NEWS: BECKENDORF Family, Avoca, Luzerne County PA - Highway Tragedy, July 6, 1939 File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Stewart J. A. Woolever, Jr. sjaw@citlink.net September 23, 2004 Copyright 2004. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/luzerne/ _______________________________________________ The Scranton Times Scranton Pa. Thursday Afternoon, July 6, 1939 7 Dead, 1 Hurt, In Auto Crash Avoca People Victims in Worst Highway Tragedy to Occur Here. Passenger Car Carrying Eight Persons Bound For Day's Outing Demolished By Huge Milk Truck. Accident Takes Place At Intersection of Scranton-Pocono and Moosic Daleville Highways Charles Cooper, Driver of Truck, Slightly Injured. Seven persons were instantly killed and one other was critically injured in a automobile and truck collision at Fells Corners, near Daleville, at 9:10 o'clock this morning. The accident, the most serious highway crackup ever to occur here, took place at the intersection of the Scranton Pocono and Moosic-Daleville highways. Those Killed were: WILBERT H. FRANCIS, 301 Packer St, Avoca, driver of the automobile wrecked in crash. THOMAS BECKENDORF, twenty four, of Packer St, Avoca Mrs. GRACE BECKENDORF, twenty four, the wife of THOMAS BECKENDORF [Note: maiden name of GRACE is PATTERSON - SJAW] GRACE MARIE BECKENDORF, the 18 month old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. BECKENDORF. THOMAS BECKENDORF, Jr., three month old son of the BECKENDORFS. VERNA ENDO, fourteen, of 616 York ave., Avoca. ESTHER WHITEBREAD, of Spike Island, in Moosic borough, twenty years old. The injured person was, JEAN JOHNSON nineteen, also of Avoca. Her condition was given as very serious at the State Hospital. Today was Miss JOHNSON'S birthday anniversary and the victims left their homes shortly after 8 o'clock to attend a picnic of the Federated Mozart Choir of the Langcliffe Presbyterian Church, Avoca. The picnic was to be held at the summer home of Miss HELEN SHAFER at Lake Ariel, director of the choir. Mr. BECKENDORF was a member of the choir. Family Is Wiped Out WITH the death of Mr. BECKENDORF his wife and two children the entire family was wiped out. From the wreckage of the car police removed their bathing suits and lunch boxes. Attached to the rear of the machine was a baby carriage, the property of the BECKENDORF family. CHARLES COOPER, thirty four of 605 Dix Court, this city, the driver of the truck, a twelve ton trailer type used for conveying milk by the Woodlawn Farm Dairy Company, escaped with lacerations of the ears and scalp. The truck was owned by the Palmer Transfer Company of this city. The truck was traveling toward Scranton and crashed into the car in the center of the intersection. COOPER said that the automobile carrying the victims, a Ford sedan, was traveling north on the Moosic-Daleville highway. The truck had just reached the bottom of the incline on the Scranton-Pocono highway when it hit the sedan squarely in the middle. The impact of the heavy truck drove the sedan to the side of the road. The car was demolished and the front end of the truck was extensively damaged. Corp. CLAIR JOHNSON and privates NELS MUNSON and JOSEPH FISHER, of the Daleville substation of the Pennsylvania Motor Police, arrived on the scene within a short time after the tragedy occurred. Corp. JOHNSON said that an investigation revealed that the car, operated by FRANCIS, had passed a stop sign at the intersection, Two warning signs, he added, are posted before the intersection is reached. Eagen Starts Probe Asst. District Attorney JOHN W. MURPHY and County Detectives E. J. HART and JOSEPH Del VECCHIO also launched an immediate investigation for District Attorney M. J. EAGEN. Mr. MURPHY said that he learned from EDWARD ENDO, of Avoca, a brother of one of the victims, and ROBERT JOHNSON, a brother of the injured woman, that the persons killed left there homes in Avoca shortly after 8 o'clock. JOHNSON and ENDO told the assistant district attorney that they, also were en route to the outing and stopped at SERAFINI'S tavern, a few hundred yards away from the intersection, to await the approach of the second car. He said that from that point both cars resumed the journey with JOHNSON and ENDO in the lead. After traveling some miles JOHNSON and ENDO noticed that the second car was not following. They pulled to the side of the road to wait and when the car did not appear they turned back to the intersection, where they noticed the wrecked car. The men were accompanied to the morgue of WESLEY FRANKLIN at Moscow, where the bodies were removed after the accident. JOHNSON and ENDO identified the victims. Regains Consciousness It was reported that the victims had planned to go to Moscow, before taking the Aberdeen road, which would have led them to Lake Ariel. Proprietors and employees of business establishments near the scene were the first to reach the demolished automobile with its cargo of dead. One by one the victims were removed from the car and placed on the front porch of COTT'S tavern to await the arrival of ambulances. It was apparent that all had died instantly with the exception of Miss JOHNSON, who was rushed to the State Hospital by a passing motorist. She was unconscious when picked up. Attaches at the State Hospital reported that Miss JOHNSON remained unconscious until 11:30 o'clock. She was too weak to be questioned about the details of the accident. COOPER was taken before Judge T. LINUS HOBAN just before 4 o'clock this afternoon where he entered $7,500 bail on the charge of involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault and battery. His employer, THOMAS PALMER supplied the bail. Prior to his arraignment before JUDGE HOBAN, DISTRICT ATTORNEY EAGEN questioned COOPER. He refused, how ever to make any statement. Families Well Known The truck was without cargo at the time of the crash. It rested in jack knife fashion in the middle of the intersection after the smashup. Motor police and highway department employees were kept busy for more than an hour keeping traffic moving by the wreckage. All of the victims were well known in Avoca and news of the tragedy caused profound sorrow as it reached the Luzerne county borough. Neighbors hurried into the homes of the victims to aid in consoling members of their families. The BECKENDORF home however, remained closed, all of the family having died. THOMAS BECKENDORF, one of the victims, was prominently identified with church affairs. He was recently appointed publicity director of the Lackawanna District Christian Endeavor Union. He was also an officer of the Senior Christian Endeavor Society of the Langcliffe Presbyterian Church, Avoca, and the men's brotherhood of that church. BECKENDORF'S father CHARLES N. BECKENDORF Sr., of Avoca, is car foreman at the Keyser Valley Shops of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad and is well know in Scranton and nearby. Dangerous Spot: County Detective HART said that District Attorney EAGEN was determined to find out why a traffic light was never erected at the intersection, Admittedly one of the most dangerous spots in this section of the state. Lackawanna Motor Club officials recalled today that when the highways were being constructed the club endeavored to have the state highway department build a viaduct or a traffic circle at the point to avoid danger. They pointed out that many such viaducts are constructed in the state of New Jersey and each year saves lives. Motor club executives also declared that an effort was made to have the highway department erect a traffic light at the intersection, but said they were told that the highway department did not install traffic lights. Officials of Covington township, it was said lacked funds to erect the traffic light and provide for its operation. Sheriff E. J. COLEMAN and Deputy Sheriff RICHARD SPEICHARD also assisted in the investigation. The seven bodies were turned over at noon to Undertaker THOMAS MORTON of Avoca, and were removed to the mortuary of CHARLES HOWELL, South Main Street, Pittston, to be prepared for burial. BECKENDORF was employed as a assistant to Undertaker MORTON. In State Of Shock Miss JOHNSON, the only survivor of the tragedy, was asked by a Times man at the Hospital this afternoon to give her description of the accident, but she was still in a state of shock after regaining consciousness and was unable to give a complete report of what happened. The young woman said that she was sitting in the back seat of the death machine and did not see the stop sign at the intersection. She said all she rembers was that after the car in which she was riding reached the crossroads there was a crash and she was knocked unconscious. Miss JOHNSON said that Mr FRANCIS was driving the automobile and that their party was on the way to Lake Ariel. Miss JOHNSON remained in a guarded condition late this afternoon. She suffered a possible fracture of the right leg, possible nose fracture, scalp and body lacerations and great shock. Survivors of Victims His parents, Mr and MRS. HAYDEN FRANCIS and the following brothers and sisters, MARY, Mrs. BETTY SANDERS, FLORENCE, MARSHALL and DONALD FRANCIS, all of Avoca, survive FRANCIS. Mrs. BECKENDORF is survived by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. WILLIAM PATTERSON of Packer St, Avoca. Mrs. BECKENDORF'S husband is survived by his parents Mr. and Mrs. CHARLES N. BECKENDORF, Sr. of York avenue, Avoca, and two brothers, WILLIAM of Duryea, and CHARLES N. BECKENDORF Jr., of Avoca. Surviving Miss Endo are her parents, Mr. and Mrs. ZIGMUND ENDO, and one brother, EDWARD. Miss WHITEBREAD, a graduate of Moosic High School two weeks ago, is survived by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. JOHN WHITEBREAD, and a sister of Spike Island. NOTE: As per write up Times Leader, of July 7, 1939, Avoca Police Chief William L. Farrell estimated that 3,000 persons, the majority of them women, were present at the funeral at the Langcliffe Church. http://familytreemaker. genealogy. com/users/w/o/o/Stewart-J-Woolever-jr/PHOTO/0077photo. html http://www. familytreemaker.com/users/w/o/o/Stewart-J-Woolever-jr/