
in the hands by saying that after he was
shocked by the contact of his foot with
the wire he fell. and in attempting 20 save
himself. clutched at the wire
The funeral viii be held from St
Stephens Church, at the corner of Twenty
fifth and NJ Streets northwest at 8 O'Clock
Wednesday morning, Requiem high mass
will be celebrated and the body will then
be removed to Holy Rood Cemetery, where
the interment viii be made.