The San Francisco call., 1908-07-10
Cycling clubs of California, 1886 Chest
nut street. Oakland.
ROSS MORFORD, Oakland.

OAKLAND, July 9.-Two men were
killed and two women and four men in
jured when a Mitchell touring auto
containing a party of merrymakers
turned a somersault while going al
high speed about half a mile east ot
Hayward at $50, o'clock this morning
The men in the party were all Elks and
when the accident occurred they were
returning from fraternal entertain
ment in San Jose, where they had gone
a the guests of James Nelson, well
known local Elk, in his motor car.
The members of the party when 1t left
Oakland were Ernest T. Scribner, audi
tor of the Ransome construction COM
pany; Major John 3. Jeffrey, retired
newspaperman; w. B. Standeford, a
confectioner; A. B. Mofitt, president OF
the California association of cycling
clubs, and Ross Morford. When they
left San Jose on the return trip they
picked up Mrs. Hazel Liddell of 1916
Wheeler avenue, Fruitvale, and Miss
Gertrude Stanley of 139 Twelfth street
who asked for ride back to Oakland
ADDED WEIGHT BLAMED
1t is believed that the added weight
of the two women in the already
crowded machine proved too great q
strain upon the tires and caused two
explosions which preceded the accident
While the machine was travelling at
a rapid rate down sharp grade about
two miles east. of Hayward the first
tire exploded and the auto veered sud
denly into a ditch by the side of the
road. Nelson, who was at the wheel,
succeeded in steering his car back into
the road, however, and started ahead
again at a fast clip without stopping to
investigate the damage to his tire. He
had proceeded about 200 yards when
another tire blew up and the machine
again shot into the gutter.
Nelson again made a desperate at
tempt to right it and whirled the driv-
ing gear around at an angle of As de-
grees AS he did so the axle of one of
the rear wheels snapped and the ma
chine leaped into the air and turned
completely over, throwing all the occu-
pants to the ground beneath it.
ONE KILLED INSTANTLY
The back of the machine struck
Scribner on the head, killing him in
stantly. Nelson was also struck on the
head and knocked unconscious. His
left side was paralyzed and he died at
the county infirmary at 4:55 o'clock this
afternoon.
Gertrude Stanley was pinned on the
ground beneath the machine. She
was not crushed by the heavy
wheels and the other members of the
party succeeded in freeing her from
her dangerous position in a short time.
She was unconscious and was taken to
the Hayward sanitarium, where 1t was
found that beyond severe shock and
painful bruises she was not badly in
5ured. She did not recover conscious
ness until this afternoon.
Mrs. Liddell was struck on the head
and stunned, and for time it was
thought that her skull was fractured.
At the county infirmary it was found
that no bones were broken and that
she was suffering from shock and con-
cussion of the brain. 1t is expected
that she will be able to return to her
home in Fruitvale tomorrow. Mrs
Liddell lives with her uncle, Sylvester
n. Cook, Southern Pacific train dis
patcher. She has two young children
Standeford and Jeffrey were bruised
and cut by their fall and were taken to
their homes after being treated at the
hospital. Moffitt was thrown about &c
feet into a ditch. He was stunned, but
aside from the shock of his fall was
uninjured.
URGES SON TO GO
A sad feature of the accident was the
fact that Mrs. Scribner, mother of the
dead man, arrived in Oakland from the
east last night to visit her son, whom
she had not seen for several years
Scribner went to call on her in the
early evening and said that he would
cancel his engagement with Nelson
but Mrs. Scribner insisted that he take
the trip.
After leaving San Jose the party
stopped at road houses between there
and Oakland, and they did not leave
lrvington for Oakland until O'clock
this morning. The Liddell woman was
seated on Morford's lap in the from,
seat with Nelson, and the Stanley
woman was on Scribner's lap in the
rear seat. When the accident occurred
the machine was travelling about 40
miles an hour.