The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1910-01-13
FRIGHTFUL ACCIDENT
AT BURNT CABINS.
Brakes Would Not Hold, and
Sled Load of Lumber Push
ed Team Down Steep Hill
at Terrific Speed.
FLOYD PETERSON SERIOUSLY INJURED

One of the most exciting ex-
periences IN the life of Floyd Pc
terson, nineteen-year old son of
Mr.. Doris Peterson, who resides
at Neelyton, Huntingdon county,
occurred last Saturday afternoon
at Burnt Cabins, when the young
man narrowly escaped a horrible
death.
Saturday morning Floyd's ia.
ther told him to hitch two horses
to the bob sleds and go to w. M.
Comerer's planning mill at Burnt
Cabins, eight miles away, and
bring home a load of dressed lum
ber. In obedience to the dlrec.
tions of his father, Floyd went to
the pianlng mill, and by three o.
clock in the afternoon he had the
load on the sled, and the lum ber
we'll secured with a chain and
a boom pole. He sprang lightly
up to seat on top of the load of
lumber where he would be able
to drive and at the same time con
troll the brakes, for the roads at
Burnt CaDlns, as in every other
part of this section of the coun.
try, were coated with thick GOV
erlng of Ice almost as hard as
flint. Between the planlng mill
and the Cabins, which are only
about a quarter of a mile distant
from each other, there Is steep
hill, and as soon as Floyd started
to descend that hill with his load,
he found that he could not hold
the load with the brakes, and the
only hope for his safety was to
keep the horses gong fast enough
to keep out of the way of the sled
which was gaining IN speed every
second, and was beginning to fly
like the wind. To make the turn
and take the road toward home
was out of the question, and his
only hope was In keeping straight
ahead and hitting the hill that
leads up from McGehee's store
through the Cabins and out by
the school house. His planning
was good, and had 1t worked out,
he would have had the team un.
der perfect control before they
reached the top of the hill. But,
just in front OF McGehee's store,
the sled hit an obstruction, and
like a flash 1t upset, plnning young
Peterson's body tightly between
the heavy load Of lumber and the
trunk of a big tree.
AS the load went over, the front
sled became detached from the
rear one, and the team dashed
furiously onward up the hill, and
when near the Brodbeck hotel
they switched of to the right be-
tween the hotel and stable, and
ran out the Shade Gap road. Or
excitedly they ran, until golue
down q hill on the Tom Comerei
farm, the horses slipped on the
ace, and both fell In a heap. There
they lay until young MIR. Ma
thias came along, and seeing then
plight, tried to extricate them
He succeeded in getting the older
pr the horses up, which did no
seem to be very much injured
but when he took hold of the bri-
die, and bade the other, which
was fine young horse worth. a
least $200--when he bade tina
horse get up, the horse attemp
ed toarise--made one plunge
and fell over dead as q stone.
The crash that came with tn
upsetting Of the sled and tn,
crushing OF the unfortunate youni
man, between the load of lumbe
And the tree brought together
h mum ber of men, women, ant
children--all Of whom did every.
thlng In their power to rescue tn
X young man who was now uncon
sclous, from his perilous position
With almost superhu U m o.
strength the men succeeded i
pushing back the lumber and RI
itaslpE the young man, who VA
tanderly taken into The home Q
Mr.. AoGeelx I and DR. Himes, Z
Bhade Gap. Was summoned b
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