Near-Collision at the Bowles Crossing
A dangerous railroad crossing in Kennewick serves as a reminder of the hazards facing motorists and wagons in the early days of automobile traffic.
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.
We witnessed another near-accident on the railroad crossing east of the Bowles corner. The one o’clock train was approaching; an auto was nearing the crossing from the west and a team and wagon from the east. Both drivers were intent on getting across before the train and when they suddenly confronted each other at the top, they were too close to stop, but each turned out as far as he could and they managed to get past, though a wagon wheel scratched a fender in passing. This crossing should be widened at once, for it is extremely dangerous as it is.
“Had they missed turning by another two inches, they would have locked right on the track and No. 1 would have plowed into the wreck.”
The conflict between emerging car culture and existing train/wagon infrastructure caused significant growing pains for early 20th-century municipalities. This struggle for safer road design predates current debates on urban infrastructure and public safety.
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