History | Point man dies while trying to cross train tracks
Rhonda Whetstone
for USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
What caused the death of John Hansen, also known as Hans J. Peterson, back in 1899 might seem straightforward, but the answer to that question might be deeper.
Hans J. Peterson was born in Denmark on Nov. 10, 1821, and came here in 1890 at the age of 69, after his wife had died. He left grown daughters in Denmark. Once he arrived, he lived with son Rasmus Hansen at 617 Clark St. in Stevens Point. Rasmus was a well-known tailor here.
The Stevens Point Daily Journal reported that at 10 a.m. on Thursday, July 13, John Hansen, 78, was killed instantly by a Wisconsin Central train on the Central Avenue crossing on the west side.
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Hansen had taken the cows to pasture on the other side of the river, which he had done for years, and then stopped at a little garden plot he planted in the pasture to pick peas for dinner.
Hansen was returning home with the basket of peas under his arm, leisurely walking in the rain, when Engineer Buck on Train No. 6, a passenger train, first saw him. He was about 80 feet west of the track.
The train, the morning passenger train from the north which is due at Point about 10 a.m., was running about eight minutes late, so it was going between 45-50 mph in order to make up time.
Engineer Buck blew his usual signal for the crossing and Hansen seemed to hear it because he at once began to feebly run toward the track to cross ahead of the train.
When Buck noted the man running he tooted his whistle and rang the bell, but Hansen kept running, not looking at the train at all. Buck applied the emergency air but it was too late. Hansen stepped onto the track and was immediately struck and carried about 40 feet from the impact point and then thrown off to the west of the track about 10 feet.
The train finally stopped in about three lengths of itself and Buck reported the incident to the conductor, at which time the train crew and several passengers made their way back to where the body was. Among those was Dr. Roundsville of Milladore who happened to be on the train.
Finding life extinct, the train backed up and the body was placed in the baggage car and carried to the Central Depot where the police took charge of it until it was taken to the Boston Funeral Parlor.
Dr. von Neupert examined the body and found substantial injuries. A coroner's jury was selected and death was found to be accidental.
Son Rasmus did not understand what happened since his father had always been so careful around the tracks, which he crossed several times a day, and his sight and hearing were excellent. The train could be seen approaching for four miles.
Rhonda Whetstone is a columnist for the Stevens Point Journal, Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune and Marshfield News-Herald. Rhonda's Twitter ID is @TribRendezvous if you wish to follow her musings there. You also can get previews of upcoming columns by clicking "like" on Portage to the Past on Facebook. If you have story ideas of a historical nature, email her at Rhonda.Whetstone@gmail.com.