Nansemond County Virginia USGenWeb Archives Obituaries.....Beaton, E. Raymond Jr., 1952 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/va/vafiles.htm ************************************************ Soft Drink Routeman Rail Crossing Victim The first railroad crossing fatality of the year in this area and the State's second traffic death of 1952 was recorded here yesterday at about 2:05 p.m. at the North Capitol Street crossing in Lloyd Place, just outside the city limits. Dead as the result of injuries sustained when the soft drink truck he was driving rammed into the engine of a west-bound Norfolk and Western passenger train is Ernest Raymond Beaton, Jr., 19, of 320 North Main Street, a driver and route man for the Suffolk Coca-Cola Bottling Works. Clyde E. Howell, Norfolk and Western police official, stated following preliminary investigation at the scene that Beaton was driving his truck along Railroad Avenue parallel to the railroad and in making a right turn into the Capitol Street crossing ran into the left side of the locomotive of west-bound passenger train Number 3 several feet from the front. TRUCK DISASSEMBLED The truck was practically disassembled by the impact of the collision. Over a distance of approximately 128 feet, the chassis, body, engine and cab of the truck were torn apart and scattered along the right of way amid shattered soft drink crates and bottles. The engine was torn completely from the truck and came to rest in a nearby ditch. The cab of the "cab over engine" type truck came to rest the full 128 feet from the point of impact carrying the driver with it. Beaton was removed immediately by ambulance to Obici Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The train after clearing the site of the collision, proceeded into the station where it was inspected for damage. A railway spokesman said this morning the left cylinder of the locomotive was damaged, but that it left here one hour behind schedule for its run into Petersburg. Another locomotive met and replaced the crippled locomotive between here and Petersburg, he explained. Survivors include his wife, Mrs. Lucille Baker Beaton, of this city; his father, E.R. Beaton, Sr., also of Suffolk; his mother, Mrs. Elizabeth Shelsky, of New York; two sisters, Mrs. Jackie Berlin and Mrs. N.A. Davis. Jr., both of New York; one half sister, Miss Carolyn Shelsky, of New York. Funeral services will be conducted tomorrow at 3 p.m. at the I.O. Hill Funeral Home by Dr. H.S. Hardcastle, pastor of Oakland Christian Church, and the Rev. Julian S. Hopkins, pastor of First Baptist Church. Burial will be in Holly Lawn Cemetery. [photo, captioned:] ....SCENE OF FATAL ACCIDENT - Graphically illustrating the terrific impact of a soft drink delivery truck against the engine of a Norfolk and Western passenger train just outside the city limits yesterday is this overall view of the scene. Dead as the results of injuries sustained in the collision is Ernest Raymond Beaton, 19, of Suffolk, driver of the truck. The vehicle was virtually disassembled, with parts scattered as far as 130 feet from the crossing. A wrecking truck already had removed the truck's chassis when this picture was taken. The cab can be seen in the left foreground and the body further up, resting on the ties. After crashing into the side of the engine, the truck struck the back warning bell post (upper right) a glancing blow and broke into pieces further up the track. (W.E.A. Moore Photo). [photo, captioned:] RAYMOND BEATON ****************************************************************************** County To Seek More Safety Devices At Crossing Where Driver Was Killed In the wake of Wednesday's fatality to a soft drink routeman - 19-year-old Ernest Raymond Beaton, Jr. - at the 3rd Street Norfolk and Western railroad crossing Tuesday afternoon, the Nansemond County Board of Supervisors took the initial step yesterday to prevent another such disaster. The move was the unanimous resolution of the Board to speak with a representative or delegation of Norfolk and Western Railway officials at the next Board session on February 7. It was the feeling of the five-member body, too, that the Board should be ready at that time to discuss the necessary safety devices which they feel the railroad should install. The matter was formally brought up by N.T. Poarch, Cypress District supervisor, who declared, "I think we should get the Norfolk and Western Railroad to install blinking and safety lights at the intersection. There certainly should be some caution." The Supervisor described the crossing as "dangerous." Members then discussed the situation at length and it was pointed out that the Board had recommended the installation of safety devices at that particular crossing but had been turned down by Norfok and Western in the past. They then passed the resolution as introduced by Poarch. A company official said this morning that he had "no comment" regarding the Board's recently-passed resolution. Roger O. Walker, freight agent of the Norfolk and Western Railway, labelled as unfounded reports that four persons had been killed at 3rd Street intersection within the past five years. Walker said, "This is the first death we have had there to my knowledge. We have had other deaths at the crossings in town but not at this intersection where the clear-view vision in either direction is about ten miles." [...] ****************************************************************************** Windsor RR Fatality Second In This Area In Which N&W Involved Norfolk and Western Railway's west-bound passenger train, Pocahontas No. 3, was involved in its second fatal accident in two days when it collided head-on with an automobile at the Windsor railway crossing on Friday afternoon. Killed instantly was 28-year-old Thomas Eldon Robinson, of Windsor. The traffic victim was a service station attendant on the Holland Road, one mile west of Suffolk. The Associated Press reported that Robinson's death brought to three the number of State highway fatalities for 1952, two of which have occurred within the tri-county area and have involved the Pocahontas. On Wednesday this same train came in contact with a soft drink truck and the driver, 19-year-old Ernest Raymond Beaton, Jr., was killed at the 3rd Street crossing and the truck totally demolished. Debris was scattered over a distance of approximately 128 feet. Similarly in Friday's mishap Robinson's car was found 170 feet from the point of impact and the car's body about 20 yards away. It was totally demolished. According to State Trooper H.L. Mundie, who investigated tbe accident, Robinson was proceeding northward on secondary route 1801, near the Windsor business section, toward the railroad crossing and the passenger train struck the vehicle from its right. The train, which is routed from Norfolk to Suffolk to Windsor, had just left the station. The time of the accident has been placed at 2:30 p.m. Mundie identified the engineers as W.M. Cook, of Crewe, and E.T. Ponton, of 2607 Oregon Avenue, Roanoke. Cook, incidentally, was an engineer on Wednesday's Pocahontas. The trooper said that there was no warning signal except a railroad crossing sign. This was the same situation that existed in Wednesday's crash. And on Thursday the Nansemond County's Board of Supervisors passed a resolution to discuss the installation of safety measures at the 3rd Street crossing with Norfolk and Western Railway officials at its next Board session on February 7. Supervisor N.T. Poarch termed the crossing as "dangerous." Isle of Wight County Coroner Dr. F.I. Steele of Windsor said that the train and automobile apparently collided near the front end of the locomotive. The road crosses the railroad at a right angle. Railway officials in Norfolk stated that the Pocahontas had not sustained any damage but that the train had been delayed about 90 minutes in its departure from Windsor. Dr. Steele said that the fireman of the train, L.O. Tucker, of Crewe, told him that be saw the car at the crossing a moment before the actual crash. The fireman reported that he signalled the engineer to apply the train's air brake but by then the car had already met the train. Robinson is the son of the late Mills Herbert Robinson, Sr., and Mrs. Mary E. Robinson, of Windsor. In addition to his mother, he is survived by one sister, Mrs. Ray Harned, of Salem; three brothers, Clifton F. Robinson, of Norfolk; Harrison and M.H. Robinson, Jr., both of Windsor. The body was taken to the I.O. Hill Funeral Home where it will remain until tomorrow at 1:45. At that time it will be taken to the Windsor Baptist Church for services starting at 2:30 p.m. Funeral services will be conducted by the Rev. B.A. Riddle, pastor of the church. Burial will be in the Windsor Cemetery. Rites Held For Raymond Beaton Funeral services for Ernest Raymond Beaton, Jr., who died in a truck-train accident Wednesday, were conducted Friday at the I.O. Hill Funeral Home by Dr. H.S. Hardcastle, pastor of Oakland Christian Church, and the Rev. Julian S. Hopkins, pastor of First Baptist Church. Dr. Hardcastle read the hymn, "Sometimes We'll Understand." Misses Ann and Esther Nelson, accompanied by Mrs. Webb Pinner, sang "Some Day You Will Make It Plain To Me." Miss Ann Nelson sang "God Will Take Care Of You." The pall was of red roses. Pall bearers were Edward W. Britt, R.C. Brinkley, Earl R. Grady, John I. Bradley, Jack R. Parker, Earl Alexander, Joseph Brett and Gene Roberts. Burial was in Holly Lawn Cemetery. Ernest Raymond BEATON, Jr., of Suffolk, Coca-Cola routeman, b. 3 Dec 1932, Suffolk, truck struck by train 2 Jan 1952, near Suffolk, interred in Holly Lawn Cemetery*, Suffolk, 4 Suffolk, "Suffolk (VA) News-Herald," Vol. 30, No. 2, Thurs., Jan. 3, 1952, p. 1; "Suffolk (VA) News-Herald," Vol. 30, No. 3, Fri., Jan. 4, 1952, p. 1; "Suffolk (VA) News-Herald," Vol. 30, No. 4, Sun., Jan. 6, 1952, p. 1 *Additional information: Holly Lawn list, an extension of the Southampton County Historical Society {SCHS} Cemetery Project: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/nansemond/cemeteries/hollyln.txt A photo of his gravestone - added by SMiller - is posted with Find a Grave Memorial #75228984. D.Cert. 1884 (Cypress #1) gives Jr., son of Earnest Raymond Sr. & Elizabeth (JOHNSON) BEATON. His mother's maiden name was actually Elizabeth Frances OLIVER. His father (1903 - 1956) is also there. His gravestone actually shows E. Raynard BEATON. His widow (1933 - 2017) 2m. Melvin BRADY; they are also buried there. Her obit ("Virginian-Pilot," June 7, 2017) is posted with Find a Grave Memorial #180115730. Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by File Manager Matt Harris (zoobug64@aol.com). file at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/nansemond/obits/b350r3ob.txt