N&W in 1911--Speeder accident

[NW Mailing List]

Thanks for verifying what I had heard.

Gordon Hamilton

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "NW Mailing List" <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
To: "NW Mailing List" <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
Sent: Thursday, November 04, 2010 7:05 AM
Subject: Re: N&W in 1911--Speeder accident



> Ronce means bramble, i.e. brier, in French.  Vert is French for green.

> So the name Roncerverte is derived from the French word(s) for Greenbrier.

> Toney Minter

>

> NW Mailing List wrote:

>> Bluefield Daily Telegraph

>> April 12, 1911

>>

>> GASOLINE SPEEDER CRASHES INTO TRAIN

>> ------

>> Murray Jones, Railroad Employe Making Inspection Trip, Receives Injuries 

>> That

>> Prove Fatal

>>     Rushing along on a gasoline speeder used by signal maintainers 

>> yesterday

>> about noon, Murray Jones crashed into the rear of a local freight 

>> standing

>> at Cedar and received such severe injuries that he lived but a short time

>> after he was taken to the Y. M. C. A. building at Williamson.  It is

>> estimated that the man was running his speeder over thirty miles an hour

>> and was perhaps working on some part of the machinery when he came upon

>> the train so suddenly that he could not bring his machine to a stop in

>> time to avert the smash which caused his death.  The speeder was

>> demolished.

>>     Jones's remains were taken to Ronceverte on train No. 3 and he will 

>> be

>> buried at his home there.

>>     The man was in the employ of the railroad company and was making an

>> inspection trip when the accident occurred.  The speeders, which are

>> geared high enough for men using them to get out of the way of any trains

>> which may be following, are used at times in great bursts of speed and

>> chauffeurs frequently drive them at a speed greater than fifty miles an

>> hour, according to the reports of railroad men.  Several men have been

>> injured from time to time while riding the cars and only recently one of

>> the officials of the road received a broken arm when he ran into an open

>> switch which the negro [sic] who was riding with him saw, but did not

>> speak of because he said he thought his boss "had ought to know all them

>> things and if he could take a chance he guesses a poor old 'nigger'

>> could."

>> ------

>> [It's interesting that the reporter wrote that the remains were taken to

>> Ronceverte on No. 3 because Ronceverte, WV, is on the C&O.  Apparently 

>> the

>> remains were transferred from No. 3 to the C&O at Kenova.  Incidentally,

>> Ronceverte is on the Greenbrier and I heard long ago that "Ronceverte" is

>> French for "Greenbrier," but I could not confirm this using Google

>> translation.  Anyone know?]

>>

>> Gordon Hamilton________________________________________

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>

>

> -- 

> Toney Minter         E-mail:tminter at nrao.edu

> Head of GBT Science Operations

> NRAO - Green Bank    Phone: +1 304 456 2275

> 1 Observatory Road   Fax:   +1 304 456 2170

> PO Box 2             WWW:   www.gb.nrao.edu/~tminter

> Green Bank WV 24944

>

> "In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice

> there is." -  Yogi Berra

>

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