This week in Prince George history, Dec. 4-10:
Dec. 8, 1927: A railway employee well-known in Prince George was killed in a bizarre accident near Terrace on Dec. 4, 1927, The Citizen reported.
A.M. Priestly, a CN Rail employee who had worked out of Prince George that summer, died in the Hazelton hospital a few hours after the incident. Priestly had moved to the Prince Rupert to Smithers run a few months before his death.
"The train on which Priestly was travelling left Smithers on Saturday night, and while it was passing a rock-rut about one mile east of Terrace a large rock dropped down the slope and struck the top of the baggage car," The Citizen reported.
"The weight of the rock was sufficient to drive it through the roof of the car immediately over the head of Priestly, who was crushed to the floor."
The train crew rushed Priestly to the hospital in Hazelton, but his injuries were too great and he died that afternoon.
"The piece of rock which killed Priestly was the only large piece of material which came down the slope of the cut, and the theory of the trainmen is that it had been held in place by the frost for some time and was released by the recent thaw," The Citizen reported.
Priestly had a wife and children in Vancouver.
Remember to live every day to the fullest, because you never know when you might be killed by a boulder from the blue.
Dec. 9, 1948: Department of Agriculture inspector Frank E. Moore, 58, was in Prince George and District Hospital being treated for frostbite to both hands and both ears after a harrowing train ride on Dec. 7, 1948.
"Moore, who arrived here last Saturday to confer with experimental farm officials, purchased a lower berth ticket to Jasper on the eastbound train Tuesday (Dec. 7) night," The Citizen reported.
"Arriving at the station a bit early, Moore boarded the train and placed his baggage at his seat, after which he stepped down onto the platform. He was surprised to suddenly see the train start pulling out of the station and he raced towards it and tried the doors of cars as they passed by. Finally, in desperation, Moore grabbed the handrails of a passing car, and finding the door locked, he kicked at it to attract the attention of the trainmen, but in vain."
The train, with Moore clinging to the outside, began to accelerate across the Fraser River Bridge.
"The trestle seemed very long, it was then I realized that I had made a mistake," Moore told The Citizen from his hospital bed. "I had gloves, but my hands were already numb from the cold and I could not get them on. The glass on the door was too high up to be able to break and the train was moving too fast to jump off."
Moore was wearing an ordinary business suit and overcoat, and Prince George was in the midst of a sudden cold snap with temperatures as low as -28 Fahrenheit (-33 Celsius).
"I hammered and hammered at the door and yelled as loud as I could, but nobody seemed to hear me," Moore said. "Finally I fell off. I think we were at Shelley, I'm not sure. It was about eight miles from Prince George, I think. I was so cold I could not hold on any longer, so I let go. The train was moving fairly slowly at the time."
Two men found Moore and drove him back to the hospital in Prince George. Moore believed the ride was a taxi, because the men charged him $8 -worth about $85 in today's prices - for the trip.
Both of Moore's hands were bandaged and his arms had large purple bruises where the bare metal of the handrails touched his skin above the wrists.
Moore was expected to be kept at the hospital for another week before being able to return to Vancouver -hopefully on the inside of the train.
Okay, so Moore wasn't too bright to grab onto the train. But extorting a half-frozen man for a lift to the hospital is just low.
• To explore 100 years of local history yourself, visit the Prince George Citizen archives online. The Prince George Citizen online archives are maintained by the Prince George Public Library.
