The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-01-03
A FRIGHTFUL PLUNGE.
A Sleigh-LOad of Coasters Precipitated Sixty
Feet Into a Stream.


Feet Into Stream.
MoRRowvILLE Pa, Jan 2.-The 'Long Hill7
on the road leading from this place to Stokes's
Mill, in the Elk lumber region, was the scene of
frightful coasting accident on Sunday night
last. Long Hill begins a mile and a half from
the mills and is nearly straight for mile, when
the road turns to the left and runs along the
the bank of Trout run for nearly all the rest of
the distance, crossing the stream at the bottom
of the hill by a wooden bridge. Trout run is
deep and very rapid stream about forty feet wide,
and the bank on top of which the road is
run is sixty feet above the water and
almost perpendicular Long Hill has been
great resort for coasting parties for years.
Sunday evening party of nine-four young
men and five girls-went from the mills to enjoy
the sport The favorite manner of coastng is to
utilize a one-horse cutter, which is filled with
straw. This is called the passenger car" and
as many can be comfortably accommodated
take places in it. The cutter is steered down the
hill by strong and skiful man of the partv
who is seated on hand sled between the shafts
of the cutter, and grasps shaft in each hand
near the ends, The speed that the sleighs attain
is sometimes terrific. The party mentioned
above used an old one-horse cutter, and had made
fellow named Hiram Ruhe. About 10 o'clock it
was agreed by the party that they would make
one more trip and then go home. The sleigh
was approaching the first bend in the
road and Ruhe struck his left heel in the SHOW
to steer them around it, when one shaft broke
off in his hand, and the sudden strain that came
on the other also snapped it in two Thus left
without pilot the cutter kept straight ahead
and plunged from the high bank to the creek be-
low. Jennie Mitchell, aged sixteen, sprang from
the cutter while it was descending, and alighted
in spruce tree near the bottom. When the
cutter was half way down it turned over and all
the rest Of the party We're precipitated into the
creek. The sleigh landed partly on the oppo-
site bank John Slader, teamster found him
self being carried swiftly down stream with
girl named Mary jackson. At the turn in the
creek, 100 feet below, the water runs
over sliding rocks, and is shallow Slader
here succeeded in getting a footing, and
carried his burden, who was then un-
conscious, to the bank and laid her on
the snow Slader hastened back along the bank
and rescued Samuel Roys clinging to a spruce
bush on the shore and trying to draw girl out
of the water. The shouts and screaming of the
coasters was heard by two Or three persons, who
hurried to the scene. They found Eugene Croft
and his sister Sallie about 200 feet down the
lodged against the ice on the shore and it was
thought she was dead. Miss Mitchell was found
on the opposite bank in the crotch of the spruce
tree. She had received very serious injury, her
skull being crushed She will die. Miss Hyde's
condition is especially precarious, and Eugene
Croft had two ribs broken. The shock of the fall
and struggles in the icy water have left all of
them in very critical state of nervous prostra
ton.