The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1910-09-06
William P. Stack, Gas Works
Superintendent, Is
Found Dead.
TO HOLD INQUEST
THIS AFTERNOON
Indications Point 10 Accidental
Death, But Thorough Probe
Will Be Made.

bottom Of a forty-fve foot coal chute.
! the body Of William ?. Stack, Of 1908
Twenty-fourth street northwest. night
( superintendent IN the Washington Gas
Light works al Twenty-sIX and G
/ streets northwest, was found at $40
o'clock this morning BY Nicholas
{ Thadden. q night Watchman-
( While every indication points to
! accidental death. the Deputy Cor
oner, who made z personal investiga-
tion at the gas works today. evi-
IDENTIFY decided 70 take no chances with
a hurried verdict. An inquest. for
which a jury will be called. viii be
held late this afternoon.
! The dead man had been an em2Ioye
I OF the Washington Gas Light Com
pany for more than twenty years Es-
& bears an excellent reputation as
sober. Industrious. and trusted en-
ploye- AS far as could be learned. AIr
Stack had no enemies. the several
1 hundred men employed under him
I having held him in affection and es-
I TEEN.
Mystery In Death.
/ II viii probably never be known just
/ how the supp 1sed accident occurred
/ Air. stack, rs night superintendent. re-
I
1 inS. II was his 5usiR~s 90 r-ceive The
report OF Night Watchrnan Thadden
every hour on The amo1n- OF gas Delug
/ manufactured at the TweHty-sixrh street
( works Every hour until o'clock this
! morning. Nh Thadden made his report
At > O'Clock. when ne went 10 report
/ again, MT. Stack vas not in his Office
/ Thinking the superintendent had stepped
ont for moment Thsdden waited Be
/ coming uneasy when Mr- Stack did not
I return at 80, he climbed the steps OF
( the coal shute, on which Is laid a troll
( Fey track, along which the small coal
+ cars are driven
SI thought Ar- stack uTB5auy RAJ
/ walked 20 the top Of the GOAL shuts to
/ get out Of the heat Of ths plant. and
I thought I would ind him Iy on the
roof The night was very dark, and Z
could see nothing OF him.
Without knowing why. I siancea
down into the chute. and imagined sa ys
a form on the stone 5Ot1oA. I rushed
downstairs and into the coal bins, where
I found Nr. Stack living in a huddIed
/ heap in q pool OF blood with the back
OF his head crushed in
Police Notified.
The police Of The Third precinct ve=s
/ notified Of the accident a. a quarter L
six TheS, iE turn sent for the Emer-
( Geacy Hospital ambulance which ar
rived on the scene shortly aTrer ser
i Eealt =. ". Brown. Ofzicer J. 8. Much
and I1ecinct Detective X o Emery
The hospital physicians pronounce
Stack dead, and carried the body 70 tn,
undertaking establishment Of GeOrgs
Clements. in Wisconsin avenue, aftel
the coroner had viewed the remains and
given permission for the transfer
The unofficial opinion Of the cOronel
IS that stack missed his footing as m
: reached the top Of the steps, and 6ieg
instantly upon hitting the stone floor OF
I the shute- II vas pointed out by en-
ployes OF the Gas Company that form
erly platform ran along either side o
the single trolley track, the cars dump
{ ing their coal between the tracks
About one month ago new cars
( which dumped from the side, were Sc
cured by the company. This necessi-
tatec a change in the arrangement oi
the platform at the top OF the shute
4 Instead OF a platform running alons
the side, II was built between tht
tracks the sides being left open fol
the coal 20 drop through 70 the shute,
II is thought that Mr.. stack forgo
this Change in the arrangement o,
the platform. and. thinking ne wal
stepping on IL, plunged through spac.
70 his death
Ol0 Employe-
Mr. Stack was ffty-two years old
and had been night superintendent
Z the works for ten years or more
he was 4 member Of the Royal Ar
canum Lodge. the National Unior
Lodge, and the Gas House Relief As
1 sOciation-
M stack is survived by his wife
Mary Madigan. and five children
? Irene n, Ada Al Nellie N. VirEinis
) c, and William =. Stack
Mrs stack and the eldest daughter
Irene. were Frustrated when told tha
= their husband and father had beer
5 the victim Of an accident So serious
] was the wife-s attack that she hsl
got yet been told the accident wa,
fatal
The funeral probably viii be heI,
- tomorrow from Nr. Stacks Twenty.
: fourth street residence. The fratef-a
organizations OF which the dead mar
was a member will have charge o.
the services