The Tragedy at Pontiac Station

Alexander Ross, a deaf man who had been staying at the county poor farm for most of the winter until a few days ago, was killed by passenger train No. 1 on the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern railroad near Pontiac station at about 9 o'clock yesterday morning. C. E. Davis, the engineer, stated the train was traveling toward Seattle at approximately thirty miles per hour when, rounding the curve near Pontiac, he saw a man walking along the track about 200 yards ahead. He whistled and assumed the man would step off within seconds. Finding the man paid no heed, he whistled again, then applied the air brakes, reversed the engine, and applied sand to the tracks. The engine was quite close to the man when the engineer kept ringing the bell constantly, but to no avail. Ross was struck while walking in the middle of the track and was thrown headlong, suffering a large gash in his temple and two on the back of his head from striking rocks. The train stopped about twice its own length past him. The man was in a dying condition when placed in the baggage car, and by the time the train reached Seattle, he had breathed his last. His body was taken to Bonney Stewart's undertaking rooms to await word from his brother in the East.