OBIT: Charles L. BANE, 1930, Meyersdale, Somerset County, PA

File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Meyersdale Library.
Transcribed and proofread by: Richard Boyer.

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CHARLES L. BANE

Tragic Death of Charles L. Bane
Proprietor of a Meyersdale Garage Fatally Injured on B. & O. Tracks
  
  Charles L. Bane, aged 67 years, proprietor of a Meyersdale garage and highly 
esteemed citizen of this borough, was fatally injured by being struck by the 
locomotive of a westbound freight train at the Main Street crossing of the 
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, shortly after 12 o'clock noon, on Monday, Dec. 1st.
  The tragedy was due to eastbound passenger train No. 8 and a westbound train 
of empty freight cars crossing Main Street at the same time and Mr. Bane getting 
caught between the two trains passing in opposite directions, his getting caught 
between the two trains apparently being due to his undue haste to cross the 
railroad tracks when street traffic was temporarily halted on account of the 
passing of the trains.
  Train No. 8 stopped at the Meyersdale station at just about 12 o'clock, noon, 
to discharge and take on mail, express and passengers. It was a long train and 
when the front end stopped a short distance east of the depot, the rear coach 
came to rest a short distance west of Main Street, thus completely blocking 
street traffic and making it impossible for pedestrians to cross the railroad 
tracks at that point while the train was at rest.
  William Keefer, the watchman on duty at the crossing had stationed himself at 
the north side of the railroad tracks with his danger signal in hand to stop any 
one from trying to cross the tracks while train No. 8 was approaching and before 
its departure.
  While Mr. Keefer was thus on guard, Mr. Bane, who had just eaten his dinner at 
the home of Mrs. Harvey Stahl, his boarding place, on the north side of Main 
Street adjoining the railroad tracks, came out of the house and walked to the 
edge of the crossing where Mr. Keefer was standing, and accosted the watchman in 
a jocular manner, demanding to know why he was obstructing traffic.  "I am in a 
hurry to get across the railroad tracks," he said.  Mr. Keefer assured him he 
would not have to wait very long as No. 8 was about ready to pull out.
  At that moment Mr. Keefer heard a train approaching from the east and, looking 
in that direction, he said to Mr. Bane: "Look! Here comes a freight train going 
west."  Mr. Bane looked and asked: "Is that a freight?"  Mr. Keefer continued to 
look in the direction of the oncoming freight train, the head of which was now 
about abreast with the depot and proceeding westward at moderate speed.  For the 
moment the watchman paid no more attention to Mr. Bane and never suspected that 
the latter would attempt to cross the tracks in front of the oncoming freight 
before the passenger train pulled out and cleared the street.  But presently 
when Mr. Keefer turned around he was surprised to see Mr. Bane on the railroad 
tracks, evidently thinking he could cross over and get around the rear end of 
the passenger train before the freight train reached the crossing.
  By this time the flagman of No. 8 had been called in and the train was getting 
under way, but in the mean time the locomotive at the head of the freight train 
had almost reached Main Street.  Keefer shouted to Bane to come back, else he 
would get caught between the two trains, but Bane kept on going and got between 
the east and westbound tracks by the time the freight engine started across Main 
Street and cut off Keefer's view of the pedestrian.
  While all of this was happening, W. H. Gill, Western Maryland Railway station 
agent at Meyersdale, and C. O. Minder, telegrapher in the Western Maryland 
Railway tower at Rockwood, were coming down Main Street from the W. M. Station, 
in Mr. Minder's car, and halted at the B. & O. crossing to await the passing of 
the two trains that were obstructing street traffic.  From their seat in the 
automobile, they could see Mr. Bane running between the east and westbound B. & 
O. tracks, wildly waving his arms and desperately endeavoring to get around the 
rear of the passenger train before the on-rushing freight train overtook him.
  The unfortunate man had only a few feet more to go to reach safety when the 
freight locomotive hit him a glancing blow and knocked him down.  The freight 
engine was only a short distance from Main Street when the engineer saw Mr. Bane 
start across the tracks.  Seeing that the man had scarcely a chance to get out 
of harm's way, the engineer applied the air to the brakes and brought the train 
to a stop before the engine had passed more than a few hundred feet beyond Main 
Street.
  The engine crew started back to see what had happened to the man who had been 
struck by the engine, but Mr. Minder and Mr. Gill, who climbed over the freight 
train after it came to a stop, were the first to reach the prostrate form of Mr. 
Bane, whose head was lying against an inner rail of the eastbound track while 
his feet were against an outer rail of the westbound track.  Several Meyersdale 
citizens, besides the Western Maryland employes and the B. & O. freight crew, 
also appeared on the scene within a few minutes after the accident happened.  
The unfortunate man was picked up unconscious and carried to the Hazel McGilvery 
Hospital nearyby, where Dr. C. C. Glass took an X-ray protograph of his head and 
found a fracture of the skull besides a scalp wound at the rear of his head.
  Everything possible was done to save the life of the injured man, but a 
cerebral hemorrhage ensued and caused his death at 3 a.m., Tuesday.  He had only 
a few conscious moments during the interval between his entrance to the hospital 
and the hour of his death.
  Charles Lee Bane was a native of Burlington, Mineral County, West Virginia, 
where he grew up to manhood.  After his marriage, when yet a young man, he 
located at Charlottesville, Virginia, where he was engaged in business for some 
years, and where his wife died in 1900.  He remained a widower and some time 
after the marriage of his only daughter, who is now Mrs. O. D. Rickey, he made 
his home with her in Cumberland, Md.
  About three years ago, his health having failed, he came to Meyersdale to see 
whether the higher altitude here would be better for his health.  He boarded at 
the Colonial Hotel for quite a while, and finding the climate here very 
beneficial to his health, he bought from John Fullem the garage formerly 
operated by the latter in the old Meyersdale municipal building at the corner of 
Main and Cherry streets.  He changed the name to Bane's Garage and about a year 
ago moved the business into the old lock factory building at the corner of 
Chestnut Street and Lincoln Avenue, where he was doing a fairly prosperous 
business up to the day of his fatal injury.
  Besides the daughter above mentioned, Mr. Bane is survived by two sons, both 
able and successful lawyers and holding important positions in public service, 
Baldwin B. Bane, the elder, being counsel of the Federal Trade Commission at 
Washington, D.C., and Frank Bane, the younger, of Richmond, Va., being 
Commissioner of Public Welfare of the State of Virginia.  He is also survived by 
four brothers:  Robert Bane, of Keyser, W.Va.; I. H. Bane, of Cumberland, Md., 
and Frank and Morgan Bane, both of Elk Garden, W.Va.
  The sons and daughter of the injured man were notified of his misfortune by 
telegraph immediately after the accident and all three hastened to reach his 
bedside, but arrived too late to receive any parting words from him.
  His body was prepared for burial by Undertaker W. C. Price and, accompanied by 
the bereaved sons and daughter, was started on B. & O. train No. 16, Tuesday 
afternoon, for Charlottesville, Va., to be laid to rest beside the remains of 
his deceased wife.
  The sons will return to Meyersdale next week to settle up his affairs and 
dispose of his business here, the garage in the mean time remaining in charge of 
Joe Fullem, his foreman.
  Mr. Bane made many friends during his few years' residence here.  He was a man 
of strict integrity and possessed of a high sense of honor.  He was an ordained 
minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, but resigned from the ministry on 
account of failing health.  The Republican numbered him among its most valued 
patrons and voices the sorrow of this entire community owing to his tragic and 
untimely taking off.

Meyersdale Republican, December 4, 1930