Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-05-15
KILLED BY FIRE TRUCK
Frank Donnelly Victim of an Ac-
cident on North Avenue.
Dead Nan Had just Completed n Rec
ord of 40 Years ns Organ blower
mt st. Pnul's without Miss
Ing sunday.

Frank Donnelly, G. years old, was in
stantly killed on North avenue at three
o'clock Friday afternoon by the auto
mobile truck from fire station one, which
was on It's way to fire at the Hath
away farm. The accident occurred OPP
posite the Maxwell farm, just beyond
The electric railroad station at Institute
| road.
still alarm turned in at 2:5S O'Clock
had summoned the automobile truck to
the outskirts of the city, where the Hath
away barn and ice house were on fire.
| AS the truck, driven by Allen Langlols,
with Ave men aboard. rushed up the
grade toward the little station Donnel-
: ly. who was partially deaf, blind In one
! eye. and possessed o: only partial use
IF the other, was seen walking north
| ward on the electric car track
! With Its urmuffled exhaust and both
! siren and gong in use, the fremcn were
! giving warning of their approach DON
nelly turned and crossed the road to the
west side. Supposlng him out OF tho way,
the driver continued his course. Then
Donnelly walked again into the middle
of the road stepped backward a few
PAGES, and finally, with his hands held
up, walked into The path of the car
Tho driver turned flrst one way. then
The other, In the effort to avoid the man,
and when Donnelly's erratic movements
were seen. the chauffeur applied the
emergency brake, locking the wheels. 1t
was then impossible, however, to stop
in time to prevent an accident, and tho
| fender on the left side of the heavy car
struck Donnclly in the side rho car
came to a stop one length and a half
beyond the man, who was found to be
dead. The body besides abdominal in
juries, bore scalp wound. The force
of the blow had bent the fender
Finding that Donnelly was beyond aid
the crew of the truck, saddencd and un-
nerved by the accident. hurried to the
Hathaway farm, where fire from torches
used to destroy nests of worms in the
apple trees had been communicated first
to the barn and then to the ice house
With the chemical and a pail brigade the
blaze was extinguished with some dam
age to the roofs of the buildings The
iircmen were hampered by inability to
obtain water except through two-inch
pipe used for domestic service.
An atmosphere of gloom perVaded fire
headquarters last evening In the two
years and more since the automobile
truck was put in service over $50 trips
to fires have been made, many of them
through crowded streets, and Yesterdays
accident is the first one that has occur
red. Tho speed of the car when it hap
pened was estimated at not over 20 miles
an hour. Driver Langlois has the rcputa-
ton of being a skifu and careful chauf-
feur.
States Attorney Theodore T.. Hopkins.
Fire Chief c. A. Niles, Chief of Police
p. j. Russell, Health Officer d. J. Nolan.
city Grand Juror Charles f. Black and
a photographer went to the scene of the
accident Immediately and took several
pictures of the surroundings in the i'm
mediate vicinity
The dead man, who was born in Ire
land, July 3, 1874, completed last week
Monday a record Of 40 years of unbroi-
IN service as organ blower of St. Paurs
Church. without missing a Sunday in
nearly half century. At the St Pauls
choir Reunion Sunday evening. May {. the
Rev. DR. G. y Bliss. the rector. called
special attention TO Mr.. Donnclly's
faithfulness and interest in his church
affiliations
In 1890 he made the first contribution
for the construction of st. PauTs par
ism mouse which was built in 1904, and
later he added several other contribu-
lions, He was a regular giver to mis-
sions, and the altar rail in the chanel
is his gift, made in memory of his
mother, He leaves no relatives so far