Tuesday, February 28, 2012


John Frank Eddy hit by trolley car

From the Ashtabula Star Beacon (no publication date) handwritten note “1903”

John Frank Eddy was my great-grandfather. His death date was Jan.14, 1903
 

Headline:  PROBABLE FATALITY

 Sub headline: Occurs on Track of City Street Wednesday

2nd Sub headline: J. F. Eddy run down while walking track

3rd Sub headline: With head lowered he failed to see car coming

4th Sub headline: And deafness prevented hearing it.- Lies at Son’s home in Critical Condition.



    A very unfortunate and distressing accident occurred at 10:30 o’clock Wednesday forenoon on the A. R. T. car line, when John F. Eddy of Michigan Ave. was struck by a motor car and probably fatally injured.



   The car was No. 1 in charge of Motorman Jay Newell and Conductor F. Carpenter. They had passed the second hollow below the overhead bridge on Lake street northbound and were within 250 feet of the Sunday residence, when the accident happened.



    Mr. Eddy, who is deaf, was walking southward on the track, while the car was going northward. The motorman observed him and rang the alarm gong vigorously when some distance away; he also commenced to slow down, thinking (page torn & missing word) that Mr. Eddy would (torn, missing word) the track. He failed (rest of this clipping missing, story continues in another clipping)



.... passed the unfortunate some distance. He was unconscious and one arm was nearly severed from the body, besides there were other bad injuries.



    Ducro’s ambulance was summoned and the injured man was removed to the home of his son, John Eddy, on Superior street, where six doctors responded to the call and all was done that could be done to save the life of the injured man. They were Dickson, Flower, King, Lynn, Whitney and Barker.



    The left arm was amputated at the shoulder. One foot was badly crushed and is a severe injury at the base of the brain. He had not regained consciousness at 2 p.m. and it was not thought he could recover.



    E. G. Ducro was a passenger on the car that struck Mr. Eddy. He was riding next to one of the front windows and observed the man walking right towards the car with his head down; was perhaps forty feet from the car when he saw him. The gong was sounded a long time.



    B. W. Baldwin of Jefferson, was also on the car and saw the accident.



    Supt. McDowell said at noon that Mr. Eddy walked the tracks earlier Wednesday morning and that another motorman had to stop his car until the man got off the track.



    This accident brings to mind the fact that the city should have the board sidewalk along Lake street at that point kept clear of snow. The walk is seldom visited by the city snow plow since Neal Guy has stopped making paths and the pedestrians are completed to take to the street. The street car track offers good walking a (missing words here) of the sweeper and (more missing paper) People with wraps over their ears (missing words) a car approaching and the cars often have to stop for people (missing words) their right of way to (missing words)



     Mr. Eddy is 53 years of age and lives with his son Frank Eddy (missing words)





My note: I find it interesting how the news account morphed into an editorial regarding snow removal!  Then back to a news account.  



   




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