Dayton, Ohio, March 20 - August Nickel, William Pumphrey, and Bert Hoover met instant death at 4:30 this morning while in charge of a snow plow on the Dayton and Troy Traction Line near Chambersburg. Just as the car which propelled the plow approached Chambersburg, the pilot observed a horse on the track and gave the alarm, but it was too late. The animal had been caught in a cattle guard and could not release itself. The impact was such that the flat car to which the snow plow was attached rolled down an embankment and the men were crushed to death under 12 tons of steel rails which had been placed on the car to weigh it down.
Motorman Morgan, in charge of the car, did not hear the warning cry, and the first he knew of the presence of a horse on the track was the crash which sent the flat car off the track.
Russell Hardesty, a sixteen-year-old boy, was milking in a shed near the scene of the accident and was the first to render assistance, running about the neighborhood ringing a dinner bell. Soon, a large crowd had collected, but the work of rescue was useless as all the bodies were horribly crushed. By daylight, special cars reached the scene with physicians, but their services were not needed. All of the bodies were taken to Tippecanoe City, where the father of William Pumphrey walked into a crowd to inquire the nature of the excitement. He was informed of his son's death and a pathetic scene ensued. Each of the three victims had three children, all of whom are young. Pumphrey intended to quit work on the railroad Saturday and return to his father's home on the farm.
Motorman Morgan, in charge of the car, did not hear the warning cry, and the first he knew of the presence of a horse on the track was the crash which sent the flat car off the track.
Russell Hardesty, a sixteen-year-old boy, was milking in a shed near the scene of the accident and was the first to render assistance, running about the neighborhood ringing a dinner bell. Soon, a large crowd had collected, but the work of rescue was useless as all the bodies were horribly crushed. By daylight, special cars reached the scene with physicians, but their services were not needed. All of the bodies were taken to Tippecanoe City, where the father of William Pumphrey walked into a crowd to inquire the nature of the excitement. He was informed of his son's death and a pathetic scene ensued. Each of the three victims had three children, all of whom are young. Pumphrey intended to quit work on the railroad Saturday and return to his father's home on the farm.
Dayton, Ohio, March 20 - August Nickel, William Pumphrey, and Bert Hoover met instant death at 4:30 this morning while in charge of a snow plow on the Dayton and Troy Traction Line near Chambersburg. Just as the car which propelled the plow approached Chambersburg, the pilot observed a horse on the track and gave the alarm, but it was too late. The animal had been caught in a cattle guard and could not release itself. The impact was such that the flat car to which the snow plow was attached rolled down an embankment and the men were crushed to death under 12 tons of steel rails which had been placed on the car to weigh it down.
Motorman Morgan, in charge of the car, did not hear the warning cry, and the first he knew of the presence of a horse on the track was the crash which sent the flat car off the track.
Russell Hardesty, a sixteen-year-old boy, was milking in a shed near the scene of the accident and was the first to render assistance, running about the neighborhood ringing a dinner bell. Soon, a large crowd had collected, but the work of rescue was useless as all the bodies were horribly crushed. By daylight, special cars reached the scene with physicians, but their services were not needed. All of the bodies were taken to Tippecanoe City, where the father of William Pumphrey walked into a crowd to inquire the nature of the excitement. He was informed of his son's death and a pathetic scene ensued. Each of the three victims had three children, all of whom are young. Pumphrey intended to quit work on the railroad Saturday and return to his father's home on the farm.
Motorman Morgan, in charge of the car, did not hear the warning cry, and the first he knew of the presence of a horse on the track was the crash which sent the flat car off the track.
Russell Hardesty, a sixteen-year-old boy, was milking in a shed near the scene of the accident and was the first to render assistance, running about the neighborhood ringing a dinner bell. Soon, a large crowd had collected, but the work of rescue was useless as all the bodies were horribly crushed. By daylight, special cars reached the scene with physicians, but their services were not needed. All of the bodies were taken to Tippecanoe City, where the father of William Pumphrey walked into a crowd to inquire the nature of the excitement. He was informed of his son's death and a pathetic scene ensued. Each of the three victims had three children, all of whom are young. Pumphrey intended to quit work on the railroad Saturday and return to his father's home on the farm.
Family Members
Siblings
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Records on Ancestry
Advertisement
