Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-02-08
CROSSING FlAGMAN
GIVES LIFE TRYING
TO SAVE BOY OF g

Continued from First Page)
els, said Dunn was IN the position
prescribed by the rules of the road
when he made the heroic attempt to
save the life of the Gregory youth,
and gave his own life in the effort.
Our watchmen are cautioned to al
wavs stand opposite the track on
which q train Is approaching" Mr.. Sci
by said Apparently, Dunn. seeing
the two trains were to meet at the
crossing. stood on the south side and
warned the lad to remain on the
north side. AS the lad walked around
the end Of the local, Dunn ran out
and attempted to pull him out OF the
way Mr.. Selby added that Dunn
had been with the road for more than
So years and had been transferred
from the crossing at Gaithereburg.
Md, to the Chestnut street crossing
at Takoma Park because 1t was
lighter work. without much automo-
bile traffic. Dunn lived with his wife
in Gaithersburg. Three children by
a former marriage live In Washing
ton.
Selby added that the Capitol Limit
ed, which makes few stops in Its 100
mile journey between Washington and
Chicago, thunders through Takoma
Park at great speed and that the en-
gineer probably did not see the two
figures on the track until far too late.
The tragedy happened so quickly and
SO without warning that nothing could
have been done to prevent II, accord
ing to police. In the few feet remain
ing before he reached the crossing the
engineer would not have been able tC
stop, in the opinion of those familiar
with the crossing, as the boy suddenly
appeared on the track from behind the
end of the west bound local and the
aged Waterman Immediately darted
out on the track in the effort to draw
him to the side. The bodies were re-
moved to the morgue.
The Gregory youth was unusually
bright and apt at school and in
church. In the little home Just
across the District Line in Ta'loma
Park, Md. while the mother lay up
stairs Frustrated. neighbors told of
the bright youngster whose life was
snuffed out.
They related how he had but few
days ago been promoted from the
fourth grade to the fifth at the Tako-
ma School, to which he walked from
his home a half-m away every day.
They told of unusual aptitude in his
studies and devotion to church. while
the principal Of the school. Miss K.
r. MacQueen, spoke in hushed tone
of the dangers of the CROSSING over
which scores of school children pass
every day.
Lieut. Harmon told how he was
driving north on Chestnut street.
when his son Bill, aged 10, stopped his
car and pointed out the two bodies ly
ing near the track Il thought for a
moment one of my children and been
killed" Lieut.. Harmon said. then was
Mortified to learn my little nephew had
met death"
The railroad tracks at the point of
the accident are elevated several feet.
with an incline on both sides. The
neighborhood is thickly settled to the
District line, only half mile north.
Houses border the track on both sides.
while the Takoma School is less than
500 yards from the crossing used by
scores Of children every day.
Chestnut street Is used as a through
thoroughfare for automobile traffic
through Takoma Park over the Co.
lumbia Pike to Baltimore. Although
snow was falling lightly at the time
of the accident. vision was clear both
ways.
The conclusion reached by persons
familiar with the crossing and by
knight and Kilmer, according 10 po'
lice, is that the accident occurred
exactly as described: that the Greg
DRY youth walked from behind the
slow moving local directly onto the
track of the flying Capitol Limited,
and that Dunn, in a frantic attempt
to avert an accident. deliberately
risked and gave his life willis drag
ging the boy from the path of the
express.
While residents of the neighhor-
hood could not recall any other acct
dent at the Chestnut street crossing.
they remembered wildly the triple
tragedy at the Lamond crossing last
year, and voiced freely their belief
that an underpass or overpass should
be constructed at this point.