This week in Prince George history, June 5-11:
June 11, 1951: A local road crew foreman died of severe internal injuries on June 7, 1951 after becoming tangled in the tracks of a moving tractor the day before.
"Evidence brought out at a coroner's inquest Friday night revealed that (Michael) Tadich would still be alive had he heeded the advice of a youthful tractor operator, George Hoggen," The Citizen reported. "Hoggen told the six-man coroner's jury that he and Tadich had been doing roadwork and had headed back to camp for lunch when the fatal accident occurred. Tadich was the foreman on the job."
Tadich climbed onto the frame of the tractor to ride back to the work camp. Hoggen asked Tadich to climb into the cabin with him, but Tadich said told him he was fine where he was, The Citizen reported from the inquest.
"A short distance further on, the driver again asked Tadich to crawl up onto the seat, and again the foreman declined," The Citizen reported. "A few minutes later Hoggen, who was busy steering the big machine, looked down to see Tadich sitting on the tracks. He stopped the tractor instantly and, seeing his passenger caught by the lower part of his body, reversed the tractor a short distance until he was free."
Hoggen told the jury that Tadich got up, moved away from the track and then collapsed. The driver rushed back to the camp, and Tadich was loaded into a truck and driven into town to the hospital, where he died the following afternoon.
"Medical testimony given at the inquest showed that the injured man was badly mangled by the tracks internally. Investigation at the scene of the accident showed that the lower part of his body had been forced through a four-inch space between the track and the frame," The Citizen reported.
The coroner's inquest ruled the death accidental.
It's said that familiarity breed contempt. It's easy to become complacent to the everyday dangers we face at the workplace, at home and out and about.
But it's worth remembering that just because you use something every day - like the vehicle in your driveway or the equipment at work - doesn't make it safe or benign.
June 7, 1916: On June 5, 1916 Prince George city council approved a motion calling for the city to pay the legal expenses of Mayor W.G. Gillett.
Gillett was accused of "illegally cutting the wires of an electrical company licensed to do business within this city," The Citizen reported. "Incidentally it might be chronicled that W. Gillett is mayor of Prince George, though the action complained of was not brought against him as the city's chief magistrate, but rather as a private citizen. Immediately following the cutting of the wires a hurry-up meeting of 'the faithful four,' Gillett's supporters on the aldermanic board, was called and his action was endorsed."
The charge against Gillett was dismissed "owing to an omission in the indictment..."
Alderman Watson was the lone dissenting voice on council opposing paying the mayor's legal costs.
W.G. Gillett was the first mayor of the city, taking office on May 20, 1915, according to City of Prince George records. He served from 1915 to 1916, and was responsible for the construction of Prince George's first city hall.
Gillett apparently wasn't a stranger to conducting business in an irregular fashion. He was the only mayor in the history of the province to have personally signed a bank note to obtain a loan to allow the city to operate.
Apparently he threatened to resign several times during his term in office over issues surrounding the location of the railway station, but couldn't because his resignation would have immediately cancelled the loan keeping the city afloat, according to the City of Prince George.
June 8, 1950: Shelley storekeeper Richard Kidston, 60, was killed when a gas explosion capsized his dinghy on Six Mile Lake on June 7, 1950, The Citizen reported.
Witnesses said Kidston was at the lake for a fishing trip and was preparing to take three children from Shelley for a ride when the explosion happened.
"Valiant work by two witnesses, Raymond Mann and John Jones, saved the lives of the three children whose ages ranged from nine to 14 years," The Citizen reported. "The (dinghy) in which the accident occurred was only a short distance from the shore... when Kidston tried to start the motor after cleaning it out with gasoline. The motor is believed to have backfired and caused the gas fumes around the engine to ignite."
Mann and Jones quickly rowed out to the scene.
Kidston was seen swimming towards the boat, but sank before Mann and Jones could reach him, The Citizen reported. Jones dove overboard and handed the children into the rowboat.
Kidston's body was later recovered by police. He was well known in the district and had owned and operated the general store and post office in Shelley for many years.
"He was the past grand exalted ruler of the Elks Lodge here and was noted as an Arctic traveller having, at one time, spent many years in Alaska and the Yukon," The Citizen reported. "(The) deceased had no relatives in this district but efforts are being make to contact a branch of his family thought to be living in Eastern Canada."
A sad end for a well-known local man.
To explore 100 years of local history yourself, visit the Prince George Citizen archives online at: pgc.cc/PGCarchive. The Prince George Citizen online archives are maintained by the Prince George Public Library.
