Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-07-12
HIT BY ENGINE.
John Ray Killed in Freight
Yard, Thursday.
Walking on Railroad Track Above
Bridge Street Crossing.
coroner's Inquest at Court House
at2 O'clock This Afternoon.

John Raw, aged about 10 years, ana
painter by trade, was almost instant
" killed at 215 Thursday afternoon III
the UPPER freight yard OF the Maine
Central Railroad by being knocked
down and run over by yard engine No.
~ Coroner Henry w. Plunmer was
notified and after viewing the remains
ordered their removal to the under
taking rooms of the II. w. Plummer
60. on Bridge street, where they now
are. A coroners inquest will he held
ut the Kennebcc county courthouse at
. O'Clock this afternoon.
The accident occurred at what is
known as the thrce-thrOw switch,
about 80 feet cast of the Bridge street
railroad crossing. The shifting engine
in charge of Engineer George w. Pills
bury and Fireman Daniel E. Cony was
backing down out of the pit" So
called at the upper end of the freight
yard. pulling Il freight car after it. and
was running slowly at the time.
The man was also coming down
from that part of the yard and was
walking along between the track and
the retaining wall en- the west side of
the track, and just before the loco
motive and car reached the three
throw switch he stepped over between
the rails and directly in front Of the
locomotive. AS he did so the tender of
the locomotive struck him in the back,
throwing him on his face between the
rails and dragging him under. In this
way he was dragged on to the main
line and nearly to the frog above the
Bridge street crossing, and the forward
him before the locomotive was stopped.
SO far as is known but two men saw
tie accident, one of them being Yard
Master Fred L. Merrill, who standing
near tie freight Office and who saw
the man fall forward and GO under the
locomotive, and the other witness was
a. f. Newell. who is in the employ
of O. Il. Wellman and who was I'M
loading granite from a car which
stood on a side track about opposite
the point at which the accident oc-
Cured.
Mr.. Newell saw the man coming
down alongside the track and thought
from his walking that he was intoXi-
|
along and just as the man reached the
switch above referred to he stepped
over between the rails and in front of
the locomotive. which was close behind
him. Mr.. Newell yelled to warn the
man but he paid no attention and the
next moment the tender struck him.
Mr.. Newell also yelled to the men
on the locomotive but owing to the
noise they did not hear him. although
he soon attracted their attention and
the locomotive was stopped, after the
first set of trucks On the fiat car had
passed over the unfortunate man.
When the body was examined at the
undertaking rooms it was found that
the man had received injuries from
which deatn must have resulted almost
instantly The right side of the jaw
was crushed IT, and the left side and
back of the head was crushed and
mutiatcl. The body was crushed
where it had passed under the locomo-
tive. the legs were bruised and about
half If the left foot was cut off. The
bones Of the right leg were broken just
| above the ankl, but the skin was not
cut and the leg was broken in other
| places below the knee
| TIL" IT mains were identified last
| evening by +. III. Bcalc of this city as
| those of John Ray. a painter. who had
formerly worked fo~ him. Ray is sup
| p' Sed t" have relatives in Gardiner or
East Iittston, IN which later place he
| * said to have originated. Mr.. Beale
| stated t. Coroner Plummer that he
| saw the man Thursday morning and
| talked with him. There is no question
| as to the identity.