Pontotoc County, Oklahoma Genealogy
Trails
Railroad Accidents
| On January 8, 1929 there was a collision between a work train and a
cut of standing cars on the Oklahoma City-Ada-Atoka Railway at Ada, which
resulted in the death of two persons and the injury of five persons, all
of whom were carried under contract. The weather was cloudy and a
light fog prevailed at the time of the accident, which occured at about
10:15 p.m. Yard engine 458 in charge of Conductor Ware and Engineman
Gerin, left a cut of 10 cars standing on the main track, with the north
end of this cut 2,092 feet south of the north yard-limit board, and due to
engine trouble the engine proceeded to the roundhouse, where it was
located when the accident occurred. Southbound work train extra 521
consisted of one baggage car, one coach, one box car, and a caboose,
hauled by St. L-S F engine 521 running backwards. At Tyrola which is
9.8 miles north of Ada, the entire crew of this engine changed. The
train the proceeded southward with Conductor Hardie and Engineman Lynch,
and was moving through the Ada yard at Ada at a speed estimated at 6 mph
which it struck the cut of standing cars. Engine 521 had its tender
cistern torn loose from the frame and shoved forward a distance of about 3
feet, denting both ends of the cistern one slightly crushing the rear of
the engine cab. The front end of the enging and the first car in the
work train were also damaged. The persons killed were riding on the
work train. Also questioned about the accidnet were Fireman Smith
and Switchman Abington (employed on January 3, 1929), Brakeman Poling was
a member of the yard crew. Also questioned was Fireman Winke and
Brakeman Allen, of extra 521. The accident was concluded to be the
fault oF Engineman Lynch, of extra 521, to operate his train under proper
control within yard limits, and by failure to provide flag protection for
the cut of standing cars, for which Conductor Ware and Switchman Abington
are responsible. Brakeman Weller was employed on August
8, 1928 and Fireman Smith on December 14, 1928. The persons who died and injured were all part of a steel gang which had been laying heavy steel tracks for the O.G-A.A. George Carter, 19, of Ada died on January 16, 1929 from injuries received. Other's injured were Alfred Carter, brother of George, had a dislocated leg and a cut on the head; R. A. Cain of Ada, sprained and bruised right knee; O. B. Barley, Ada, fractured hip, and head and shoulder injuries; Thomas Smith, Ada, hip and internal injuries; Carl Graves suffered a scalp would and a battered leg, while G. M. Tolsos, L. D. Stipe, and C.B. Wink were treated for scalp injuries. Others on the train were considerably shaken and bruised. John Tisner, of Stratford, was not expected to live. Goerge Carter is the son of R.A. Carter, who resides in Portland Park. He is survied by his parents, by a brother, H. M. Carter of Tishimingo and five brothers and sisters who lived with their parents here. Funeral services for the wreck victim will be held at the Criswell Funeral Home tomorrow afternoon at 2:00 p.m. with Rev. R.E. McCain in carge. Interment will take place at Rosedale in Ada. Sources: The Ada Weekly News, Wednesday, January 16, 1929 page 1 and the Interstate Commerce Commission report number 1472. |
| Gus Sampson, For Many Years Frisco Employee, Killed when Switcher
Caboose is Derailed Conductor Thrown Under Wheels of Car, Is Crushed Augusta S. "Gus" Sampson almost 72, was killed instantly Saturday morning when he was crushed beneath the wheels of a railroad car just south of the cement plant. Records revealed that he was one of the older employees of this division of the Frisco Railroad. The accident occured about 9:15 Saturday morning when a switcher started to bypass a freight train that was headed into Ada from the south, but for the moment was sitting still. The switcher on which Sampson was the conductor was backing south on a dising and was en route to Lawrence with 29 empty cars. As the caboose went by where a contracting firm had been located just west of the siding it is believed by railroad men that a low step on the side of the caboose struck a pile of hardened cement starting the trouble. Sampson and two other railroad employees E. L. (Roy) Williams and H.M. (Blondie) Larsen were riding on the caboose. Sampson was on top giving signals to the engineer and the other two were on the back steps. It was necessary for Sampson to be on top the caboose as the train was rounding a bend and orinary vision was blocked by the frieght which was only a few feet away on the main line. Following the impact of the side of the caboose with the cement at the side of the track the caboose started moving toward the west, but buckled, throwing the next car back off the track and into the freight. Sampson was dislodged from his place on top the caboose and thrown under the oncoming car. When the wheels had stopped rolling and crews from two trains rushed back to see just what had happend two men could be seen, but the third man was not in view. The two had jumped and scrambled clear of the wreck. It didn't take the crewmen long to locate the body of Sampson pinned between two wheels. He was crushed and badly mangled by the wheels and chat of the roadbed. Section hands were called to the scene and started digging under the body. It was almost an hour before the body was removed. The cement believed to have been involved in the accident was at a rack used by a paving company for unloading cement from railroad cars a few hundred yards southe of the Eighteenth street crossing; it had spilled between the rack and the track and had set after being wet by recent rains. Sampson went to work for the railroad March 5, 1907 and rose to the rank of conductor on November 8, 1914. Some years had passed since he could have retired on a pension but he wanted to continue his work with the railroad. There was no record of Sampson ever working on any road other than between Francis and Sherman. For many years Sampson could be seen almost every worning riding his bicycle to work. After the accident, railroad employees went to the passenger depot and found that he rode the bicycle to work Saturday. Funeral arrangements were incomplete late Saturday night pending the arrival of relatives from distant points. Arrangements will be announced later at Criswell's. Survivors include the widow, Mrs. Alberta Sampson of Ada, a daughter, Mrs. Edith Bryan of Oklahoma City; two sons Claud of Columbus, Ohio and Dewey Sampson of Arlington, Virginia; a brother, Jim Sampson of Oklahoma City; two sisters Mrs. Minnie Bowen of Tulsa and Mrs. Ida Briscoe of Shawnee and five grandchildren. Source: The Ada Weekly News, Thursday: April 24, 1947 and the Interstate Commerce Commission report #3096 |
| Negro Jumps And Is Safe But Car Smashed by Train Tragedy almost struck again here Sunday morning as an incoming Frisco passenger train plowed into an automobile that was stalled on the tracks at the crossing at Fifth and North Mississippi. The driver Cornelius Blue, Ada negro, had a close call from death. Ott Ray, city policeman. who investigated the accident, teels of the crash as follows. "Albert Lloye, Obart Bennett and I (all policemen) were on patrol Sunday morning about 11:15 a.m. We were driving east on Fifth and just as we crossed the Frisco tracks at Fifth and Mississippi we met Blue coming west. The signal lights were on at the crossing and when we saw that Blue wasn't going to stop we yelled at him. "This plus the train's whistle must have excited him. He tried to stop but couldn't so he tried to turn, ending up right on the tracks. Then the motor died. When Blue saw that he didn't have time to get the car off the tracks he jumped out to safety." The collision completely demolished Blue's 1928 Chevrolet, scattering parts up the track for 30 yards. Blue was entirely unhurt. Source: Ada Weekly News, Thursday April 24, 1947. |
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Deaf man struck by train By Derek Frazier Ada Evening News March 8, 2007A 30-year-old deaf man was struck by a train at the intersection of Mississippi and Arlington at approximately 11:30 Wednesday morning. “I thought he was drunk or something, and pretty soon he had enough reality about it and said ‘I’m deaf,’” Larry Cole, eyewitness to the accident said. “So we kept him with his eyes open. He stepped across there [the train tracks], and it looked like he was challenging the train. It probably knocked him in the air 20 feet and it split open his head on the back.” The man, whose identity has yet to be released, was transported to Valley View Regional Hospital. Cole said the man was still conscious and comprehended everything that had happened. “He was walking across, along the edge of the street and he just got hit,” eyewitness Jimmy Bays said. |