Treestone marker in shape of a locomotive
The Cook County Coroner’s inquest for Herbert C. Van Every states that on June 28, 1894, Herbert, 32, a locomotive fireman, died from “shock and injuries received by the giving way of the crown sheet of the C&NW Rail Road Company’s freight engine No. 773” near Arlington Heights.
A crown sheet on a steam locomotive is a thick steel slab that lies between the firebox and the water in the boiler. If the water level becomes too low in a boiler, the steel overheats, creating intense pressure with devastating consequences. Historical images of crown sheet failures look like monsters with hundreds of strands of bent metal exploding everywhere. Injuries to railroad workers from such failures could be catastrophic.
Tragically, Herbert’s brother, George, was a witness to the accident and testified for the coroner’s report. George, five years older than Herbert, was a locomotive engineer. (Their other brother, Charles, was a steamship engineer.)
Besides the coroner’s report, there seems to be no mention in the press of the C&NW accident. This might be because Herbert’s death was during the height of the nationwide Pullman Strike whose epicenter was Chicago. Newspapers extensively covered clashes with strikers at railyards during the summer of 1894. It is possible that Herbert’s death, not being close to the city of Chicago, wasn’t deemed newsworthy in light of the nationwide boycott that interfered with rail traffic across the country.
The Van Every family faced another devastating loss less than a month after Herbert’s death. Carrie Van Every, Herbert’s daughter, was bitten by a rabid dog while playing in the front yard with friends. The “mad dog” went on to attack another dog, both of which were shot at the scene to prevent further attacks. Carrie’s wounds were addressed, but sadly, she developed hydrophobia (rabies) and died. She was two years and eight months old.
The monument on the family gravesite is arresting, as it includes an engraving of a locomotive engine – presumably, an engine very much like the one that killed Herbert. The marker is a treestone or carved tree stump, which were very popular during the late 1800s and early 1900s when cemeteries were designed to be more park-like and in tune with nature. Herbert’s treestone is truncated, indicating a life cut short, but at the base, large, broad leaves climb the trunk, perhaps indicating that life continues. Atop the tree trunk is an open book engraved with details of the Van Every family’s lives.
Carrie Anne Van Every, Herbert’s wife and Carrie’s mother, lived an additional 44 years. Her two remaining children lived until the 1950s.
Nine members of the Van Every family are buried near the treestone including Herbert, his wife, his mother, three of his children, two of his brothers and a sister-in-law (who was his wife’s sister and married to his brother).
With the distinctive carving at the gravesite, the Van Every family tree literally includes a locomotive steam engine which had such an important impact on the family’s fortunes.
References: Cook County Coroner, The Inter Ocean