The San Francisco call., 1898-06-18
SAVED FROM INSTANT DEATH Oakland Tourists Badly Hurt at Yosemite. RUNAWAY ON THE GRADE COACH POISED A MOMENT ON
 A PRECIPICE. Though Thrown Out and Badly In- jured the Passengers Will All
 Recover-Veteran's First
 Accident.
COACH POISED A MOMENT ON
 A PRECIPICE.
Oakland on,ce San Francisco Call,

Oakland Onlce San Francisco Call, 9oS Broadway, June II.
 Several well-known Oaklanders are ly- ing in beds and bandages at Yosemite as the result of a serious accident that oc- cured two days ago. The mfshap was due to a runaway on an embankment, and half a dozen people are wondering how their lives were preserved.
 The story of the miraculous escape which caused Senator Moff1t ito pray as he never prayed before" is told in ad- vices received to-day. A party, consist ing of Senator and Mrs. F. J. Mofflt, Miss Pratt, Mir. and Mrs. George Roed- ing of Fresno, Will Dargie Jr., Mir Heus- ton Ca retired banker of New York;, Hon. J. s. Zevely Ia Government agenD, and Jefferson Moffit left the Sentinel Hotel for a drive up the valley. Tom Gordon, who has nayigated in the Yosemite for a quarter of century, was the driver, and all went we'll until a point eleven miles from Wawona was reached, when the horses were changed. Three were gentle, but Gordon told the party not to speak a word, for the fourth horse would kick at the sound of a voice. At Inspira- ton Point the vicious leader suddenly commenced kicking, and an instant later he was on a mad run dragging and eX- citing the other three horses The brake and all the weight the driver put on the reins exerted no influence over the Wild runaways. It was the steepest down grade on the route. Every POO feet there was a sharp curve, and the tendency or the coach to swing toward the bank was all that prevented an upset for a quarter of a mile.
 The driver finally turned to the party and said, we are gone, nothing can save us." Senator Moffit shouted, We have a better chance by not jumping, ana ana curves close together one of the horses went over the embankment. At exactly that point on the other edge of the road divine Providence" had placed tree tree | front wheel of the coach struck this tree and rent in it gash the size of the hut. Gordon says that the team at that time | was going fully eighteen miles an hour. When the front wheel struck the tree the hind wheel was already over the em- bankment. The coach remained straight 1 for a small portion of a second from the | impact, until the hind hub was emDeddeo i in the same tree.
 The concussion from the first bump sent Miss Pratt and the driver flying to the right, MT. and Mrs. Moffit to the left. Young Moffit landed in the middle scrambled away, dragging the driver while the rest f of @ the BPaTsa M l jolted in the coach and severely, and 1 painfully wounded. Mrs Moffit clambered | up the bank unaided, while the Senator | remained unconscious OH the IoChS TOT | nearly an hour. Miss Pratt received probably twenty-five gashes. This IS the 1 first accident that has ever happened to the veteran driver, Gordon. An investi- gation of the scene later showed that | had the tree been one foot to the right | or left from where 1t was the whole party would have gone down the embankment 500 feet on to the rocks in the Merced River The maimed passengers are now recovering at the hotel but 1t will be several days before they can pursue theiI | pleasure trip. Young Dargie was the only one in the group that was not in- l jured in the least, and on the return oi | the Oaklanders they are going to ask Yosemite Commissioner Foote to name the tree that saved their lives Salvation l Tree v