Cow vs. Streetcar: A Transit Disaster
A collision between a Spanaway streetcar and a stray cow sends two passengers to the hospital with broken bones.
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.
A cow strayed onto the tracks near Orchard Hill last night and was struck by a Spanaway streetcar. The impact killed the animal, derailed the front trucks of the car, and left passengers badly shaken. Motorman J. G. Marshall was thrown back against the car body. Passengers John Anderson and John Wyman were thrown to the ground; Anderson suffered shoulder injuries, and Wyman sustained broken ribs. Both men were treated at the Fannie Paddock Hospital.
“The impact put the cow out of commission and knocked the front trucks from under the car.”
In 1904, the interurban tracks cut through what were then rural or semi-rural areas like Orchard Hill, leading to frequent conflicts between transit and livestock. This story captures the awkward transition of Tacoma from a landscape of open range to a regulated urban grid.
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