The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-08-08
ROBERTS TRAGIC DEATH.
ASSISTANT ENGINEERS OF NO.
 I2s FIRE STEAMER KILLED

Horses BOIted, Driver Kavmaugh Was
 Thrown From His Post aud Engineer
 Robert Lost His Life in a Gallant Att
 tempt to Stop the AnimaIs--Unfortu-
 nate Man Leayes Wife and Seven
 Children.
 One of the saddest accidents that has occurred inthis city in a long time happened early yesterday morning when Assistant Engineer Joseph P. Robert of No. 12's engine house was killed and Driver James Kavanaugh of the story Is perhaps the fact that of the storyis perhaps the fact that Roberts has left Il widow and seven young children to mourn his untime- ly end The unfortunate firemen was one of the steadiest and most conseien- tious men in the department, and the fact that he died while performing his duty, and in heroic attempt to save the lives of many who were on the street at the time of the accident is in itself an honorable end to a useful career spent in the service of the city and its fire department
 The story of the accident fs virtually as follows:
 While exercising the triple hitch of big gray horses attached to the Crown street fire house, Assistant Engineer osepll F. Robert was killed, and Driv- CT James Kayanaugh was injured in a runaway on Water street early yester- fday morning. Robert was thrown into ! a telegraph pole at the corner of Olive and Water streets, and wah taken in the ambulance to the New Haven hos pital, where 1t twas found that he had a fractured skull and had broken sev- eral ribs which pressed on the lung. He was taken at once to the. operating ta- ble but the efforts of the surgeons were in vain, and he died an hour aft CT reaching the hospital,
 Kavanaugh was thrown against the curb, and had to have three stitches taken in cut under his eye. He will not be abeto report for duty for some time.
 l The team of grays which draws the engine at the Crown street house were sent out for exercise yesterday morning at 6:30 o'clock, and swung down State street at gallop. At the corner oi Water the rear wheel caught in the car track, and Kavanaugh, who was driving, was thrown out of the righi side of the wagon, still holding tht reins, and landed on the curb.
 Robert, who was sitting beside him caught hold of the seat in time tc prevent being thrown. The horses tort up Water street. the reins trailing a their feet. Robert nervily climbed down from his seat and got astride O the off horse, and had just reached tn, ; reins when the team sWerved into thu pole near the Elm City Lumber com pany, Robert pitched over the horses heads and struck the pole. He was con scious and remained so until placed ol the operating table, hoDert was forty-tWo years old, an( leaves his wife and seven children a 63 Clinton avenue, the youngest chilt being only year old. He had beer member of the department for abou six years. and was transferred to thu Crown street house from the Parl street house at the opening last April : Chief Fancher's tribue; Robert wa one man in a thousand. In all my ac quaintance with him never knew { more conscientious worker for the cit. or for the department He did hi duty every minute and lost his life il the performance of 1t"
 The off horse on the team was slight ,, ly injured by the collision, but tn other two are unharmed.