N&W in 1904 -- Death

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[WARNING! This is not for the squeamish, but it illustrates two things of the era.  One, the danger of railroading in those days (the Bluefield newspapers had frequent articles reporting employee accidents); and, two, the lurid journalistic style of the day, even in a community newspaper.]

HEAD COMPLETELY SEVERED FROM BODY
                                                    ------
Brakeman Neoll Meets a Frightful Death at Cantrbury
                                                    ------
    Clarence Noell, whose home was at Portsmouth, Ohio, met a frightful death at Canterbury, on the Kenova division, yesterday afternoon.
    He was the front brakeman on freight train No. 85, and his train had orders to take the siding at Canterbury to let passenger train No. 16 pass.
    The young man got off to open the switch while his train was yet in motion, and in some way slipped and fell with his head directly across the rail.
    The entire train passed over him, and not only was the poor fellow's head completely severed from his body, but it was literally ground to mincemeat, not enough of the flesh and bone holding together to make a piece as big as a hen egg, while the brains bespattered the rails and clung to the relentless wheels that had crushed out the young man's life.
    The body was brought to Williamson on No. 16 and prepared for interment and will be sent to Portsmouth today.

Bluefield Daily Telegraph
July 10, 1904

Gordon Hamilton
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