The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1886-08-05
RUNAWAYS IN THE PARK.
ADVICE FOR ALL WHO FIND THEM
SELVES IN PERIL.

Wagon to the Very Last-Causes OF
Runaways.
The frequent recurrence of serious acct
dents by reason Of runaway horses and
collisions in Central park should command
earnest consideration, If by some means
casualties Of these classes may be unIn-
ished IN number. If not wholly prevented
President Beekman Of the park commits
sion finds the overcrowded condition Of the
east drive particularly during the after
moons and on Sundays, 4 fruitful cause OF
accidents He said in conversation about
It: I'm so thronged a drive any Individual
who thinks he has a fine horse or team,
and Is impatient of the slow pace adopted
by the majority of those in the line, may,
if he is lacking in consideration for others,
bring on at any moment an accident that
ia liable to result fatally TO others and him
self He tries 10 turn out of the line at
promising opening at the wrong side OF the
road, meets team going In the opposite
dirnctiOn-one, perhaps, that has JUST
turned Inland in an instant there Is q
collision. Or the man driving just ahead
of him in the line may try turning out at
the moment he does, and brings about a
smash up. Or the clatter of his horses
hoofs in a sudden brush to get ahead may
alarm some horse and serve as a signal for
a runaway. Then, even when this Is not
the cause of an accident, it may be brought
about by the carelessness or recklessness
Of drivers IN various other ways.
STAY IN THE VEHICLE.
zone rule for persons behind runaway
horses would be of great value If they
could remember and adopt it. That Is TO
stay in the vehicle as long as possible.
That, like every other rule, of course, has
its exceptions No sensible person will
- = 70 mir "a
over a precipice, or be dashed TO pieces
against wall of rock, if escape from 1T IS
possible, even at great hazard. But IN
every case | can now recall OF fatal runs
way accidents in the park, the persons
would have saved their lives, and probably
have escaped any serious injury, had they
refrained from jumping out. The sad ac-
cident by which Mrs. Pendleton lost her
life is a case in point. In this, as in the
other instances, the runaway horses were
stopped within a minute after the fatal
leap was made and without even injury
to the vehicle to which they were at
tached Above all things, then, would
recommend to persons behind runaway
hOrses-don't jump. Unfortunately, how
ever people seem to lose their heads III
the excitement of the moment, and appear
to think OILY of parting company with the
team"
Capt. Beatty, in command of the Cen
trail park pOlice, reiterated strongly Pres
ident Beekman's advice against jumping
out of vehicle behind a runaway horse
or team Speaking of the causes of acct
dents, he said: There are always more
accidents at this season than any other,
for people are now bringing into the park
new horses, animals from the country, I'M
used to such surroundings as they lind
here, and with whose dispositions and
weaknesses the drivers are not yet tamil
lar A timid horse will take fright at a
woman's white dress in a sudden opening
of the shrubbery, or a flying newspaper
that somebody has thrown away, or
baby carriage trundIed across drive by a
nurse, in the park just as well as anywhere
else. And q horse that has been improp-
erly hitched too short, or that hears and
feels the machine behind him, go down
with an alarming crash and twist on the
shafts through the breaking of wheel,
is liable to run away from the thing that
scares him, " neither he is in the park or
not Many times, too, horses run away,
not from fright, but just from high splr-
lis. The go along well enough on the
avenue, at an easy jog trot probably, but
when they strike the smooth park roads
they grow excited and want to go faster,
and the first thing the driver realizes they
are running away.
CAUSES OF ACCIDENTS.
Another cause of accident, particu-
larly in hot weather. is the 'Staggers.'
horse affected with this malady, which Is
simply rush of blood to the brain, be-
comes unconscious of what he is doing,
and in The effort TO keep his feet, may
stag4er around in circle, or run madIy
for a mile, even on level ground, or up the
face of a steep hill, or at any obstacle that
HI,sT II, To no
TO relieve him is to bleed him in the
mouth; but before you can do that you
must stop him, and before he can be
stopped he may have made lots OF mis-
chief. You see that the danger here Is
not simply 10 the occupants or Il venice
attached to runaways, but TO those IN
other vehicles with which they may come
r In contact. But the peril OF the former Is
generally much the greatest, especially
where they are so injudicious as to jump
out. The person who jumps, unless a
very accomplished acrobat, would not be
likely once in hundred tImes-could the
same person live through so many expert
ments of this nature-to catch or retain
footing on reaching the ground, or even &c
gafely tumble Almost inevitably the
head would be brought down on the
ground with such whack as, upon our
Very hard park roads, would be pretty
certain TO crack the skull IL does hOl
seem as if the advice sit still should be
hard to remember, and yet nearly every
body appears to forget it just at the mo
ment when it would be most important to
keep it in mind"
sergt. England of the park police, who
has served in the park some twelve or
thirteen years, and has seen great mum,
her of accidents, said: "The occupants OF
a wagon in a runaway accident should
cling to it to the last. 1t IS nonsense 70
lump. Looking for soft spots TO aIlght
npon is all foolishness. There are no soft
spots at such time. The park roads are
too smooth to get foothold upon from a
hying Jump, and so terribly hard, that ter
chances to one, a skull brought in contact
with them-even lightly, apparently
would be fractured. II the persons IN the
wagon sit still, there is very great proba
biIitv in favor of a mounted policeman
stopping the runaway team before any
harm is done, and even if collision
should occur there is less danger of a tata
result than from jumping out. 1t Is
really surprising how people will go un
harmed through collisions sometimes. -
New York Sun.
States Evidence.
An, al o1o,