THE DAILY EUGENE GUARD 8-1-1900
DAVID KAUBLE WOUND AROUND SHAFT AT COBURG David Kauble, an employee of the
Booth Kelly Lumber Co. in their planing mill at Coburg, met with a horrible death this morning. He was caught by a belt while trying to throw it off a wheel, and literally crushed to pieces. A moment after swinging around the shaft, A. C. Wheeler saw him and immediately signaled to W. T. Hawthorn to stop the engine. Together with their employee they rushed to where the unfortunate man was, but found life extinct. According to testimony of Dr. Cheshire, who went with coroner G.W. Griffen to the scene of the accident, the injuries were terrible. All the
bones of the cheat were broken, and the sternum mashed in several pieces. All the ribs were crushed in. The right arm was torn off at the elbow and badly mangled. The left arm was almost severed at the shoulder, the bone above the elbow was broken in two places and the forearm badly crushed and mangled. The right thigh was broken in two places, and the right leg broken in several places. The left leg was broken in several places and the foot crushed. A small fracture of the left temple was found and the neck was broken.
Aside from Dr. Cheshire, the following witnesses were
examined, all being employee of the company, and working near Kauble when the accident occurred:
A. C. Wheeler, W. T. Hawthorne, Carp Gray, Herbert Jones, Geo. W. Catching. Their statement is that Kauble must have gone below to throw a belt to save stopping the engine, and was caught on the belt. It was done so quickly that no one saw him drawn around the shaft.
Kauble had been cautioned several times to not throw a belt in this manner, and was not required to do so. It
was evidently a case of carelessness on his part, made so by long use of machinery. Mr Kauble had been working in the mill at Coburg for about fifteen years for Mr. Goodale, and for the Booth Kelly Company since they purchased the property. He was a good workman and considered careful and competent. He was well liked among the employee and associates and had no enemies. David Kauble was about 41 years old, unmarried, and leaves a father, mother and two sisters, Mrs, Wesley Beeson and Mrs. James Tillman. He was
a member of Coburg lodge No.263, Woodmen of the World, West Point lodge No 62 I.O.O.F. and Diamond
Rebekah lodge No.89. In the Woodman he carried $2000 insurance. It is a singular coincidence that Mr. Kauble was killed within 10 feet of the place where a sister , Mrs. Sam Skinner, was killed about 15 years ago when the sawmill was owned by Hiram Smith. The following is the coroners Jury report: We, the undersigned jury called to investigate the death and cause of death of David Kauble, find that the body before us in the remains of the said David Kauble and that he came to his death by being caught and crushed on a counter shaft on the lower floor of the planing mill belonging to the B. K. Lbr. Co. at Coburg Ore. on the morning of Aug 1. 1900. We hold no one responsible for the accident.
W. M. VanDuyn (Foreman)
H. A. Macey
E. P. Coleman
H. C. Owen
M. L. Hendricks
Benjamin Feeder
(above is transcribed). RIP Mr. Kauble.
Best wishes in your searching.