The Picnic That Ended in a Wrecked Carriage
A family outing beyond Renton turns to panic when a horse bolts on the grade, throwing three people to the ground and breaking Mrs. Ward's leg in two places.
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.
Yesterday afternoon a runaway occurred near Renton in which three persons were seriously injured, one possibly fatally. The victims were: Mrs. Frankie Ward, of Georgetown, leg broken in two places; Charles McAlister, of River Park, back hurt and injured internally; a little girl named Bromley, elbow dislocated.
Yesterday afternoon a party including Mr. and Mrs. Frank Taggart, Mrs. Maud McAlister, Mrs. Frankie Ward and a little girl named Bromley, who is a relative of the McTaggarts, went on a family picnic beyond Renton. The day was passed pleasantly and the party started on the homeward trip in good spirits. Mrs. Ward, the little Bromley girl and McAlister were in one carriage.
When near Renton the horse became frightened and ran away. An obstacle was hit which resulted in the carriage being wrecked and its occupants thrown violently to the ground. Mr. McAlister was seen to be seriously injured and Mrs. Ward lay helpless on the ground, while the little girl was suffering great pain from her arm.
Stretchers were made and the injured ones carried to Renton. There Dr. Stone was called in and found that Mrs. Ward's leg had been broken twice below the knee. Mr. McAlister was seriously injured in the back and it is feared sustained internal injuries. The little Bromley girl was all right beyond a severe shaking up and the dislocation of her arm at the elbow.
The injured persons were taken to their homes in Georgetown and River Park.
“An obstacle was hit which resulted in the carriage being wrecked and its occupants thrown violently to the ground.”
Before paved roads and seat belts, a family picnic could end in a hospital bed: one spooked horse on a steep grade and a wooden carriage becomes a pile of splinters. The 1900 story carefully lists the home neighbourhoods of the injured — Georgetown and River Park, both then separate towns on the Duwamish — a reminder of how small and how far apart Seattle's communities were before the streetcars and the annexations stitched them together.
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