×

This Week in History: Man caught on tracks is killed

99 years ago in 1921:

A northbound freight train on the Pennsylvania Railroad struck and instantly killed an unidentified man who was sitting on the tracks just west of the Warren Iron & Steel Co. A man who was with the dead man at the time, later identified as Charles Brown, saw the train in time to leap from the tracks and disappeared, and no trace of him could be found in the morning,

His cap was left at the side of the track.

The man was decapitated, his head being found lying between the rails after the train had passed over it and the body tossed to the side of the track. The man was dressed in working clothes — blue overalls, a gray coat and vest and a dark sweater. No papers or cards of any description were found in his pockets. A half-empty bottle of raisin jack was lying on the side of the track and it is believed that the two men were sitting on the track talking and did not notice the fast train bearing down on them.

The dead man was later identified by Brown as John Kulhan of Cleveland, son of a fish dealer on the west side who had been working for the McKee construction company.

50 years ago in 1970:

By a two-to-one margin, Trumbull County taxpayers who spoke at a public hearing at the Trumbull County Administration Building surprisingly voiced their support for enactment of a proposed one-half of one percent piggyback sales tax for Trumbull County.

Those speaking for the tax said the additional funds were needed to continue county services, save the county from financial disaster, and because there were no other alternatives.

Opponents of the tax called it unfair and an additional burden for the elderly and one said the commissioners had not made a sincere effort to solve the financial problems of the county.

Of the some 75 persons attending the hearing, 20 spoke on the tax. Six persons spoke against enactment and 14 for it.

Letters supporting the tax also were received from a number of elected county officials who said their offices would have to shut down if more revenue was not obtained.

25 years ago in 1995:

At the America Online spring-break bash at McMenamy’s in Niles, acronyms like RAM this and ROM that and News on BBS (bulletin board service) bounced around like bullets.

About 140 mouse clickers from five states merged for a weekend reunion of sorts, with people they knew fairly well but never really met face-to-face.

Weekend hosts Jim Sanford and Randy Davis of Vision Tech Electronics Inc. in Cortland said AOL was a nationwide computer network that provided 2 million members news, weather, financial information, sports, hundreds of references and other areas known as “chat rooms,” in which users could talk to one another through computers.

“There may be 25 people talking together in the Ohio Room, with screen names appearing so everyone knows who is speaking,” Sanford explained.

10 years ago in 2010:

The Trumbull County Engineer’s Office received a $50,000 grant to upgrade nearly 2,000 traffic signs. John Picuri, deputy engineer, said the upgraded signs were more visible to motorists. Additionally, a red reflective strip was to be placed on the poles supporting stop and yield signs, Picuri said.

The work, done to meet new regulations calling for greater sign reflectivity, included replacing 1,021 stop signs, 20 yield signs, 11 stop ahead signs, 249 symbol signs and 587 speed limit signs.

The grant through the Ohio County Engineer’s Association was for material only, Picuri said. Installation was to be done by engineer’s office workers.

“This will replace every stop sign our office has jurisdiction over,” Picuri said.

— Compiled from the archives of the Tribune Chronicle by Emily Earnhart.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
     

Starting at $4.85/week.

Subscribe Today