FATAL AUTO ACCIDENT
Peter Joseph Gallahue of Piper City was instantly killed at the crossing of S. B. I. Route 115 and the Illinois Central track at Roberts Thursday evening October 27, 1938, when his auto collided with a south bound freight train at that place.
Mr. Gallahue was the son of Patrick and Ella (Russell) Gallahue. He was born at Piper City April 18, 1896 and was therefore aged 42 years, six months and nine days at the time of his death. He was a brother of Supervisor Gallahue of Pella Township. His mother was a Roberts girl and the family were well known here. He was a cousin of the Honorable Joseph W. Russell Representative from this district.
Mr. Gallahue was returning to his home from Hoopeston where he had been attending to official duties in connection with the rural electrification of which board he was a member. He stopped a few minutes in Roberts on his way to Hoopeston. On his return trip at exactly 11:15 P.M. he was going north on 115 and two trucks had stopped at the junction of 115 and 48 before coming on to 115. This junction is about fifty feet south of the I. C. crossing. A freight train was south-west bound at this crossing. This is a dark crossing and the train is mostly hidden by embankment so that it is very difficult to see cars crossing the highway. This was probably made more difficult by the fact that the light of the halted truck were between him and the train. The result was that Mr. Gallahue ran directly into the moving cars and as the train was moving southwest and he directly north it was almost a head on collision. Mr. Gallahue who was alone in the car was killed instantly. The car was made a total wreck. The train came into the village and the crew returned to the scene of the accident. The only actual witnesses to the accident were the drivers of the two trucks which were waiting on 48. The first one of these (the one who was at the junction) drove on and his identity is unknown. The driver who was behind immediately began to do what he could to get help. He stopped passing motorists and called for people from the village. In a very short time H. J. Kain, C. W. Kennedy, G. E. Yackee, E. W. Campbell, Dr. J. A. Colteaux and several others were on the scene. They lifted enough of the wreckage from the car to find that he was dead also enough to get to him to identify him.
Undertaker E. H. Houk of Piper City and Coroner Jayne gave permission to remove the body to Piper City where the inquest was held next day. The coroner's verdict was that he came to his death from a broken neck and other injuries caused by automobile colliding with an Illinois Central freight train.
Funeral services were held at Piper City Monday morning, October 31st.
Peter Joseph Gallahue of Piper City was instantly killed at the crossing of S. B. I. Route 115 and the Illinois Central track at Roberts Thursday evening October 27, 1938, when his auto collided with a south bound freight train at that place.
Mr. Gallahue was the son of Patrick and Ella (Russell) Gallahue. He was born at Piper City April 18, 1896 and was therefore aged 42 years, six months and nine days at the time of his death. He was a brother of Supervisor Gallahue of Pella Township. His mother was a Roberts girl and the family were well known here. He was a cousin of the Honorable Joseph W. Russell Representative from this district.
Mr. Gallahue was returning to his home from Hoopeston where he had been attending to official duties in connection with the rural electrification of which board he was a member. He stopped a few minutes in Roberts on his way to Hoopeston. On his return trip at exactly 11:15 P.M. he was going north on 115 and two trucks had stopped at the junction of 115 and 48 before coming on to 115. This junction is about fifty feet south of the I. C. crossing. A freight train was south-west bound at this crossing. This is a dark crossing and the train is mostly hidden by embankment so that it is very difficult to see cars crossing the highway. This was probably made more difficult by the fact that the light of the halted truck were between him and the train. The result was that Mr. Gallahue ran directly into the moving cars and as the train was moving southwest and he directly north it was almost a head on collision. Mr. Gallahue who was alone in the car was killed instantly. The car was made a total wreck. The train came into the village and the crew returned to the scene of the accident. The only actual witnesses to the accident were the drivers of the two trucks which were waiting on 48. The first one of these (the one who was at the junction) drove on and his identity is unknown. The driver who was behind immediately began to do what he could to get help. He stopped passing motorists and called for people from the village. In a very short time H. J. Kain, C. W. Kennedy, G. E. Yackee, E. W. Campbell, Dr. J. A. Colteaux and several others were on the scene. They lifted enough of the wreckage from the car to find that he was dead also enough to get to him to identify him.
Undertaker E. H. Houk of Piper City and Coroner Jayne gave permission to remove the body to Piper City where the inquest was held next day. The coroner's verdict was that he came to his death from a broken neck and other injuries caused by automobile colliding with an Illinois Central freight train.
Funeral services were held at Piper City Monday morning, October 31st.
--Robert Herald. 2 November 1938.
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