Press enter after choosing selection

Danger Of Coasting

Danger Of Coasting image
Parent Issue
Day
1
Month
January
Year
1897
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

A party of yonug people ooasting down the E. Madison st. hill, iu this city, oü Monday nignt, had nn exceedingly narrow escape from instant death, through their coaster beiug run into by the switch engiue of the Aun Arbor Railroad. whicb was in charge of Engineer Malouey and, Fireman E. T. Alher. The sled they were using was a 16 feet long coaster and at the time of the accident was tilled with a merry party of young Jadíes and gentlemen, seated on it iu the following order: Hurbert Prescott, who sat iu front aod was steering it, Miss Irene Duffy, Nate Duffy, the Misses Kate and Mary Kearney, N. T. Burlingame, Ralph Bowdell, H. R. Bowman and another yonng fellow who jutnped onto the sled on its course down the hill. Under ordinary ciroumstauces the sleds will not go clear aoross the railroad track, bnt duriug afternoon and evening boys had sprinkled the hill with water and it was covered with ice. The oonstant passing down of sleds has worn a deep rut in the road and in this rut the coaster was moving rapidly downwards. A row of freight cars standing next the s-treet preveuted the party from seeing that the yard engine was moving quiokly backward across the street and it was not nntil tbey had nearly reacbed the track that they saw thfe engine. Mr. Prescott saw that te attempt to turn the sled out of the rut would only make matters worse ao be let it drive straight onwards. Bowdell, Bowtnan and the other yonng fellow seeing what was coming slid off the brbs aud were uuhuit. The engineer seetned to see tbem at abont the sanie time and he applied the air brake to his flngiue wit such force that the sparks flew from the wheels in his endeavor to stop it. Twelve feet of the coaster bad passed safely over the track when the tender of the engine strnck the hind bob aud caught the board, lifting it up and carrying it along. All the young people were thrown violently off. Mr. Bnrlingame being thrown nearly 50 feet by the cocussion and it is thonght that the engine struck him. Two of his ribs were broken and were so badly orushod in that his lungs were torn, he was also otherwise bruised up. Miss Mary Kearney was. throwu to the grounti with great foroe, alighting on her head and tight shoulder. She received a severe cut in her head and her shoulder was badly strained. The rest of the party were only slightly brnised. O. M. Martin's ambulance was called and the two wounded ones were taken to the University hospital, where Drs. O. B. Nanorede and C. G. Darling attended to their injuriess and made tbem as comfortable as possible. Both Miss Kearuey and Mr. Burlingame, at present writing are doing as well as could be expeoted, and their oomplete recovery is only a question of time.

Article

Subjects
Ann Arbor Argus
Old News