| Notes |
- Castile NY Castilian - 12/17/1909
Railroading exacts a terrible toll each
year from the men who are employed in
that work, and every day the papers report
several cases of those who give up
their lives in the performance of their
duties. Castile has g i v e t u p a score or
more of her citizens in this way, and
now another has answered the last sum-
mons without a moment's warning.
Saturday morning about five o'clock,
Fred Billings, conductor, left Hornell
with the Erie " P i c k - u p " and a string
seventy live cars,' All trains have to
stop for orders at Burns, for the single
track between that place and Canaser-
aga, and in order not to loose any time,
Conductor Billings, jumped from the
engine, secured his orders and attempted
to board his train again. Just how he
met his death will never be known, and
one saw the accident. It is supposed
t h a t in running along the track, he
stumbled over a pile of cinders and was
thrown under the wheels. The train
proceeded to Canaseraga, and it was
there they first missed him. Following
them was passenger train 23, but he did
not come on that, so taking the engine
and caboose, they started out to look for
him. Meantime another freight train in
charge of Conductor Bromley, came
along and discovered the body lying on
the track. They picked him up, car-
ried him into the station and notified
Coroner A. T. Bacon of Canastaga,
who ordered the body taken to that
place.
Sunday morning, the remains were
brought here and taken to the undertak-
ing rooms of Clark M. Aldrich, where
they were prepared for burial. The
funeral was held from the home of his
mother, Mrs. Ezra Billings Monday
afternoon at two o'clock and the burial
was in Hope cemetery. Rev. C. R. Buck
officiated. The bearers were railroad
men, members of his own crew. There
was a profusion of flowers.
Fred Billings was born in Castile 41
years ago, and was the son of Ezra
and Sarah Crissy Bilings, and for the
past twenty-one years he has been in the
employ of the Erie railroad, for the most
part making his home in Buffalo. He
was of a genial disposition, and was well
iked by the men who worked with him.
He was never married; but leaves a
mother and three brothers, Albert, Wal-
ter and Merton Billings, all of this place.
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1866 - 1909 (43 years)