Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-12-07

frentz with Albert Lundy, a switch
man, made it. The foreman was at
work on the right side of the cars,
next to the platform. Mr.. Lundy was
on the left side. The coupling had
been made, and the signal given by the
foreman to go ahead. The engineer,
Allan Cameron of this city, started
ahead, and had moved the train about
half a car length, when he looked
back. and saw the foreman rolling be-
tween the platform and the car. He
stopped the engine. before the train
had gone more than the length of a car
and a half
Us Dangerous Place.
The work of making coupling at
this track is regarded by the switch
men as unusually dangerous The plat
form is but S1a inches from the door
of 40-foot Car, and when 50-foot car
is being coupled, as was the case at
the time of the accident, the space is
little more than inches. Two switch
men work together in making the
oupling, and after it is made, the
man on the right side of the car must
either climb up on the platform, about
four feet above the ground, or ride out
on the brakebeam of the car. 1t is
thought that Mr.. Lafrentz was attempt
ing 20 climb onto the platform when
h" vas caught by the car door Albert
,dy, the switchman who was assist
ing the foreman in making the coupling
said he supposed that Mr.. LafrentZ
would climb up on the ladder. He
looked up on the ladder, and not see
ing the foreman there, looked TO the
ground, when he saw the injured man
falling from between the cars. He
climbed to the draw bar to signal the
engineer TO stop, but Engineer Cam
eron had already seen the accident,
and stopped the train.
This morning an inquest was con-
Quoted by Coroner l.. V. Eckhart The
jury returned a verdict that Mr.. La
frentz came to his death by being
crushed between the platform and the
cars. Allen Cameron, 2S09 Sixth av-
enue, the engineer, testified to seeing
the foreman rolling between the plat
form and the cars. He expressed the
opinion that the place is a dangerous
one in which TO make a coupling, and
gave the measurement of the space be-
tween the platform and the car. The
platform is level with the car doors.
Praise From Associates.
Henry Schumacher, 1922 Thirty-first
street. a switchman working under Mr..
LafrentZ told of the circumstances of
making the coupling, and of seeing Mr.
LafrentZ as he fell between the plat
form and the cars. Albert Lundy, the
switchman who had assisted in making
the coupling, said that he considered
the place very dangerous. All of the
railway men testified that the foreman
was a man of good habits, and that he
was known to be very careful IN his
work. The foreman was never known
to use liquor, and had often told the
men working under him that he had
never touched a drop of intoxicants.
DIR. S. B. Hall, the railway surgeon,
testified as 10 the mans injuries, and
of his attending him at the hospital.
CHARLES William Lafrentz, Jr.. was
born at West Liberty, Iowa, Jan. S.
1873. He began his railway career
early, and worked his way up from
one position TO another. He was en-
ployed in Davenport for some time in
the B., c. r. G. y. yards. and later was
yard master of the Rock Island yards
of the Rock Island q Peoria. When