MITCHELL, James 1867-1893

MITCHELL

Posted By: Tammy (email)
Date: 2/6/2011 at 09:45:16

James Mitchell was killed on the B. C. R. & N. Ry. near Estherville last Monday evening. The particulars as near as we are able to learn are as follows: When nearing Estherville, the train broke in two and Mr. Mitchell noticing the break, signaled the engineer to move ahead and also signaled the conductor as to the trouble. He then went down the ladder on to the bumpers in front of the freight car, and as this was the last seen of him alive, it is supposed he lost his hold and falling to the track, the rear section of the train which was in motion, ran diagonally across his body. The train crew which he ran with accompanied the remains to Grundy Center and they were buried in the Catholic cemetery Tuesday afternoon. The broken wheel which was presented by his associates, was a beautiful floral offering. The deceased leaves father, mother, brothers, sister, and a devoted wife to mourn his untimely death.

--The Grundy County Republican (Grundy Center, Iowa), 15 June 1893

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On Monday another name was added to the death roll of railroad employees whose lives have been crushed out on the rail. The victim was James Mitchell, who was at the time acting as brakeman on Conductor Dave Wright's train. He was running along the top of the moving cars, while switching in the railroad yards at Estherville, when the train parted, Mitchell fell between the two sections of the train and the entire rear section passed over him. His body was cut in two and all except his head and shoulders was terribly mangled. Mitchell was a young married man who has been living in this city for about two years. He had bought himself a nice home in the north part of town and was getting along well, when the terrible accident occurred that blotted out his life. The remains were taken Tuesday to Grundy Center, where his parents and those of his wife reside, for burial. It is a terrible blow to the young wife and yet such accidents are of frequent (far two frequent) occurance. It would seem as if the railroad methods under which such disasters can become so common are susceptible of improvement. In this we mean no criticism of any particular company, for we do not think the fault is peculiar to any one road but is general to all roads. We do not mean to express our belief that in this age of invention there ought to be no necessity for any employee to run along the tops of a moving train, jumping from car to car of varying heights and at each step periling his life. We believe that appliances can be wrought out that would make such dangerous work entirely unnecessary, and if such appliances could be devised no question of cost should interfere with their general adoption. The life of the train man is hard and perilous at the best, and all measures should be adopted to reduce the danger as far as possible.--Iowa Falls Sentinel

--The Grundy County Republican (Grundy Center, Iowa), 22 June 1893