County Engineer Hurt; Forman Higgins Killed
November 18, 1921
Saturday morning, at 9:30 o’clock County Engineer J. N. Bidwell and Road Foreman Harry J. Higgins of District No. 2, who was riding with him, were struck by Western Pacific east bound freight train No. 62 at Constantia.
Higgins was instantly killed and Bidwell received very serious injuries suffering concussion of the brain, two broken ribs and internal injuries.
Acting upon instructions from the chief dispatcher of Sacramento, the trainmen immediately placed both men on the train and returned with them to the railroad hospital at Portola, where Mr. Bidwell is at the present time.
Engineer Bidwell and Foreman Higgins had spent the night at Doyle and were on their way to a point just below Constantia, where they were going to look over some new construction work.
They struck the engine and the car was thrown about twenty feet, landing upside down. When the train crew were able to reach them after stopping the train Higgins was lying in a little ditch and Bidwell was on top of him. The only witness to the accident was Fireman Evans, who had just looked out of the cab window as the machine was four or five feet away from the engine.
He saw what was about to happen and noticed that Higgins evidently had just seen the train as he was endeavoring to get out of the car, having one foot over the car door and had a hold of the top of the machine with his right hand, but was unable to make it.
At the coroner’s inquest on Monday, Fireman Evans testified that the train was not making over 25 miles an hour and he did not think that the automobile was making more than 14 miles. The jury held that death was caused by collision with a train.
From last reports received in Susanville Mr. Bidwell is getting along very nicely and it is hoped will be well enough to be brought home within five or six weeks. He is not aware of the death of Foreman Higgins and as he is perfectly conscious he dictated a telegram to his wife who is with him at the hospital, to Charles Hallowell at Susanville, asking that certain material which was needed for the work at Constantia be sent to Higgins at that point, the interests of the county being uppermost in his mind.
The funeral of Mr. Higgins was held at Lassen on November 2nd and was one of the largest funerals that has been seen in some time, a great many people coming from afar. He is survived by a widow and two children and the entire community joins in extending sympathy to the bereaved.
