The spring of 1923 clearly demonstrated how working on the railroad was such a dangerous occupation.
As the old saying goes, “If it wasn’t for the bad news, there would be no news at all.”
That’s they way things went for the Ontario & Western and Delaware & Hudson railroads that year.
On a single note of good news, the Walton Reporter of March 24 informed readers, “While no definite date has been set for the construction at Cadosia, it was announced Monday at the O. & W. offices in Middletown that work would probably begin as soon as weather conditions permit.
“The central location of Cadosia as a terminal point has been under consideration for years by O. & W. officials, it was said and the necessity for maintenance, a shop there on a major scale has been apparent.”
Based on the next few months, the need for repairs and maintenance grew incredibly apparent.
According to the Reporter of March 31, “The Utica Flyer, south bound, and train 161, the wayfreight, northbound, came together in a head-on collision near the Maywood station (Sidney Center) Saturday morning, causing the death of one man, the serious injury of six others and slighter injuries to a score or more of passengers in the Flyer.
“George Mason of Sidney, head brakeman on the wayfreight, had his life instantly crushed out. He was coupling the air hood between the fourth and fifth cars behind the locomotive of the wayfreight when the impact sent the engine and box cars hurtling back upon him.”
Apparently the Flyer was supposed to wait at what was called the Niles Switch, but the engineer forgot or ignored the order to wait.
In another tragedy, the Reporter of April 14 said, “Roland D. Cole of Norwich, an Ontario & Western brakeman, met instant death at Oxford early Saturday morning when he was caught between two loaded coal cars and crushed to death.
“Cole’s death was caused when two cars of the long coal train buckled and he was unfortunate to be riding between the two cars. Had he been a car back or one ahead of the two cars that buckled he would probably have escaped uninjured.” Cole was married and had two children.
The “Old & Weary” wasn’t alone in this run of misfortune, as the Reporter of April 21 reported, “Earl Thompson, who moved from Walton to Oneonta last October, was fatally injured in that city Monday evening when caught between a car on the adjacent track and the one on the step of which he was riding down the D. & H. hump into the classification yards of the railroad. He died while being taken to Fox Memorial hospital.” Thompson was 25, married and had a 19-month old son.
The O. & W. was back in the news soon enough as the Reporter of June 23 said, “A man who it was alleged was an illegal train rider was seriously injured Friday night which extra freight train No. 403 piled up on the tracks near Fall Creek trestle, a few miles from Hancock.
“The wrecked train was northbound in charge of Conductor James McDonald of Carbondale. A broken wheel on the second car from the engine, while the train was traveling on a down grade at a speed of about fifteen miles per hour caused the car to jump the track; along with it went the eighteen cars following. The place of the wreck is a filled-in trestle and some of the cars rolled down the embankment, a distance of 60 feet.”
That shop in Cadosia for repairs couldn’t come soon enough, based on all these wrecks. The price was high in terms of injuries and loss of life. Then came other costs following some wrecks.
For example, Reporter readers on July 28 learned, “The wreck of the Utica Flyer at Sidney Center last March…has been followed by three suits for a total of $210,000.
“Damages of $100,000 are asked in each of two actions filed Saturday in United States court, slated for trial before Judge Frank Cooper at Auburn in the fall. The $10,000 negligence suit is filed in Madison county supreme court.”
On Wednesday, plenty was learned in a duo of deadly storms in the spring of 1998.
Oneonta City Historian Mark Simonson’s column appears twice weekly. On Saturdays, his column focuses on the area before 1950. His Wednesday columns address local history 1950 and later. If you have feedback or ideas about the column, write to him at The Daily Star, or email him at simmark@stny.rr.com. His website is oneontanyhistorian.com. His columns can be found at www.thedailystar.com/opinion/columns/.