A Close Call

The ooaetlng was goot! Tuesday night and as usual, when such is the case, Madison 1 reet hill is alive with merry coasters. Although the rnilroad track croSBes the streot near the foot of the Wil, and trains are frequently passing, eomparatively few accidents have happened. It was no surprise when it was learned Tuesday night thatan accident had occurred at the railroad crossing. At about nine o'clock Tuesday night a pair of coasting bobs started down the hill. It carricd Miss Kate Kearney, Irene Dufty, Nate Dufïy, Albert Bowman, Iialph Boydel!, and Courtiiey Burlingame, Just ahead of them was another pair of bobs loaded with girls. witli Miss Cady, daughter of Aid C. H. Cady, in front, guidinr the sled. .lust as the sleds reached the foot of the hill a and werc noaring the rail-oad track, those on tho forward sled sav an engine backing clown towards tho and Miss Cady promptly ran hersleigh load into the gutter thus avoiding all danger. The 9leigh following seeras to have been running in a deep track at one side of the road, so that the person gniding could not turn it to one side aud the bobs dashed upon the railroad track just as the switch engine which was running backward quite rapidly, ran into them. Engineer Ed. Maloney and fireman J. E. Albers, saw the bob load rushing toward the track and rcalizing that there would be a serious accident, did everythingintheir power to stop their engine but were unable to do so. Two of those upon the sled jumped off in time to save thcmselves. The engine struck the 9leigb-load broadside smashing the sled badly throwing tho reraaining flve persons in various directions. Mary Kearney received a severe scalp wound and sustained a brokea collar bone. Courtney Burlingame had a hip bone dislocated and one or two rlbs broken. He wasdragged iully sixty feet by the engino before it was brought to a standstill. It is almost a miracle that some of the party were not killed. At firat it was reported that the two injured young people would probably not live. The injuries, however, though eerious are Dot likel.v to be at all dangerous. Both Miss Mary Kearney and young Burlingame were taken to the hospital, where everything possible was done for them. Coasting on the Madison street hill is very likely not to be so popular at least for a time, as it has been heretofore, as a result of the narrow escape which these young people had there Tuesday night.