Connecticut western news., 1911-04-27
RORABACK SMASH-UP
]. HENRY'S BIG AUTO
 WRECKED ON BRIDGE
SWerved to Avoid Hitting ChiId-Son
 Thrown Out Head Foremost, Strik- ing Water 20 Feet Below-AII Occupants Thrown Out and Injured.

Occupants Thrown Out and Injured.
 J. Henry Roraback's big Pope. Hart, ford automobile, which has carried him 25,000 miles around the state, over all kinds of roads and at all degrees of speed. met with it's first mishap Satur- day afternoon here at home while being driven at 8 low rate of. speed, over a familiar road. and incidentally figured in very serious consequences. As it was, the auto was wrecked to such an extent that Mir. Roraback gave orders to his chauffeur to dump the blooming thing into the river and get it out of the way"
 About o'clock Saturday afternoon Mr. Roraback. accompanied by his family-Mrs. Roraback and his son Lewis-and Miss Boon. trained nu1se who is visiting at his house, started in his auto for ride. The chauffeur. Leonard Caldwell, sat in the front seat with MT. R. but the latter was at the wheel. The machine was going down Church street at good speed, when, on approaching Paul's bridge, child was seen on the farther end of the structure. The speed was reduced to about 15 miles an hour, and the direction diverted a triflA, which caused the right forward wheel to run into a depression in the road
 At that instant something happened. The theory is that the jar caused the right strap hanger to break and the heavy spring snapped off. dropping the car body down onto the wheel and mak. ing it impossible to steer.
 MT. Roraback instantly applied the emergency brake and exerted his utmost strength i'll an effort to twist the steer ing wheel-and the machine shows that i'll his desperate effort he actually bent tlle stem to which the steering wheel is artaehed. six inches out of true. The effort was unavailing, however; the machine slowed around against the west side of the bridge so violently that Lewis Roraoack, who was setting on the rear seat with the two ladies, was hurled head-first over the wind shield, over his fathers head, over the side of the bridge and down 20 feet into the river which he struck head-foremost within three feet of the rocks that surrounded that particular spot in the river bed on all sides. His father, who was thrown out, looked over the edge of the bridge and saw only the boys clothing and feet. He felt sure the lad must be dead, and scrambled hurriedly toward place to descend, but just then Lewis succeeded in extricating himself. grabbed the limb of an overhanging tree, looked up. smiling and said:
 "Hello, Popl I'm all right"
 Mrs Roraback and Miss Boon were thrown some distance from the machine and the former had her right shoulder badly bruised Miss Boon was not seriously bruised, but suffered princi- pally from nervous shock. The chauf feur, who was also thrown out, was not seriously injured. Mir. Rorabacks re- ceived some painful bruises and scratches on his leg, but miraculously enough, Lewis was scarcely scratched, though his escape from either from instant death or drowning seems marvellous.
 The automobile was pretty badly smashed up It was taken, by the chauffeur, in tow of A. P. Briggs livery team to Bullock's garage. MT. Roraback will not use it again, as he is understood to have already ordered another of latest model, before the mis- hap.