A Narrow Escape at the Shilshole Crossing
A switch engine slams into a team on Shilshole Avenue, killing a horse and nearly killing the driver—who crawled out thanks to a broken wagon tongue.
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.
Just as J. V. Ward was driving a team of horses and wagon across the Great Northern track on Shilshole avenue at Barnson's mill, yesterday afternoon, a switch engine came along without warning and collided with the team. One horse was killed, the wagon broken, and Mr. Ward narrowly escaped with life. Fortunately the wagon tongue broke and the end of the piece attached to the wagon stuck in the ground in such a way that it raised the body of the wagon, allowing Mr. Ward to crawl from the debris with only a slight injury to the calf of his leg. Mr. Ward claims that no whistle was blown or bell rung and consequently he had no warning of the approach of the engine.
“Fortunately the wagon tongue broke and the end of the piece attached to the wagon stuck in the ground in such a way that it raised the body of the wagon, allowing Mr. Ward to crawl from the debris with only a slight injury to the calf of his leg.”
Shilshole Avenue is still a busy corridor, now carrying bikes and cars instead of horses and wagons. The 1895 collision is a reminder that dangerous crossings and railroad safety have been a Seattle issue for over a century.
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