Obituary of William BRODERICK, Crawford County, Illinois

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William Broderick a steel tank maker and follower of the oil field
development age 35 years was struck by a gravel train, engine #
470, west bound, at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, on the second trestle west
of Riverton and died at 9:40 p.m. the same night as the result of
his wounds and the shock incident there too.   The history of the
accident then the movement of Broderick prior and up to the time
of his death are substantially as follows; Broderick, whose home
in Lima Ohio where his mother resides it appears had been without
work for some time.  He visited Martinsville the early part of
this week seeking employment and while there met a tank building
crew of which a party by the name of Peter Shay was a member.
Shay had been an acquaintance of Broderick for some 16 years past
and advised him that he would secure him employment if he would go
to the Stoy field with him.  This Broderick agreed to do and they
started from Martinsville via Terre Haute for Stoy.  Upon reaching
Riverto! n it was suggested that the party stop to secure a drink
and they visited the saloon there but it is denied that Broderick
drank anything while there.  He already being in an advanced stage
of intoxication, the party which was composed of three, then
started to walk to Robinson and crossed the Wabash on the I. S.
bridge and proceeded a short distance west when Shay decided he
would not walk that far and returned to Riverton where he later
caught the gravel train by which Broderick was struck.  He claimed
that he expected Broderick and the other member of the party to
also return to Riverton and that he saw Broderick at the side of
the track some distance behind him as he was on his way back to
Riverton. A train that passed the trestle on which Broderick 6
minutes prior to the train which did strike him saw him on the
track and the engineer thought he was certainly about to strike
him when he managed to step from the track.  Engineer Ballentine,
which was in charge of engine 470 which was hauling the gravel
train, testified at the coroners inquest that he first saw
Broderick when only about a car length from him and he was either
lying down or down on his hands and knees and in the dusk, he at
first thought it was a large lump of coal which had fallen from an
overloaded coal car on a previous train.  As soon as he realized
it was a man, he shut down and reversed his engine but was too
close to effect a stop before striking him. It is the opinion of
the train and engine crew that Broderick was struck in the head by
the cylinder head and was thrown from the north side of the
trestle to the ground below, a distance of over 14 feet.  The
train left a flag man to care for the injured man while they
preceded to set out their train and summoned Dr. O. G. Taylor,
company physician for the I.S. , who together with William
Alexander, agent J. W. Feldman, Arthur Volk, and the train crew
immediately returned to the trestle and placed Broderick in the
caboose    It was time for passenger # 923 the party was obliged
to run into Riverton and take siding to let # 923 pass.  This done
they returned to Palestine reaching here about 7:10.  Supervisor
Catterton was at once notified and made an effort to secure a
private residence or other suitable place to which Broderick could
be taken but no place being available it was decided to take the
wounded man to the office of Dr. Taylor which was done about 7:30
o’clock.  Drs. R. L. Gordon and H. W. Ziegler assisted in the
examination of the wounds and found that the right foot had been
severed just above the shoe top, a foot being picked up still in
the shoe.  The right limb was also badly mashed and cut just above
the knee joint and was cut away by Dr. Taylor as soon as he was
placed in the caboose of extra 470.  A bad scalp wound fully 2 and
˝ inches in length in the medial line of the scalp extended clear
to the bone while a flesh wound extended from his right eyebrow
throu! gh both lips to the chin .  The lobe of the right ear was
cut off and there was a cut in the right temple which required two
stitches to close.  The great toe and the middle toe were also cut
from the left foot. As soon as a thorough exam had been made the
physicians in attendance decided to amputate the right limb in the
upper third which was done, the patient breathing his last at 9:40
p.m. just as the operation had been completed and while the wound
was being dressed.


Nov. 1906 Palestine Reporter