100 years ago in O’Fallon: Bystander saves teen from being crushed by a train
O’Fallon was no stranger to train fatalities over the years. But on Wednesday, June 27, 1923, a quick-thinking bystander turned what would have been certain death for a teenager into a miraculous rescue at the O’Fallon train depot on East First Street.
Here’s how the Progress reported the story back then:
“A quick presence of mind on the part of Adam Elliott, Sr., a local coal miner, probably saved Miss Helen Schwarz, 14 years old, from being ground to death under the wheels of a fast mail train in front of the B. & O. depot, yesterday afternoon.
“The girl was crossing the tracks and accidentally tripped and fell, landing between the rails. In falling she struck the outer rail and in a partly stunned condition made several futile attempts to rise. When she started to cross the tracks the fast east-bound noon mail was about two blocks distant.
“Elliott, who was seated opposite the depot noticed the girl’s predicament and with quick presence of mind rushed to her assistance. He reached her side when the onrushing train was within fifty feet from where the girl had fallen. Elliott took one glance in the direction of the train and with a herculean effort picked up the prostrate form and stepped onto the station platform as the fast mail rushed by.
“A number of persons around the depot who witnessed the feat turned their heads, expecting the girl and her rescuer to be ground to death under the train. The engineer of the train witnessed the incident and is said to have turned his head the other way as his train reached the spot, being helpless to make any effort to stop at the speed his train was traveling.
“Miss Schwarz was only stunned and was quickly revived. She is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Schwarz.”
Helen grew up, married Raymond Schilling, raised a family, worked as a billing clerk for Hussmann and Roper Freight Lines, and lived to be 70 years old.
75 years ago, July 1, 1948
The entire community was greatly shocked and grieved to learn of the sudden and unexpected death of L.R. Cartier, 48-year-old president of the Independent Engineering Company, Inc., of O’Fallon, which occurred at 8 o’clock Tuesday night.
Mr. Cartier, who was ill for the past six weeks, had just returned from an extended stay in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where he was stricken while attending the convention of Rotary International at Rio. He was accompanied on this trip by his wife, Mrs. Effie Mae Cartier, who remained with him during his illness and accompanied him home.
It had been Mr. Cartier’s earnest desire to get home and he had been home about an hour when he passed away. Death was due to the recurrence of a heart attack.
Mayor Henry M. Hesse issued a proclamation requesting all businesses to close Friday between the hours of 9 and 10 a.m. during the funeral services in respect of the deceased.
(The Retail Affairs Committee of the O’Fallon Chamber of Commerce published a notice to that effect in the Progress. Cartier was the first president of both the Chamber and the O’Fallon Park Board, each founded in 1946.)
50 years ago, June 28, 1973
The Feedbag Restaurant has been recognized by the Coffee Brewing Center in New York City, being named the winner of the Golden Cup Award for serving one of the best cups of coffee in the country.
This is the second year in a row that the restaurant has received the award.
The award presented Monday afternoon by Andrew Jackson of the Coffee Brewing Center, a center which just samples coffee through some technical tests and determines if the coffee is properly prepared, contains the right amount of oils and other chemicals. If the coffee passes the tests, then the award is given.
The awards cover restaurants throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe.
June Lehmann, manager of the Feedbag Restaurant said, “For a long time we have been trying to make the best coffee and even after we’ve won this we realize that there is still a lot to learn about properly preparing coffee.”
The Coffee Brewing Center is a non-profit laboratory sponsored by the coffee growing countries of the world. Jackson said that the Feedbag Restaurant uses 120 coffee trees a week with the amount of coffee it uses.
One coffee tree produces one pound of coffee. The restaurant uses 300,000 coffee trees or close to 6,500,000 coffee beans a year.
(The site of the Feedbag, which closed in 1986, is now home to the OTHS South Campus at 706 E. Highway 50.)