Bay resident loses life on interurban railway

An interurban trolley is pictured in downtown Cleveland. 

Three years of working on the Lake Shore Electric Interurban made George Sarles an old hand on the trolley system. George worked the early morning express run traveling from downtown Cleveland west through the farmlands, often delivering the early morning newspapers to the outlying areas.

Leaving downtown Cleveland a half hour late on July 30, 1905, the trolley car was running at full throttle down Clifton Boulevard. As it rounded a curve on Clifton slick from a heavy rain the night before, the trolley skidded and jumped the tracks. The front trunks slid off the track causing the car to flip over on its side. George was tossed through the vestibule and out of the car, pinning him underneath. Loose live wires came in touch with him. He was electrocuted and died.

George was born in Norwalk, Ohio, on Oct. 27, 1867. We do not know a good deal about his early childhood. He moved to the Cleveland area and married Elizabeth Keyse. They had four sons. He lived in Bay Village at the time of his death. With his passing, the family moved to Rocky River and the name passed out of the Village. George is buried in Lakeside Cemetery.

kay laughlin

I am the Historian for the Bay Village Historical Society. Member and Past President of the society. Lived in the village since 1936.

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Volume 8, Issue 14, Posted 9:43 AM, 07.19.2016