The Wild Runaway at Second and Cherry
A frightened horse, tethered at a downtown corner, bolts through Seattle’s streets after a careless accident, sparking a wild chase through the business district.
A clerk in Stewart & Holmes' drug store, while pouring water into the street at Second and Cherry, accidentally frightened Dr. J. C. Gaeber's horse. The horse, tied to a post, became so startled that it broke away from its hitch. The animal set out at a 1:40 gait up Second Street as far as Marion. As it turned into Marion, it went west down the hill, clearing the street, and from there it went like a cyclone down to near Front Street. The horse took a short cut, crossing a number of lots, then turned down as far as James Street and continued. Here the witnesses watched it, as the horse seemed to have no destination. As the horse slowed, the wheels and the top of the buggy were damaged, and the harness was broken. Dr. Gaeber says it will take a day to repair the damage.
“The horse turned into Marion, it went west down the hill, clearing the street, and from there it went like a cyclone down to near Front Street.”
This chaotic scene played out at what is now a densely populated, transit-heavy urban hub in downtown Seattle. While horses no longer bolt from hitching posts, the tension between vehicle traffic and pedestrians remains a permanent feature of navigating the intersection of Second and Cherry.
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