Streetcar Versus Horse: A Commute Gone Wrong
A runaway horse and cart collided with a Second Street electric car, injuring two policemen who were trying to keep the peace during the chaotic impact.
Officers L. J. Birdsall and R. H. McIntyre were injured last evening when a runaway horse dashed headlong into an electric car at the corner of Madison and Second streets. The car was open, and as it made the crossing, the conductor yelled for the officers to look out. Coming directly at the car from the steep Madison Street hill was a horse and cart. The animal was traveling at such speed that a collision was inevitable. One of the shafts pierced the side of the seat where Officer McIntyre sat, while the other knocked Officer Birdsall to the ground. The horse freed itself and fled toward the Denver Market. Officer Birdsall was pinned under the wreckage, suffering a deep wound to his leg, while Officer McIntyre bruised his hip attempting to avoid the jump.
“The collision resulted in the animal freeing itself from the cart, after which it made a wild dash for the Denver Market.”
Early Seattle transit was a hazardous, experimental business. This collision at 2nd and Madison illustrates the friction between the old-fashioned animal-powered traffic and the rapidly expanding, rigid electric streetcar lines that would eventually define the city's urban character.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.