Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1907-12-04
KILLED AT THE DAM.
Russell Hopkins Fell from Upper
Walk Inside Dam.

Walk Inside Dam.
Russell Hopkins, aged sixty-six years,
was killed last Friday noon, by falling
from the upper walk in the passage
through the new dam. He struck on the
concrete flooring thirty-five feet below.
His skull was crushed, and many bones
were broken. Though apparently some
life remained when the first men reached
him, he died in few moments, ana before
a physician arrived.
The walk is the same as that frcm
which Hon. Parker Spofford fell the day
before, but at point nearer the eastern
side, where the fall was much greater.
Mr.. Hopkins, who lived On Central
street not far from the eastern entrance to
the dam, after dinner started with his
brother, TT. Hopkins, of Trenton, to show
him through the dam. The electric lights
in the passage way were out, and it was
almost pitch dark.
Mr.. Hopkins was on the upper walk
through the dam, and his brother was a
step or two behind him. The place where
MIR. Hopkins fell was near the gates
on the western side Of the river. He had
just passed through one OF the arches in
the buttress walls. It is presumed he took
hold OF the wall with his left hand, and
instead OF letting 60 and proceeding in q
straight line along the six-foot plank
walk, in the darkness miscalculated, and
walked around the wall too far, and off
the Jeff side Of the walk. His brother,
close behind him, came near falling also.
Charles W. Hotaling, the boss carpen-
ter, and Nathan Young, another en-
ployee OF the dam, were a short distance
behind, and heard Mr.. Hopkins fall.
They were the first to reach him. He was
moved from the place where he had fallen
to one OF the platforms, and DR.. A. G..
Hagerthy was summoned. Before the
physician arrived Mr.. Hopkins died.
Coroner D. L. Fields was summoned
and empanelled the following jury: David
Friend, Henry A. Eppes, George A.
Parcher, Roscoe Holmes, J. H. Brimmer,
J. H. Bresnahan. The jury viewed the
place ofthe accident and the body, and adj
journed to Saturday afternoon, when an
inquest was held at the grand jury room
at the courthouse.
The inquest was conducted by Coroner
Frields and County Attorney Charles q.
Wood. The witnesses examined were 7.
j. Hopkins, Of Trenton, who was accom-
panying Mr.. Hopkins through the dam;
Walter J. Kellogg, Charles w. Hotaling,
Howard F. Whitcomb, Nathan Young
and Rouiov min Tordop ov,,pIovaao - ~.
construction company.
The line Of evidence was principally as
to the dangerous conditions Of the walk
and the precautions taken by the con-
struction company to prevent the public
from going through the dam. The en-
ployees Of the construction company testi-
fed to the fact that danger notices were
conspicuously posted and that people had
been repeatedly warned that passage
through the dam was dangerous, and
especially SO when the passage was un-
lighted.
The jury found verdict which neither
blamed nor exonerated the construction
company, declaring "that said Russell
Hopkins came to his death at said Ellis
worth on Nov. %, a. d. 1907, at about 1
O'Clock in the afternoon by accidentally
walking off the side OF plank walk or
staging used in the construction work Of
the Bar Harbor & Union River Power Co.
dam falling distance Of about thirty-five
feet and striking on the concrete founda-
tion."
Mr.. Hopkins home was in Trenton, but
for some years he had been living with
his only daughter, Mrs. H. Elmer:Royal, in
Ellsworth.