Sophia Grammler was a resident of the Home. On Monday, October 5, 1885, she left the home to go visit her grand children on Marion Street. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was running down Delaware Ave NE at the time before turning on I Street NE, right behind the Home. The resident had been gone for only fifteen minutes, when crossing the tracks on Delaware Avenue NE, she was hit by the engine of train no.10 and thrown at a distance of ten to twelve feet. She was taken back to the Home where she was examined by a doctor. The crash had inflicted a broken rib and several bruises. She died at noon that same day.Killed by Train - The Evening Star - October 5, 1885 - Front Page The coroner performed an inquest in this crash and reported on October 7. The jury had listened to several witnesses. According to Robert Nelson, he was working near when he saw the victim in the middle of H Street as the train was coming. The steam chest or cylinder struck her at the hip and she fell. The train immediately stopped and the conductor helped her up with the assistance of a pedestrian present. Another witness, Michael Hill, reported that the victim seems to have walked into the train tracks. By all accounts, the gate was down. The gate had no arms and it appeared that she had walked around it and had not seen the train coming. The conductor stated that he had seen her getting extremely close and had rung the bell to alert her to the danger but with no success. The jury concluded that the lack of barriers around the tracks was to blame for the fatality.Killed by a Train - The Evening Star - October 7, 1885
