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<DIV><FONT face="Trebuchet MS">Bluefield Daily Telegraph<BR>April 1,
1909</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV align=center><FONT size=4>FIREMAN KILLED AND TWO TRAINMEN HURT</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=center>------</DIV>
<DIV align=center><STRONG>Death of Former Wayne County Man in Wreck at Prichard
Unusually Pathetic</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV align=left> </DIV>
<DIV align=left> A head-on collision between extra eastbound
freight No. 86 and a westbound train at Prichard, in Wayne county, early Tuesday
morning, resulted in the death of Fireman Wm. R. Spaulding, of Wheelersburg,
Ohio, and the serious injury of Engineer C. M. Engles and Brakeman James Kelley,
both of Portsmouth, together with the smashing of both engines and the
demolishment of ten cars.</DIV>
<DIV align=left> Spaulding was the husband of the Norfolk and
Western telegraph operator at Wheelersburg. He was but 24 years of age,
and had been in the employ of the Norfolk and Western but a few months. He
was a native of Wayne, having married a Miss Walker there two years ago.
His wife, who previous to her marriage was a waitress in a hotel at Williamson,
took up telegraphy during her leisure moments and became so proficient that she
was given the office at Wheelersburg. She and her husband moved to near
Portsmouth several months ago, and lived on a small farm. Her husband had
a longing for railroad life, and despite his wife's objections, secured a
position as fireman. Ever since he made his first run, Mrs. Spaulding has
been fearful lest something direful would overtake him. Sunday she begged
him to quit the road, inasmuch as he had had two narrow escapes from injury
during his short service. He promised her that he would go out for this
one time, and if matters did not look right to him he would quit his job and go
to farming.</DIV>
<DIV align=center>------</DIV>
<DIV align=left>[<EM>It is interesting that women were employed in N&W
operations as early as 1909. We mostly hear of women railroaders starting
during World War II.</EM>]</DIV>
<DIV align=left> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Script size=6>Gordon
Hamilton</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>