Clackamas County OR Archives Obituaries.....Bates, Mrs Geo September 15, 1928 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/or/orfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Sheron Faynor nitwittwin@hotmail.com March 10, 2007, 11:45 am Canby Herald September 20,1928 Mrs.Bates Killed By Passenger Train Body Thrown With Car One Hundred Feet And Terribly Crushed Beneath Train Mrs.Geo.Bates was killed instantly Monday afternoon when the car which she was driving was struck by a north bound passenger train ,No.18,in charge of Conductor Hamblin.According to Wm.Dickie,a brakeman employed by the S.P.Co.,who was a witness to the terrible accident,the freight train on which he was working was side tracked to clear the rails on the main line for the passenger due here shortly after 3 p.m. .The Weed street crossing had been cut and the front of the freight train pulled down the track probably 75 feet.He saw the car approaching the open crossing and signaled the driver to stop.Presuming that the order would be obeyed,as the driver appeared to be looking at the moving train,he thought little of the circumstance until a second glance revealed the terrible situation confronting her.The car was on the grade crossing moving slowly when the powerful engine hit it on the right side.It was carried some distance and hurled under the freight car at the end of the train.The womans head appeared to be cut open and her brains were scattered between the spot where the accident occurred and where the demolished car landed.The car, a Chevrolet coupe,was owned by Chas.Bates,son of the unfortunate woman. Mrs.bates was somwewhat inexperienced as a driver,and it is believed that she lost her self control at the sight of the oncoming train and could not stop the car before it reached the crossing.The machine was literally torn to pieces. The county coroner was notified and made a careful investigation of the circumstances.Undertaker S.A.Miller of Aurora took charge of the body.It appears that Mrs.Bates was entirely responsible for her own misfortune.Other witnesses say that she appeared to be looking at the uncoupled train as if expecting it to close up and did not see or hear the passenger train rushing toward her on the main line.But the real cause of the accidnet will probably never be known. mrs.Bates was of a nervous temperamnet and members of her family,it is said,had advised her not to drive the automobile..Mr.Bates was in Portland at the time of her sad misfortune and did not learn of the accident unitl evening when he returned. Officials of the Southern Pacific Co. and members of the public service commision conducted an inquest in the office rooms of the Canby State Bank Tueday morning when several witnesses were examined.C.W.Martyn,representing the railroad company,was in charge.He first called mr Evans,engineer,who stated that he had been running a locomotive for 28 years and was familiar with the lay of the land where the accident happened.He was called on duty at 12:30 that day and had worked about three hours,running from Eugene.He said the train was running thirty miles an hour and was not under orders to stop at Canby.He stated that the brakes were in perfect condition and that everything that was possible was done to prevent the accident.There was no signal at the crossing,he said. He was 200 feet fromt he car when it was first seen. J.R.Sweeney,fireman,was the next witness called.he told much the same story related by the engineer. Mr.Dickie,brakeman on the train,was also a witness tot he accident.He stated that his attention was directed to a truck load of horses moving in the direction of the track ,which he commanded to stop and did not see the woman when the train hit the car.He said it was possible for her to drive upon the track behind him without his knowledge,as he was looking in the opposite direction. Mis Howard,who is living with her grand-mother,Mrs.Chas.Hurias,was also called as a witness.In her opinon mrs.bates was watching the freight train and not directing her attention to the point from which the greatest danger was coming.She stated that Mrs.Ashford of Barlow was also a witness to the accident and tried to attract the unfortunate womans attention by screaming at her,but the car moved forward to the fatal crossing.Mrs.Ashford was not called as a witness.The conductor ont he passenger train was questioned in his capacity and the number of hours on duty,but he could throw no light on the subject further to prove the accident was one which coul dnot be avoided.Prof.Geo.A.Cabriel and L.H.Wang were called on the board of exmainers. The county coroner investigated the case Tuesday afternoon and decided no inquest was necessary. Other officials of the company present at the examination were Geo.Fair and F.E.Cavender. Mrs.bates father and sister arrived from Bosie,Idaho,yesterday morning and her daughter,Maribelle Bates,arrived from Goldendale,Washington,Monday evening.The funeral was held in the Methodist Church yesterday afternoon and internment was made int he Zion cemetary. Mrs.Bates was about fifty years old and had resided in this city for many years.Besides her husband she is survived by four children,Chas.Bates of Canby,Miss Miabelle Gates of Goldendale,Wash,Lillian Bates and Esther Bates both living at home.She was an estimable woman and her tragic death has brought much sorrow to her many friends in the community. Just prior to her death Mrs.Bates had driven to the fair grounds where she had been assisting members of the Womens Civic Club in arranging a booth for the county fair.She made the remark only a day or two ago that she was getting to be a competent driver of the car now and expected to have some good times in the future. The Southern Pacific Co., has never provded signals at any of the crossings in Canby.Trains go through town at a high rate of speed night and day and it has long been felt that there is great danger under present conditions File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/or/clackamas/obits/b/bates3051gob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/orfiles/ File size: 6.3 Kb