The Goldendale Sentinel, Goldendale, WA., October 30, 1958, page 1

FALLING TREE KILLS LOGGER

     A falling snag killed a rancher-logger at his place 5 miles north of White Salmon last Friday at about 1 p.m., according to a report from Sheriff E.C. Kaiser.
     The victim was 63-year-old Charles Edward Davis, who owned the property, called the old Wnuk place.
     Davis and his nephew, Hite Lee Rapelje, were logging on a steep hillside. A dead tree, leaning back into the woodlot caused the tragedy.
     Rapelje climbed the tree to affix a choker line, and Davis pulled the tree forward with a tracklayer tractor. The tree started to crash free, Davis leaped off the tractor, which was still moving, but, was unable to avoid the fal1ing tree.
     Death came almost instantly, according to reports. An ambulance was summoned to take Davis' body to the Gardner Funeral Home in White Salmon for funeral and burial arrangements.

The Mt. Adams Sun, Bingen, WA., October 30, 1958, page 1

CHARLES DAVIS KILLED BY TREE

     Charles E. Davis, 63, Snowden route, was killed instantly at 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24 when struck by a falling tree. Although his nephew Hite Lee Rapalje and a hay-buyer, Clyde Dillon, were near, tall brush prevented their actually seeing the accident.
     According to Deputy Sheriff John Splawn, Davis had felled to a tree which laid back into the timber instead of toppling. To bring it to earth, Davis stood on his "cat", hooked a steel cable as high as he could reach on the tree, let out about 100 feet of cable and proceeded to haul on the tree.
     Instead of falling to the right, the tree fell straight at Davis who apparently saw it coming. He jumped out of the right side of the tractor's armored cab into a the tangle of vine maple.
     The eight-inch thick trunk struck him directly on the head and a four-inch limb stabbed him through the back. If he had stayed in the cab, he would have been safe.
     The accident occurred on the 600-acre Steve Wnuk place, four miles north of White Salmon, which Davis bought from Luke C. Rakow in 1952.
     Mr. Davis was born June 15, 1896 and is survived by his wife Winifred and nephew Hite Lee Rapelje, both of W.S.; stepson, Wm. Hartin of Vancouver, B.C.; sisters Anna Wilson, Lula Morgan and Ema Davidson, all of Nebraska; and brother W.H. Davis in Arizona.
     Services were held at 2 p.m. yesterday, Oct. 29, at Gardner's Funeral Home. The Rev. Raymond Galligan of Hood River officiated. Burial was in the Odd Fellows cemetery.
     Pall bearers were H.J. Smith, W.G. Chappel, Alvin L. Lovell, Clyde Dillon, Robert Howard and John Prong.

[HOME]
©  Jeffrey L. Elmer