COLLECTION NAME:
NNRy and KCC NMD Employee Profiles
Record
Employee Name:
Claude Cummins
Profile Number:
EP-01-0022
Primary Job Title:
Engine Wiper
Other Job Title:
Hostler Helper
Division:
Nevada Northern Railway
Years Worked:
1909
Description:
Claude first started working as an engine wiper in the East Ely Enginehouse April 13, 1909 working under his father H.L. Cummins who was the night foreman. On June 11, 1909, Claude was tasked by his father to fill in as hostler helper when the regular helper quit. Locomotive #1 needed to be moved to the cinder pit to have the fire cleaned. The crew led by hostler J.H. McCauley boarded the locomotive at the enginehouse and moved to the south switch of the cinder pit track. Claude got off the locomotive and threw the switch and waved the locomotive forward and then attempted to board the pilot of the locomotive. He slipped and went under the locomotive, his right arm and leg being crushed beneath the pilot wheels. The locomotive stopped and called for help. His father arrived on the scene minutes after the accident and Claude was moved, first to the East Ely Depot and then to Steptoe Hospital. He was taken into surgery and had his right arm and leg amputated and appeared to be doing better. Twelve hours after the accident, Claude succumbed to his injuries. The railroad closed the railroad shops the day of the funeral and the NN baseball team postponed their game.
Born:
September 1893
Died:
June 11, 1909
Hometown:
Nevada
Burial Place:
Ely City Cemetery, Ely, NV
Personal Biography:
Cuade Cummins was born September 1893, the oldest of four children. His parents, Herbert and Elizabeth Cummins were both from Missouri. The family lived in different mining towns including Cherry Creek and Lane City before settling in East Ely when Herbert became employed by the railroad when it arrived. In 1909, Herbert was the night enginehouse foreman and hired Claude as an enginewiper at the age of 15. He was very close to his mother and strove to do his part to provide for his parents. He received $60 for his first paycheck presenting this to his mother. In turn she gave him $10 back to "do with as he pleased, without any restrictions whatever." Claude immediately set out for the store where he purchased some wearing apparel for his mother and proudly returned home with the package. He was well liked among his peers and had a wide circle of friends. On June 11, 1909 he was crushed under the wheels of Locomotive #1 while acting as hostler helper under the direction of his father. News of his death traveled quickly through the town and the railroad closed the shops to allow the workers to attend his funeral. His funeral was held at the family home on 17th Street and Ave F led by Rev. James R. Barr. His friends, many the sons of railroad workers, were his pall bearers. A long procession of carriages, railroad men on foot and an Ely Townsite bus loaded with school children went from the family home to the cemetery. Dr. Wallace would remark "The grit of the boy has never been exceeded in the hospital, the shock to his system was simply too much for him to overcome." On June 27, 1909, a memorial emblem to Claude was placed in the cornerstone of the First Methodist Episcopal Church at East Ely which was laid in an elaborate ceremony lead by the Masons.
Claude Cummins
