The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1908-07-17

| A most deplorable accident occurred
at twenty minutes after eight o'clock
this morning, at the warehouse of the
International Harvester company, near
the foot of Jackson street, resulting
in the death of James Donahue, the
company's special man for cream and
separator work. Mr.. Donahue was
crushed between an Omaha fiat car
and the side OF the building, and
death followed in a very few moments.
The Omaha railway company is fill
ing in the hole north of the warehouse
with dirt from the great landslide
near the Minneopa Falls, bringing it
by the train load, and unloading the
cars with a steam drag or pillow. A
temporary track is being showed out
as fast as the filling is done, and ends
close to the building The dirt is al
ready partly over a door to the base
ment. The car nearest the building is
so close that shovelers are employed
to unload it rather than use the steam
pillow.
Was Watching the Work.
Mr.. Donahue went out of the build
stood near the work train Foreman
Schultz OF the work crew told him
that he did not think the basement
door strong enough to hold the dirt
that was being piled against it. Mr..
Donahue at once stepped between the
end of the car and the building to look
over the bank down at the door to
see for himself. There might have
been two feet of space between the end
of the car and the building. Nine
cars were standing on the temporary
side track.
Crushed BY the Bumper.
Just as Mr.. Donahue was looking,
Engineer William Hartl backed down
with three more. cars, to couple onto
the nine, and struck the standing cars
with some force. The slack was taken
up and the rebound threw the last car
against the building with considerable
force. The only thing to prevent the
cars from striking the building was
heavy tie laid crossways on top
of the track The impact moved this
| back until one corner of the car struck
the building and broke through the
siding. DR.. Donahue had tried to es-
cape as soon as he heard the cars
humping in taking up the slack, but
was not quick enough. The bumper
caught him just under the pit of his
stomach and crushed him against the
side of the building, and it is doubt
| full whether there was more than an
inch or two of space between the bum
per and the building.
Workmen Were Mortified.
Workmen who saw the accident were
Mortified and called to the engineer to
move ahead, and this was quickly done,
but until it was done, Mr.. Donahue
was pinioned in an upright position,
unable to move. He called out in
agony, "My God, can't they pull this
car away?" When the car was drawn
away, he started to walk out, and al
the same time called upon those about
to assist him to walk. Just as he
cleared the track, he sank to the
ground and lost consciousness. 1t
was seen that he was bleeding cop
iously, and George Weber and Frank
Schuman, employees of the Interna-
tional, picked him up and carried him
to the room adjoining the office,
DR.. c. F. Warner was quickly sum-
moned, but found Mr.. Donahue dying
when he arrived, and the unfortunate
man expired while he was there. DR..
Warner found terrible cut in the
lower part of Mr.. Donahue's body, so
large that he could put his hand in.
No bones seemed to be broken, and
lit is evident that Mr.. Donahue's death
was caused by the shock and loss of
blood.
Jumped to Clear Track.
| Mr.. Weber was standing ten feet
| from Mr. Donahue at the time of the
accident and saw it. John Kawell, a
shoveler, also saw it, and was the
first to call to the engineer to pull
ahead. He states that Mr.. Donahue
| jumped back to clear the track, when
the bumper of the car caught him.
The train was in charge of Conduc-
tor A. T. Bogart. All of the ground
where the accident occurred rs the
property of the railroad company, and
there is no public or even private cross
/ ing there, and it is a dangerous place
to be. Mr.. Donahue was there merely
because his attention had been called
1 to it and he went out to see for him
self.
| Was a Popular Man.
Mr.. Donahue had been employed by
the International Harvester company
ever since the company was formed