OBIT: Eli GREEN, 1881, Altoona, Blair County, PA

Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by JRB

Copyright 2010.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/blair/
_________________________________________ 

ELI GREEN DEAD.
Altoona's Fat Man Breathes His Last.

  At half past 4 o'clock on Thursday afternoon Eli Green, Altoona's 
largest citizen, breathed his last at the residence of his sister, Mrs. 
Zimmerman, who lives on Twelfth avenue, near Fifteenth street.  On 
Friday Eli while walking in the roundhouse fell down and hurt himself, 
his legs refusing to longer bear up the immense weight.  Great trouble 
was experienced by his fellow workmen in again getting him on his feet.  
The next day he had another severe fall while walking on the street and 
since that time he has complained of a pain in his side, and it is 
supposed one of his ribs was broken.  He weighed about four hundred and 
forty pounds, was rather short - not over five feet and eight inches 
high - and all the enormous adipose tissue was in his body, his arms 
and legs being of about normal size.  The Messrs. Tipton laid the body 
out and so unwieldy was it that it took about ten men to lift and 
arrange it.  The body was extended in a great layer half way down to 
the knees and almost up to the ears, his neck being completely 
enveloped.  The coffin will be of box shape, as nothing ordinary could 
be used, and it will be about two feet four inches square by six feet 
long.  The funeral will take place on Saturday afternoon; interment at 
Fairview cemetery.  Eli was born in Bedford county and was at the time 
of his death about 47 years of age.  He never married, although in 
early life his size was no impediment.  In early life Eli drove a boat 
on the old State canal and was fond of telling of his adventures while 
at that work.  Later he became an engineer and it was while at this 
employment that he grew to such an enormous size.  It was one of his 
peculiarities that he could never stay awake for over ten minutes at a 
time, and no matter where he was or what he was doing he would fall 
asleep.  While taking one of these little naps his engine was burnt 
out, and then the company took him off the road and put him to work in 
the round house.  This was about nine or ten years since, and he has up 
to within a week been employed there, but his duties were very light 
and one of his companions playfully said that all that was expected of 
him was that he should walk around the round house twice a day that 
they should know he was about.  Eli was one of the best natured men who 
ever lived, and there are very few people in Blair county who did not 
know him.  At the time of the political campaign he would get on a 
stool out in the street near Allen's restaurant, his boarding place, 
and nearly everybody in the parade, whether Republican or Democratic, 
stopped to speak or shake hands with him.  Unlike most people who are 
fat he took great delight in his size and used to tell of it with 
pleasure.  Of course his clothes were enormous and six ordinary-sized 
young men could get into one of his shirts at the same time.  He has 
only been ill for about a week and did not suffer severely, although 
death must have been a great relief for him.  Quite a number of his 
relatives are living, including brothers named Thomas, who is in the 
West; Samuel, who is located at Lilly's; and David and William, 
residents of this city.  All these are of ordinary size.  Altoona's 
largest man is gone, and many will miss him.

Morning Tribune, Altoona, Pa., Friday, January 28, 1881

Eli Green, of Altoona.

ELI GREEN, THE FAT MAN OF ALTOONA, PA. [illustration]

  The Altoona (Pa.) Daily Sun, of January 28th, contains a full report 
of the career of Eli Green, one of the large citizens of that place.  
Mr. Green was 467 pounds in weight, and was about forty-seven years old 
when he died, on January 27th.  He was born in Bedford County, Pa., 
where he resided till March 28th, 1848, when he removed to Mary Ann 
Forge, in Altoona County [sic].  After that he was driver of coal 
trains for some years, and successively fireman and engineer for the 
Pennsylvania Company on the Mountain Division.  He remained in this 
capacity until he grew so fat that he was liable to fall asleep on his 
engine and thus endanger the property of the company and the lives of 
its employes.
  Appreciating his services, the company, in 1870, to prevent any 
accident that Mr. Green could not really be held accountable for, 
tendered him a place in the round-house No. 3, in Altoona, which he 
accepted, and where he worked at packing pistons until a week before 
his death.  Mr. Green was not more than five feet five inches, and when 
he first went railroading he weighed about one hundred and forty 
pounds.  He gradually increased in weight, and finally was so stout 
that he had to abandon his employment with the company, starting a 
restaurant on Tenth avenue, in 1870, under the present Arlington House, 
and here "the wonder grew" in weight and years.
  About the middle of January he met with a severe accident which 
resulted in his death.
  Mr. Aleck Vaughan, the Logan House engineer, was an old schoolmate of 
Green's at Newry, Pa.  Mr. Vaughan tells a great many incidents in the 
life of his friend which will be appropriate at this time.  A party of 
boys were fishing near Newry in 1832, and Eli and Mr. Vaughan were of 
the party.  Eli was wading in the creek in his bare feet and his heel 
was badly cut by a sharp stone in the bed of the stream.  The wound 
bled profusely, and Mr. Vaughan and his companions staunched the flow 
with their pocket handkerchiefs.  Mr. Vaughan then picked up Eli and 
carried him on his back to Newry, distant about a quarter of a mile, 
where his injuries were attended to.
  Eli at that time was about five years old, weighed about fifty 
pounds, and was considered the baby of the party.  During his youth 
many such incidents occurred, and the boys used to get him on the 
tanbark and make him turn somersaults clear of the ground, which he 
could do with as much agility as a professional circus performer.  He 
was a very active boy, took great delight in athletic exercises, and 
was a most accomplished dancer of jigs, the Virginia Reel, and other 
odd performances.  He was as open-hearted and generous a man as ever 
breathed the air of heaven, and would give away the last cent to assist 
suffering humanity.  An instance of his generosity is given in the 
following story: While he kept the Tenth Avenue restaurant a couple of 
tramps entered his place one night, and Eli, observing their apparent 
destitution, asked them what they wanted.  They said they were broke 
and had no money.  "You're wet and cold, are you?"  They said they 
were, and Eli made them take off their clothing and hang the garments 
to dry.  "You're hungry, ain't you? and they said they were.  Eli, 
after remarking to Mr. Vaughan, who was present, "Aleck, I guess I'd 
better give them a warm stew," at once went to work and prepared each 
an excellent stew of oysters. though it was almost midnight, which they 
discussed with great gusto.  Seeing they hesitated about retiring, Eli 
asked, "Where are you going to sleep to-night?" and they said they had 
no place to go.  He then gave them benches to sleep upon, and they had 
a good night's rest.  Eli, of course, owing to his obesity, fell asleep 
in a huge chair, and while he slumbered late into the morning, the men 
whose lives he had saved in reality arose and sneaked out, taking a 
coat that belonged to one of his customers, who had left it there to 
dry.  He discovered the theft, and meeting Aleck Vaughan a day or two 
after, he remarked emphatically, "Them --- --- took the coat that 
belonged to one of my customers!"
  At his funeral, the coffin which held his body was six feet long, two 
feet four inches wide and one foot and nine inches deep.  Eight 
pallbearers carried the coffin to the hearse.
  He will be greatly missed in Altoona, where his portly form has been 
for some many years a familiar object.

Undated clipping from the scrapbook of Abigail Ann (Black) England.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/blair/1picts/englandscrapbook/anniesscra
pbook.htm