Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1873-08-22
An Exciting RunaNaI.
AN ICE CART ON THE RANPAGE.-THREE HUN
DRIED DOLLARS DAMAGEoN CHURCH ST. =
NARROW ESCAPES.

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: AN ICE CART ON THE RANPAoE.-THREE HUN
DRIED DOLLARS DAMAGE ON CHURCH ST. :
NARROW ESCAPES.
A runaway occurred on our streets Mon
day, which may be said to have been
seldom equalled ifneyer excelled. 1t seems
that Messrs. Drew & Conger had attached
to their ice cart, pair of bay horses, re-
Gently purchased at the customs sale
at Montpelier, and which had been
driven by them but twice before to-day.
Whilst their man was delivering ice
about n. m at the residence of Geo. L.
Linsley on Pearl street, these horses ran
away and dashed down Pearl street, but
doing no harm. They next turned into
Church street and here commenced their
furious career of damage. First striking
the sidewalk at Allen & Green's leather
store, they crossed the street diagonally
to Cosgrif & Townsend shop, where the ice
cart struck their work wagon, which vas
standing in front, smashing the gearing
and knocking horse fat, but without
injuring him. Then the frightened
horses bounced off into the street again, and
made lunge for the Office of the Weed
Sewing Machine Company, on the lower
corner of Cherry street, which, through
little boys screaming and waving his hat
at them, they missed by about six inches.
Now they took to the sidewalk and plunged
down at break-neck speed, with the ice
| cart swinging to and fro and scattering the
ice in all directions. At Nelson's fur
niture store baby carriage was
broken into bits. The windows were
broken in the cigar shop of W. p.
Williams blind was torn off and win
dows smashed at the meat market of Storrs
* Co, and three lights of glass disappeared
from Rousseau's shoe shop. At Fishers
corner of Bank and Church streets, they
swung against his store windows, car
rying them entirely away. The force of
the collision here took every spoke out of
the hubs of the wheels, leaving only the
rims; and after caroming on the lower end
Of Moneys store front, the ice cart parted
from the horses, in front of W. E.
Weller's, giving an extra distribu-
ton of ice in that neighborhood.
Away the horses kept on down the sidewalk,
amid intense excitement on the part of the
lOokers-on, and finally ended their fearful
race by rushing into the store front of F.
ii. Simonds q Co., at the corner of College
street, breaking the large panes of glass.
One Of the horses put his head through the
windows, while the other, exhausted, fell
down. Strange to say the horses have suf-
tered little or no injury. The damage to
property by the runaway will not fall short
of $500.
The scene as the runaway team sped down
the sidewalk was well-nigh terrific Per-
sons on the walk quickly shct into the
street, or into the shelter of the stores.
Many ladies were badly frightened and one
or two have not vet recovered from the
shock. The sidewalks were unusually full
of people, and 4 number of carriages were
hitched in front of the stores, and it is
miracle that great many persons were not
injured.
The only person who was hurt by the ice
cart during itsrampageous progress, was a
Miss NJ. o. Docque, an employee at the cigar
mandatory of W. P. Williams, on Church
street. She happened to be standing in
front of her employers store, and being
slightly deaf, it is supposed that she did
not hear the noise of the approaching run
Always. She was knocked violently down.
and upon being examined, it was found
that both legs were fractured, besides a
fracture of the ligneus bones of the skull.
She still remains unconscious.
Among the narrow escapes from being
run over was that of two little girls who
were looking into the windows of the auc-
ton store of Poore Bros. Gen Henry,
seeing the team coming down the walk and
the danger of the girls, shouted at them
and they had barely time to step into the
store when the ice cart went laundering by
where they had stood. When the progress
of the horses was arrested, they were at
taehed to one wheel and the tongue, all that
was left of the unlucky ice cart