Tragic Death of a Popular Rail Conductor
James Tierney, a veteran switchback conductor on the Great Northern line, was fatally injured in an industrial accident near Leavenworth.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
James Tierney, conductor in charge of the Cascade switchback on the Great Northern line, lies dead in a caboose at this place, the body awaiting the instructions of friends. About 2 o'clock last night he was bringing a freight down the east side, and while on the coal log fell from the top of a box car and was run over and fatally injured. He was placed in the caboose and brought to Leavenworth, where he died about 2 o'clock this morning. Tierney was 37 years old, and one of the most efficient and popular men on the line.
“Tierney was 37 years old, and one of the most efficient and popular men on the line.”
Railroad work in the 1890s was notoriously deadly, with workers frequently crushed or maimed by the heavy machinery they operated. While modern labor regulations have improved safety, the hazards of freight transportation remain a significant part of the regional economy's human cost.
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