The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1899-10-11
MR.. SINCLAIR'S ACCIDENT.
Quite a Serious One in st. Paul
Last Wednesday.


]. Barackman of the Presbyterian
church of this city, received tele-
gram from Rev. John Sinclair to the
effect that he had been injured in an
accident the night before, but that
the accident was not as serious as
the morning papers had reported,
and to inform his former parishioners
of this city to that effect. Thurs
day mornings papers came up with
extended accounts of the affair, and
the following taken from the Pioneer
Press, gives the story in detail:
'The sturdy pastor of the First
Presbyterian church had been visit
ing Selby hill and was on his way
home about'six o'clock. He prudent
ly walked down the steep hill and
mounted at Fifth street. Coming
to Seventh street there was the
usual six o'clock stream of people
and vehicles to encounter, and one
must look all ways at once to avoid
collision.
'sFrom in front of the House of
Hope church Mr.. Sinclair started to
cross to Seventh street, as the
lower side of the street seemed less
crowded. Just then a parishioner
hailed him from the curb and Mr..
Sinclair answered his signal. The
same instant he crossed the track.
He had heard a car behind him, but
itsounded as though it was at dis
lance and if the gong rang he did
not hear it. The car was right on
him.
"The fender struck the wheel and
threw it-Mr. Sinclair doesn't
know where it threw it. He hash t
seen it since. All he knows is that
he found himself on his back, right
across the track, under the wheels.
The fender had passed over him and
death was distant by a hand S
breadth. Over his shoulder he saw
the edge of the wheel and reckoned
in an awful flash of second where
it would take him across the chest.
SIN the same flash he grabbed
something, maybe the rod that
operates the gate from the front
platform, or part of the forward
truck, and hung on desperately,
with arms rigid to keep from being
rolled under the wheels, and legs
held stiff lest the other wheel catch
him below the knees. And he
weighs 100 or more.
1T seemed an interminable time
to him. He remembers noticing the
blood flowing in front of the wheel
and saying to himself, is it as bad
as that, them The car stopped
when he was nearly done and he
staggered to his feet. 1t seemed
any distance to- him. People who
saw it think it may have been thirty
or forty feet. The street railway
officers say it could not have been
more than four or five feet, for the
motorman acted with promptness
that saved his life.
"a big crowd gathered on the
instant, astonished to see him come
out alive. He was helped to the
home of a parishoner a few doors
away, badly shaken and bruised and
torn. But he found he was not
crippled and walked to DR.. Leavitt S
Office at Seven Cornors. He had a
nasty cut in the back of the neck,
abrasions of the thigh and arms and
a wrench in the back that gave him
much pain. He was taken to his
rooms in the Ryan. Unless the
hurt to- his back is more serious
than appears he will not be confined
more than "a few days.
"The motorman in charge of the
Seventh street car said he saw Mr..
Sinclair on the wheel going in the
same direction as the car, saw him
hail his friend on the sidewalk and
swing across.the track at the same
time. He dropped the fender,
which hangs four or five inches
above the track and is released to
scrape the'ground in case of collision,
and stopped the car. Possibly the
fender caught on a small obstruc-
ton and lifted to let Mr.. Sinclair
roll under it. He was ringing his
gong. The rule is to sound it con-
tinuously in crowded places, and he
is sure he had not neglected it.