Surry County Virginia USGenWeb Archives Obituaries.....Barlow, James W., 1933 

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JAMES WAVERLY BARLOW 

HIGHWAY TRUCK DRIVER FATALLY INJURED IN CRASH 

JAMES WAVERLY BARLOW,  of Bacons Castle, Killed in Grade Crossing Accident 

  James Waverly Barlow, 17, State Highway Department truck driver, was 
instantly killed at 7 o'clock Thursday morning at the Yadkin grade crossing 
of the Norfolk & Western Railway when his truck was struck by an eastbound 
passenger train running into Norfolk from Cincinnati.  The train was delayed 
for several hours after the accident while a wrecking crew replaced the front 
trucks of the locomotive on the rails.

  Barlow's home was at Bacons Castle.  He was the son of J. Wesley and the 
late Mrs. Sarah Hollomon Barlow.

  Barlow was engaged in hauling road material for the State Highway Department 
and was driving a truck and trailer when the accident occurred.  He was 
traveling south on the road from Bowers Hill to Deep Creek and had jus driven 
up on the crossing when the accident occurred.  The crossing over the Norfolk 
& Western tracks is rather high at Yadkin, and it is believed that when Barlow 
mounted it with his truck he was not aware of the approach of the train.

No Witnesses 

  There were no witnesses to the accident as far as the coroner of Norfolk 
County.  Dr. L.C. Ferebee could ascertain in his investigation.

  The theory is that Barlow, when about to cross the tracks, suddenly saw the 
train bearing down upon him and in haste to made the crossing in safety, his 
machine choked.

  The coroner's investigation revealed that neither the engineer or fireman of 
the train saw Barlow's truck run up on the crossing.  The first they knew was 
when the crash came and they realized they had hit something.  The Barlow 
truck was demolished.  Parts of it were scattered for 200 yards along the 
track.  When the pony trucks of the locomotive left the rails the train ran 
a quarter of a mile from the crossing before it came to a standstill.  The 
front of the locomotive was badly damaged by the crash.  The pilot was torn 
loose, and the heavy iron and woodwork of the engine twisted and torn by the 
impact of the collision.

  Barlow's body was found about 200 feet from the crossing.  He had been 
decapitated and his right leg fractured.

  Dr. Ferebee took the testimony of the train crew on the scene of the 
accident and rendered a verdict of accidental death.

  Barlow, in addition to his father, is survived by two sisters, the Misses 
Mildred and Helen Barlow; three half brothers, Thomas Beale and Linwood and 
Charles Wesley Barlow.

  Funeral services were conducted at 3 o'clock Friday afternoon at the family 
burial ground, Bacons Castle.


James Waverly BARLOW, State Highway Dept. truck driver, 
b. 10 Apr 1915, Bacons Castle, 
struck by train 23 Mar 1933, Yadkin crossing, South Norfolk, 
interred in the family cemetery, Bacons Castle, 24 Mar 1933, 
"The Smithfield (VA) Times," Vol. 12, No. 51, Mar. 30, 1933, p. 1 

Birthdate &c. from D.Cert. #7156 (Deep Creek #8), which gives his occupation 
   as Shofer [sic; chauffeur] and states his death was not related to his work.

His father's obit ("Smithfield Times," Oct. 23, 1941) is posted at: 
   http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/surry/obits/b640j4ob.txt 
   It states he was buried in the Old Brick Church Cemetery, Bacons Castle.


Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by 
Carolyn Keen (VAHistoricHouses@aol.com) & 
Mrs. Bruce Saunders (bs4403@verizon.net), 
and re-formatted by File Manager. 

file at: 
http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/surry/obits/b640j5ob.txt