The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-07-12
THE NARROWEST MARGIN
Fireman John White Nearly
Killed in a Collision.
TRAMPLED ON BY HORSES
He Received Severe but Not Fatal In
juries-Almost a Miracle That Some
OF the Firsmen Were Not
Instantly Killed.

escaped death by the narrowest margin
imaginable last evening in a collision
between the truck and a nose wagon
While the fire department was making
a run to a false alarm of fire. From the
circumstances it is little short Of a
miracle that more of the firemen were
not injured. that White was not killed
and that the equipment escaped with
so little damage that IL is scarcely worth
mention.
About one minute of . o'clock an
alarm came i'm from box GO. which is
at the corner of Park and Washington
streets. The nook and ladder truck
turned out of the Broadway station and
went west on Broadway. The hose
wagon left the Quartz street fire house
and headed for the box. going west to
Alaska. turned down to Granite and
started west for Washington street. AS
Montana street was reached the bit in
the mouth of the off horse broke and
the pressure of the bit of the near
horse turned the team down Montana
street. With the broke bit Driver
George Mcdonald had no control over
the team. which plunged headlong
down the street at a friohtful pace. To
the horror of the firemen and the big
crowd of people who were running to
h fire, the truck shot across Montana
street on Broadway just as the hose
team reached the corner. There was
no avoiding an accident and the people
held their breath expecting to see sew
eral men killed. IL not every soul on
the two pieces of apparatus. Driver
did his best to check his
team, but IL was of no use, and the
horses plunged into the truck, striking
1t Just forward Of the off hind wheel.
1t all happened in the smallest frac-
ton of a second n there was no time
for the men to jump. White and owen
cumming were standing on the right
side of the track. Chief Flannery, Fred
Martin and Jack Holden were on the
left side. and Driver Henry Benninger
and George Aitken occupied the seat.
White stood near the wheel. and when
the collision occurred he was thrown il
seemed 10 feet in the air and fell under
the feet OF the hose team. The team
coming in contact with the truck nat
urally threw themselves back and the
wagon pole shot forward into the truck.
Ii passed between White and Guard
over the wheel. and his fact alone
saved Whites life. Had il gone a few
inches further to the right he would
have been impaled and killed. The
force or the collision threw the truck
over on its side. and the wonder il that
the men on the left side of the truck
and those on the seat were not thrown
underneath and terribly crushed. II not
killed. They succeeded. however in
clearing the ruck as IL turned over
and barring a shaking up no one was
hurt aside from White.
The latter, falling under the feet OF
the hose team, was trampled on and
sustained a scalp woun on the back of
the mead, a bad confusion of the fore
mead, an abrasion of the skull and a
severe bruise in the back. The horses
behaved admirably. and instead of try
Ing n "a away. stood still where the
apparatus stopped. White awIe ont
from under the horses. and was carried
10 the sidewalk. and as soon as Chief
Flannery regained his feet he gave or
ders TO have the injured man removed
to Murray q Freund's hospital. where
MS injuries were dressed by DR.. Leg
gat, who CHANGED to be at the scene OF
the accident, n Immediately took
charge Of him.
Chief Flannery. after seeing White
was cared for. quickly got his men to
work and righted the truck and pro-
ceeded to the fire. leaving the hose crew
10 get a new pole for their wagon. the
pole having been broken. and follow
II needed. Fortunately II happened
there was no fire, or IT would have been
beyond control before the equipment
could have reached II. The alarm was
turned in by Chief Deputy County At
torney Connolly, who thought his house.
at SlSl2 West Silver street, was on fire,
and ran to the nearest box and pulled
II. on returning home he found his
fears had been unduly excited by a
chimney smoking. The apparatus es-
capped with little damage beyond the
breaking of the tongue of the hose wag-
on and the smashing of the lanterns on
the truck. II was remarkable that the
horses or the hose wagon were no more
seriously hurt than they were. They
only received a few scratches and cuts
that will do them no injury whatever.
DIR. Leggat. after dressing Whites in
juries. stated that though they were
at all dangerous. He was removed from
the hospital to his home.
This is the second time White has
been injured in a run. Last winter he
was driving the hose wagon and collid-
ed with an ore wargon and was badly
injured. He had not worked since that
time until when he was again put on.
lie is a good fireman. and is a man of
family. chief Flannery will investigate
the accident. but is Of the opinion IL
was unavoidable. as the bits were in
spected yesterday. as usual every day
with regard to all parts of the equip
ment. Had the bit not broken the
hose team would nave rone on 10 Wash
ington before turning down. and there
would have been no accident.
Orders issued.
Owing - numerous gnp,nI.i,ta 70