The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1908-11-16
lDE AVENUE DELAY Cause
OF FATAL INCIDENT
Miss Mary l. Nichols Victim Of Deathtrap
on River Bluff = Others Narrowly
Escape.

Had the original Ide avenue I'M
provement, Cedar to Oak, not been
blocked by the North Coast rail-
road, the horrible automobile ac-
cident Of last evening which kill
ed one and injured several could
not have occurred.
Had the city council not listen
ed to the protestations OF the
North Coast agents. but to the
petitions of the small property
owners who desired the improve
ment to proceed, the death Of Miss
Mary l.. Nichols and injury Of her
companions would have been pre-
vented.
En- route to the First M. e.
church about 6 o'clock last even
ing an automobile party compris-
ing w. A. Nichols, head of the
Nichols Investment Co., his
brother-in-law H. c. Swami, and
sisters. Mrs Swami, Miss Mary l..
Nichols and Miss Mona Nichols,
were hurled over the, steep en-
bankment on Ide avenue between
Oak and Walnut streets. Chauffeur
Charles Chambers and William
Falk were in the front seats.
Miss Mary l.. Nichols was fatal
ly injured and Miss Mona and Mrs.
Swami were unconscious when
picked up. The men in the party
were bruised and scratched and
the chauffeur suffered a fracture
of the skull.
/ The gulch into which the auto
mobile was driven has evidently
been caused by the bank caving
from under the former roadbed. To
avoid this. vehicles have swerved
to the north, but the wheel tracks
leading into the gulch are still
palmer than the new tourout. A
telephone pole sets In the way, and
to avoid this the chauffeur turned,
as he thought, following the old
wheel tracks.
There was no sign nor railing to
warn the driver. but his lights
showed a plain road and he took
It, The road led him squarely
into the trap. A tuft of hair torn
out by jagged rock below shows
the force of the blow that killed
Miss Mary Nichols.
The length of boulevard along
the river bluff is a succession of
danger points, but that where the
accident occurred a death trap ex-
lists that none but a driver we'll
acquainted with the locality and
forewarned could avoid In the
darkness.
This state of affairs has been
permitted until it has resulted In
an accident in which 1t is hard to
see how single person of the en-
tire party escaped death. Chance
alone saved them being precipi-
tated 500 feet to the river below.
Corporation Counsel Hamblen
says the city Is not legally re-
sponsible.
The Ide avenue improvement
which the railroad held up pro-
pided for graded street with
walks on each side.
J. +. Rausch. who was passing
at the time was an eye witness to
the accident and summoned as
sistance. The police and fire de-
partments were notified In the
dark 1t was difficult for the res
cuers to work, They succeeded
finally In getting the victims back
to level ground Miss Mary Nichols
died three hours afterward in st.
Luke's hospital.
Mr.. Nichols today Is confined
to his room In the Pennington. He
knows little of the cause Of the
accident.
II felt the front wheels of the
machine chug as II going over
hole and then the chauffeur put on
the brakes he said. "We began
to. slide backwards slightly, then
suddenly the machine turned over
sideways. We were travelling
slowly on account OF the darkness.
For 40 minutes we were down on
that side hill.
II held my unconscious sister In
my arms and DIRECTED the others
OF the party to get the other wom-
Den out OF the way of the, which l
feared would start down hill again.
My sister, who was killed, lay right
behind where the car stopped. My
other sister, who suffered only a
fractured collarbone, was hurled
some distance beyond where the
car stopped"
Mr., Nichols would not discuss
the possibilities of the liability of
the city.
Mr.. Swami Is confined to his
home with lacerated scalp and
sprained ankle, Mrs. Swami. an
other of Mr.. Nichols sisters, al.
though badly bruised 10 not dan