The Perils of Coasting: A Sidewalk Smash-up
Two local boys narrowly escape tragedy after a high-speed sledding accident on a steep Seattle street.
Two boys, George Hill and Charlie Plimpton, met with an accident on Saturday which nearly resulted fatally. They were coasting on the sidewalk, near the residence of Captain Hill. The descent at that place is quite steep. When near the bottom of the declivity, one of the sleds ran against a tree and the other into a picket fence. George Hill was considerably scared and bruised about the face, and the other boy was knocked senseless. Dr. Weed was called in to dress the wounds. The boys will be about in a week or so, but by this mishap have lost their holiday sports.
“The boys will be about in a week or so, but by this mishap have lost their holiday sports.”
In 1871, Seattle's steep, unpaved hills were essentially giant playgrounds for local youth. Today, those same inclines are heavily regulated and paved, but the spirit of city kids finding thrill in the topography remains a constant in Seattle'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.