A Leap for Life on the Road to Hoquiam
A couple jumping from a runaway buggy to escape a terrified horse left one passenger unconscious in the road.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
While on their way to Hoquiam to attend a dance last Saturday night, James Dickson and Miss Susie Payette had an experience with a fractious horse that they will not soon forget. They had just reached the plank road leading to Hoquiam when the horse they were driving became frightened and started to run, and in trying to stop the animal one of the reins broke. Realizing that the horse could not be checked in his mad career with one rein, the occupants of the buggy climbed over the seat and jumped to the road from the rear. Miss Payette fell upon her head, striking with such force as to render her unconscious. She was picked up by the rig that was following, brought back to her home and medical aid summoned, but did not fully recover consciousness until Sunday morning. Mr. Dickson was not injured by the jump. The horse continued on down the plank road until near Moore's dairy, where he came in contact with the buggy of James Stewart, who was returning from Hoquiam, and was brought to a halt.
“Realizing that the horse could not be checked in his mad career with one rein, the occupants of the buggy climbed over the seat and jumped.”
Travel between Aberdeen and Hoquiam was once a treacherous journey over wooden planks, a far cry from the modern highway. Today, the 'plank roads' are long gone, but the spirit of civic connectivity remains as both towns struggle to maintain the infrastructure that binds the Harbor together.
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