Los Angeles herald., 1908-08-04
SOCIETY
MEMBERS
VICTIMS
Three Women and Two
Infants Killed
TERRIBLE ACCIDENT OCCURS
NEAR SAN FRANCISCO
WIFE OF THOMAS MCCORMICK is
ONE OF THE DEAD
Coming Down Steep Grade, Machine
Gets Beyond Control and Shoots
Over Thlrty-flve Foot
Embankment
WIFE OF THOMAS MCCORMICK is
ONE OF THE DEAD
BY Associated Press.

BY Associated Press.
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. s.
Coming down a steep grade in
the hills west of Burlingame, at
a high speed, an automobile
driven by Miss Ethel Mccormick
and occupied by four other wo-
men and two children, all of San
Mateo, suddenly plunged straight
down an enbankment, causing
the death OF three women and
the two children and injuring the
other two.
The victims of the tragedy, the
second disastrous accident of it's
kind near San Francisco within
forty-eight hours. were:
MRS. T. A. MCCORMICK.
MISS CLARA MCCORMICK.
MISS ETHEL MCCORMICK.
MRS. IRA C. O'BRIEN.
ROBERT O'BRIEN, aged 8
months.
IRA O'BRIEN, aged 3 years.
MISS E. McCAULAY, San
Francisco.
OF the seven occupants of the
large tonneau, only two are alive
Miss McCaulay, having both
arms broken, and Miss Ethel Nc
Cornick, the driver, who escaped
with a sprained ankle and few
bruises.
homes in San Mateo after having visited
the country place of Prince Ande Pom
iatowski near Crystal Springs lake.
Miss Ethel Mccormick, 20 years of
age, who had often driven her fathers
big car, was acting as chauffeur All
went we'll until a point two miles west
of Burlingame was reached. There the
upper of two roads is marked by a
steep grade.
Drop of Fifty Feet
The lower road is a sheer drop of
fifty feet down. The car turned down
the hill at sharp clip and the young |
its speed by applying the foot brake.
Finding that it did not work and that
the automobile was gaining danger |
our headway, she hastily threw on the |
emergency brakes.
They snapped almost Immediately. |
Fearing that she could not guide the |
huge tonneau in safety to the bottom |
of the grade, because of the rapidly |
accelerating speed and the sharp turns
in the road, Miss Mccormick endeav-
ored to run close to the embankment |
on the upper side, hoping that the
friction of the wheels would have the
effect of gradually forcing the car to
slacken its speed until she could again
gain control of it. Suddenly one of the
front wheels struck a large rock, caus-
ing the car to turn sharply to the left,
despite the young womans efforts on
the steering gear, and the next moment
the automobile dashed down the steep
declivity striking head-on against
large tree thirty-five feet below. Plung-
ing down the embankment at terrific
speed and stopped with great sudden
ness when the car struck the tree, the
occupants were hurled out as if shot
from a catapult, landing in the hard
road, fifteen feet below. Mrs. McCor-
mick, her daughter Clara, and the in
fant son of Mrs. O'Brien were killed
All three struck on their
heads The body of Clara Mccormick
lay across that of her mother.
Mrs. O'Brien and her little son Ira
died at the Guild hospital in San Mateo
as a result of their injuries. The little
boy passed away at $3.50 and his mother
an hour later.
Miss McCaulay is at the same hospi-
tai. to which the injured were rushed
by a passing automobile, with two
broken arms and many bruises.
Ethel Mccormick is at her home suf-
fering from a sprained ankle and
shock.
Mrs. Mccormick was the wife of {
Thomas A. Mccormick. president of
he Mccormick iron works in this city, I,
and Ira G. O'Brien, the husband of Mrs.
O'Brien, is proprietor of the keystone
works in San Mateo.
Both families are prominent in society ,
circles of this city and San Mateo
Saturday afternoon Mrs Frederick
Marriott, the wife OF a well-known San !
francisco publisher, and James d.
Guilbert lost their lives in a similar
accident near Los Gatos, and three !
4w.4. |