The San Francisco call., 1910-09-26
WOMAN KILLED
when AUTO IS
HIT BY TRAIN
First Ride She Had Ever Taken
in Machine Ends in Fatal
Accident
Other Occupants of the Car Es.
!. cape Serious Injury in
Crossing Tragedy

While on the first automobile ride of
her life, Mrs. Lura N. Harris. 50 years
old. Of san Rafael. met death in Con-
cord, Contra Costa county. as the
result ofSn accident in narrow gulch
near thai place Saturday afternoon.
The machine, in which were Mrs. Har-
Tis, her son, ]. Power; Leonard yer
Mehr, real estate dealer, and Robert
f BOusheld. capitalist of Claremont.
was struck by a Southern Pacific
freight train. None Of the others was
seriously hurt.
Mrs. Harris was the wife of Allen
Harris, foreman at the lumber mill of
the E X. Wood lumber company at San
Anselmo- Harris and his wife were old
residents of Marin county and are we'll
known in San Rafael and San Anselmo.
where the husba nd is prominent in
lodge and business circles.
saturday morning Mrs. Harris deter
mined 10 go TO Contra Costa county for
the purpose of looking over some real
estate which she was preparing to buy
near Walnut Creek She was accompa-
pied by J. Bower. her son by her first
husband. On the other side of the bay
she was met by the real estate man in
machine driven by Bousfield.
Mrs Harris remarked that il was the
first time she had ever been in an
automobile and expressed the hope that
nothing would happen. She was laugh
jngly assured that accidents were in
frequent and due to carelessness and
was told that no chances would be
taken on the trip.
ACCIDENT ON RETURN
The party first went 10 Walnut
Greek, where the property was in
spected. On the return trip Bousield
was driving the auto at a fast
clip along a road lined on both sides
by high banks. The railroad track of
the Southern Pacific was almost paral-
lei. Just before the road curves to
cross the track il goes through a deep
gulch, emerging = few feet from the
track None of the party heard the
noise Of the approaching train.
As the machine came out Of the gulch
Bous6eld noticed the freight train
bearing rapidly down on the crossing
He applied the brakes and tried to re-
verse the machine. succeeding in bring
ing il to q stop within few feet. The
distance. however. was too small. and
when the machine stopped its front
wheels were upon the track
As The COW catcher OF the engine
caught the front Of the auto Bower
jumped. Mrs. Harris. in the tonneau of
the auto, was thrown into the air and
fell upon the track in front of the
train. The auto was thrown almost
completely around. but was not over
turned. Mrs. Harris was again struck
by the engine and thrown Is feet away
from the track
LIVES ONLY TWO HOURS
Another auto arrived at the crossing
jn few minutes and Mrs. Harris was
rushed back 10 Walnut Creek. where
-r..a
friends. She lived for about two hours.
Bous6eld was slightly injured, but
not seriously The real estate agent
was slightly scratched up
Immediately after the death OF Mrs
Harris her son hurried across to San
Rafael and notified the husband and
Rev. C. IT. Stevens. an old friend of
O fe e. mily. The body was taken from
n, uln-t creek last night and removed
10 coroner Sawyer's office at San
i.af2el. where an inquest viii be held
early this week.
Man Struck by Auto
While driving a wagon down Polk
street at o'clock yesterday morning
George Campbell Of 1853 Seventeenth
avenue, was struck by a speeding au-
tomobile aid thrown from the seat
He landed on the radiator of the ma
-chine, which never slackened its
speed. He hung perilously on for halt
a block and then fell into the street
while the machine continued on down
Polk. The accident took place at the
corner Of McAllister street
Campbell was picked up in the
course Of half an hour and taken to
the central emergency hospital, where
an examination showed that he had
sustained numerous contusions of the
head and bruises about the body His
condition, while serious. is not consid-
cred dangerous.
The injured man was unable to give