| The Western Reserve Democrat, Warren, O. 6 June 1888, page 5, column 3. TWO LIVES CRUSHED OUT. An Accident on the Nypano�s New Track Costs two men Their Lives. Monday evening at about 9:30 o�clock, occurred the first accident of any consequence since work began on the second Nypano track. Contractors have laid a temporary track from a point east of the pump station to near the rolling mill where a long fill is being made. A steam shovel is used in loading the little dump cars, the latter being propelled by a little engine built expressly for that purpose. The work is being pushed as rapidly as possible, two crews being at work night and day. Monday evening, as one of the trains was coming down with its dozen loaded cars of dirt, the latter left the rails for some reason and in an instant were piled up in a heap. Beneath them was Harry Scoville and John Rosenberg, both of this city, and employed by the contractors as brakemen. Lights were at once procured and a relief gang from the pump station went to work to uncover the men. Scoville was soon extracted and found to be living, though suffering from a badly crushed breast. He was cared for tenderly and a physician sent for. He realized that his injuries were fatal and expressed a desire to see his mother who had been sent for. Death, however, came first, and after suffering for 42 minutes he breathed his last. Rosenberg when found, was dead, every bone in his body having been crushed by the heavy mass of earth that had fallen upon him. He was laid by the side of his dead companion to await the coroner�s coming. Scoville was 22 years of age and unmarried. He lived with his mother and step-father, Mr. John Reed, on Elm street. The funeral services were held Wednesday at 2 o�clock. Rosenberg was a married man, living on the corner of South street and Tod avenue. He formerly resided in Massilon, and there the remains were sent for burial. |
| Harry Scoville, my great-grandmother's brother, died when he fell off a train. Here are three newspaper articles about the event. |
| Western Reserve Chronicle, Warren, O., 13 June 1888, page 3, column 3 THE DUMP ACCIDENT. An Enquiry of Witnesses Made by the Coroner. ----------------- Some testify that the Train Parted - No Verdict yes. The coroner�s inquest of the wreck of the construction train on the Mahoning double tracking job, in which John Rodenburg and Harry Scoville were killed, was held Wednesday afternoon at Dr. Harmon�s office. Coroner Hunt questioned the witnesses, the first of whom was John O�Connor. He testified that he had an interest in the work with Drake & Stratton and was overseer of the running of trains. Continuing, he said, in reply to questions: �Two brakemen and an engineer constitute a crew on one of these trains, which are run with a regular code of signals the same as any railroad train. Both of the deceased men were in our employ, Rodenburg on a night crew and Scoville days. We run trains about four or five miles an hour. There is very little trouble from cars becoming uncoupled. I was not down where they were working that night, but my assistant was. �Rodenburg had been working only three or four days. When hired, he said he understood railroading. I have not the slightest idea what caused the accident, as the tracks, cars and wheels are all right. A part of the train might have been detached and run down. Perhaps it was so. In such cases the instructions are to always check up the hind section first and let the front part go ahead.� George Keller, the engineer on the wrecked train, was the next witness: �It was between nine and ten o�clock when the accident occurred; perhaps twenty minutes after nine. The first intimation I had of any trouble was when I saw the contents of a car fly up in the air. Think it was the first car. We were running smoothly and I didn�t feel any jar. I didn�t know Scoville; or in fact any of them. The men are supposed to ride on the side of the car. We had never had any trouble in responding to signals, which Rodenburg seemed to understand, but I don�t think he ever had much railroading experience. �When I saw the dust, I called for brakes and reversed my engine, but we weren�t running with steam as it was down grade. It was but an instant before we stopped and I heard cries and ran to the end of the train. I found Scoville on his hands and knees, crawling between the rails of the side track, and helped him up on the bank. I then missed Rodenburg and discovered his lantern and next saw him under the wreck. My front brakeman was on duty on the car next the engine.� This witness said that the cars but rarely come uncoupled. As to the cause of the accident, he would only surmise it might have been that a few cars were detached and the brakeman stopped them without signaling; or it might have been something on the rail, or a broken wheel flange. He regarded the track as good as ever he saw, for the purpose. Frank Kellogg, who next testified, was the most material witness. He was at the Ashtabula depot the night of the accident, and there met Harry Scoville with whom he started for the dumps. On the way there they met Harry Boyes and a boy named McClaskey. The four boarded an empty train at the rolling mill and rode down to where their train went into a switch, near the pipe line. They then got off and walked on down to where the steam shovel was loading a train, upon which they climbed. The witness stood between the third and fourth cars, while on the front one was Harry Scoville and the brakeman. The brakeman (Rodenburg) was standing on a platform, for him, on the side of the car; while Harry sat up in the middle of the car. The first idea that Kellogg had, of any trouble, was the uncoupling of the cars right where he stood; and as they separated he clung to the detached three and started forward to tell the boys. He had just got upon the middle car when the other part of the train run the three cars down. The witness was thrown against another track and stunned. When he got up his hat was gone, his clothing torn, the heel of his shoe gone and he was well bruised. He ran around the wreck to where Harry was lying and then gave the alarm to the men at the shovel. When he got back Scoville was still alive, and said to him: �I�m a going, Good bye.� When questioned by the coroner, stated that the cars came together with great force. He started to jump, but was hurled off. Kellogg had frequently rode on the cars and had never, but once, been ordered to keep away. The last witness was Charles Boyes, whose testimony was corroberative [sic] of Kellogg�s. He and a companion had frequently ridden on the dump trains, though generally on the engine. This night, however, they were on the seventh car in the train of fourteen. Boyes didn�t see Kellogg, till he saw him go into the ditch. The boy that he was with, Boyes had told that Scoville was on ahead. The train was running �about as fast as a horse would trot� when there was a shock and it looked to Boyes as though the end of a car had tumbled out. The brakeman, on the side, seemed to be pitched off on his head. �The other boy and I jumped off before the train stopped and ran up to the wrecked cars, where I saw a man lying outside of the rails with his head between two ties. I thought it was the brakeman but it proved to be Harry. He was moaning and I ran up to the engine and yelled that there was a man under there. Kellogg then came up and started with signal to the steam shovel. I didn�t see any signals before the train came together. The men had never ordered me away from the cars, as I always rode on the engine; but I have heard other boys ordered off.� The coroner will not render his verdict until to-morrow. page 5, column 1 The verdict of Coroner Hunt, in the accident to the dump train, is: �After a careful investigation I find that Jno. F. Rodenberg, while in the line of his duty as brakeman; and Harry Scoville, while riding on the construction train near the pumping station, in Howland township, on the night of June 4, 1888, came to death from injuries received by being thrown from said train, caused by the uncoupling of the three front cars of said train, one of which they occupied. Unaware of this fact, they failed to give the proper signal and were run down by the rear portion of the train; cars were derailed and they were thrown under and killed.� Owing to the narrow escape of the young man, Kellogg, and the other fatality, the coroner recommends that parents keep their boys away from those trains, and that the train men put a stop to the practice of jumping on the cars. |
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| The funeral of the late Harry Scoville, who was one of the victims of the accident at the dump, Monday night, was held Wednesday afternoon in the presence of a large number of friends. Rev. Wakefield conducted the services. The remains of Rodenburg were taken to Massilon [sic] for burial. ======================================== In Memoriam Harry Hampson Scoville was born in Weathersfield, Feb. 4, 1867; grew into young manhood in his home in Warren, and died as a result of a sad rail accident, on the evening of June 4, 1888. |