Roy PEACH

PEACH, WADDELL, MCCLAIN

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 1/1/2008 at 00:07:15

ROY PEACH LOSES LIFE IN C. & N. W. YARDS

Switchman Killed in Unknown Manner, Early Saturday Morning, Body Dragged to C. G. W. Crossing.

Roy Peach lost his life while on duty as switch crew foreman in the Northwestern yards here early Saturday morning. The cause, or exact manner of his death is unknown and probably never will be ascertained. He had been working with the regular switching crew which consisted of Mr. Peach as foreman and Switchmen C. A. Hall and L. Van Deelen. They had delivered a car of merchandise to the freight house and had gone back to the yard office in the west yards.

They were waiting at the yard office for the early morning southbound freight No. 324, to pull out. After the train had gone and as they were about to resume their work, Mr. Peach's absence was discovered. After waiting for a few minutes for him to show up, they started out to look for him. The crew thought perhaps he had ridden down to the freight house or to the dispatcher's office on the freight. As they neared the freight house switch, they found his overshoe, and one of his legs by the side of the track, a littler further along. they continued their search and his body was found lodged against the rails at the Great Western Crossing near the tower house. The tower house is at least, half a mile from the place where Peach's leg was found and a mile from the yard office where he was last seen alive. There was plenty of evidence of Mr. Peach's body having been dragged along between the rails in the cinders and gravel on the road bed. There was no evidence whatever found on the freight train which was examined at Webster City of the tragic accident in which it has been involved. Coroner Walker and the Northwestern claim agent decided an inquest was unnecessary. The remains were taken to the Kubitschek & Kastler undertaking parlor....The widow and two sons survive in addition to Mr. Peach's mother, Mrs. H. Waddell of Los Angeles.

Roy Peach, son of Mr. and Mrs. Gus Peach, was born at Beaman, Iowa, Feb. 7, 1886, and died Dec. 14, 1929, aged 43 years, 10 months and seven days. He was married to Miss Catherine McClain, Oct. 12, 1909 at Hawarden, Iowa. Two sons were born to this union. Raymond, who is in the navy, stationed at New York City, and Robert. Mr. Peach leaves to mourn their loss his wife and two sons and his mother, Mrs. Hiram Waddell of Venice, California, his father having passed away years ago. Funeral services were held at the Kubitschek & Kastler Funeral Home Tuesday afternoon, conducted by Father T. Nolan, and burial was in Calvary cemetery.

Source unknown
ca. December 1929