The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-03-23
Ambulance Corps Flags Elk press Train to Take Vic tim to Place Accessible to Stretcher.
Surgeons Marvel at Ability to Talk Despite Compound Fracture of Skull and Loss of Portion of Brain.

A case which for unusual features. Is with out a parallel in the annals of the Bridgeport emergency hospital, was reeorded yesterday in the chari- ties depaTtment records.
 Peber za,chaLba,< aged 30, of Gilberts- vile, Pa, was fatally injured yester- day afternoon when he attempted to board a freight train. How the emergency physician risked his life in an effort to reach the dying man, how a fast express plunging in the gloom of the storm was Jagged to carry Zachaba to a place accessible to a phy- sicians how the ambulance driver and once mores the physician, risked their 2 lives in a race to keep up with the express train from the West End to the station in the center of the city, how a St. Bernard dog supplied the means by which a priest was located to give the last rites to the victim, and how the priest, physician, driver and spectators witnessed a. sight rare in the Tnnedica1 world, is told at the hospital today.
 DF. J. F. Canavan narrowly escap- ed fatal injuries in climbing ice-cover- ed steel rods, with his surgical instru- ments in one hand. He slipped sew eFal times and had to abandon an at tempt to reach the top of the rail road viaduct in the West End.
 Driver Aubrey Burlfson raced an ex- press train from the Barnsln1 & Bailey headQha9ters in the West End to the railroad station, beat it and made the distance in 16 seconds. The en- gineer of bhe train was rushing as fast as prudence would allow. as it was a matter of life or death.
 Zachaba tried to board an east bound freight car on the viaduct at Iranfstan and Railroad avenues at 2 o'clock yesterday afternoon. He slipped on the snow covered step and fell to the roadbed. In falling his skull came in contact with the iron raif ana his left arm fell across the track The rear wheel of the ca- boose passed over dH1at member and severed above the elbow. Zachaba had suffered a fracture of the skull and part Of his brain was scattered.
 The train was brought to a. stop and a call was ss4zt for the emergency am bu1anch corps. When it appeared no means was found of gaining access to the eleTated roadway. which at this point is ab6ut g 5 feet nigh. Driver BurIisofr drove 10 Nornaan street and RaiIroad avenue and here pr. John F. Canavan narrowly escaped serious in jury wh4n he attempted to. climb the viaduct.
 structural iron supporting the viaduct and nearIy lost his balance on the snow covered iron rods. Upon the adj vice Of Aubrey Burlison, the physician abandoned the attempt and the anabu- lance returned to the scene of the fa-a tai accident. By this time a, 30 foot ladder had been procured at the plant of the West End Lumber Go.
 Dr. Canavan mounted the high stone viaductz with his kit. of surgical Instruments and hurried to Zachaba. It was apparent at first sight that Zac- haba would not live long. His left arm had been severed at the elbow and three fingers on his right hand were mangIeds The top of his skull had been torn off and the cerebral matter was visible.
 Grooming, with his eyes rolling, Zac- haba Avain1y attempted to rise to his feet while he was calling upon the Saviour to aid him. A tourniquet was applied to the bleeding arm and hy- podermfcs were given him. He was then placed upon a stretcher while a brakeman ran back 300 yards to flag the eastbound 2:16 express train from New York. l
 The onrushing train was brought to g standsti1l after the brakeman had waved lighted red lantern through the air. The snowfall was so dense that flag signals souId be seen for only a short distance and as an added T,ref.aIIfior7s fna railroad r1ay. 7