The Irish standard., 1905-05-20
Roger FoIey's Tragic Death.

Roger FoIey's Tragic Death.
Tumbling down fifty-foot embank-
ment, Roger Foley, section foreman
for the Minneapolis Western Railway
company, plunged to his death in the
waters of the Mississippi river at IL
o'clock Wednesday morning.
The accident occurred at Thirteenth
avenue south and the river before
five men, all of whom were powerless
to assist the unfortunate man. One
Of them made an unsuccessful effort
to grab Foley as he fell and tumbled
to his death. The deceased, with a
crew of men, was busy on the very
brink of the steep precipice laying
track, when in some way he stepped
over the edge of the bank. He uttered
one cry for help and before any one
could seize him tumbled and rolled
down the rocky bank. He sank at
once and did not rise. The men with
moment before ran to the waters
edge as soon as they could and started
their search for the drowned mans
body. The swift current, however, had
early gotten the body in it's grasp
and whirled it away down the river.
Foley was 43 years old and married.
He lived at 205 Nineteenth avenue
south, where a widow and family sur
vive him. He had been in the employ
of the railway company for eighteen
years. The body was taken from the
river at 2 o'clock Thursday afternoon
near Riverside park, about two miles
below the scene of the accident. While
the South side police were dragging
the river at the point where the acci-
dent occurrerd, Edward Sharland,
young lad living at 227 Twenty-second
avenue south, followed the river bank
in the belief that the body would be
carried with the current. When he
reached the Franklin avenue bridge
he saw something resembling a coat
floating on the water in a still pool.
He watched it for while and saw it
sink. 1t soon reappeared and he came
to the conclusion that it was the body
of the unfortunate man. Taking off
his shoes and procuring long pole
with hook on the end he waded into
the water up to his neck and then sue
ceeded in reaching the body. He
pulled it to shore and ran to the near
est telephone and notified police head
quarters. Deputy Coroner H. G. IT.
vine viewed the remains and decided
that an inquest would be unnecessary.
After consulting with the dead mans
family he ordered the remains re-
moved to M. J. Gill's undertaking
rooms, 1926 Washington avenue south,
from whence they were taken to 2O5
Nineteenth avenue south, the dead
mans late residence. In spite of the
fact that he had rolled down fifty
foot embankment, among stones and
old ties, the only mark found on his
body was slight cut on the left tenn
pie. This may have rendered him un-
conscious, however, for he was not
seen to struggle after entering the
water. The coroner was of the opin-
ion that death had resulted from
drowning.
James Foley's 19-year-old son saw
his father fall and made determined
effort to save him, nearly losing his
own life in SO doing. He slid down
the embankment and reached the
river bank only. moment after the
water closed over his father. He says
that his fathers hand reappeared for
a second and that he tried to grasp
it, but did not succeed.
Mr.. Foley had been employed as
section foreman with the Minneapolis
western railway for the last eighteen
iyears. He was member of the An.
fcient Order of Hibernians, Division
lNo. /, and the Catholic Order of For.
testers. The funeral was held yester-
day morning at $3.50 o'clock from the
residence. Requiem mass was cele.
brated at st. Charles church, Thir.