A Risky Ride on St. Helens Avenue
A livery stable employee survives a dangerous fall after his horse slips on icy Tacoma streets.
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.
Vernard Rastus, a colored lad, was violently dashed to the pavement this morning by the falling of his horse. The young man is employed at the John Welch livery stable on St. Helens avenue. The slush on the pavements this morning made the footing very uncertain, and while riding at a brisk gait in front of the Owl theater the horse slipped and fell. Young Rastus was hurled from his seat, sliding many feet on his back upon the hard pavements. To the great surprise of all the spectators who rushed out to pick him up, the rider arose, rubbed his back, and started off after his horse. The animal was soon caught and, remounting, Rastus rode away as if anxious to make up for the time lost by the fall.
“To the great surprise of all the spectators who rushed out to pick him up the colored rider arose, rubbed his back and started off after his horse.”
While the paper's language reflects the era's dated racial tropes, the story captures the perilous state of Tacoma's transit infrastructure—slush and ice—before the age of modern road maintenance.
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