Imperial Valley press., 1914-02-23
FATAL AUTO FALL
ON SAN DIEGO ROAD

when the car plunged ever twelve
foot embanllment into stream Of
water on the Beacon Hill grade last
night, Zell NJ. Beebe was dragged
from under the machine in an uncon-
scious condition and died two hours
later from internal injuries. G. b.
Frsbey, driver and owner of the
stage, suffered a broken arm, and
Lewis Lomesson, Twcnty-ffth and Ii
streets, was painfully bruised about
the head and shoulders. The other
occupants of the machine, Mr.. and
Mrs. James Young Of Encanto, and
two Mexicans, escaped unhurt.
The car, which Frisbey used on an
irregular stage run between San Die
go and Imperial Valley, was returning
to San Diego at the time the acci-
dent occurred. According to the oc-
cupants of the stage, a large sight
seeing truck was going west on the
grade and did not give sufficient room
for the stage to pass. Frisbey, 1T Is
said, swung his car near the edge
of the embankment in order to avoid
collision, when the wheels slipped
on the wet roadway and the automo
bile toppled over into the ditch II
feet below, hurting four Of the occu-
pants free from the machine, but PIN
ming Beebe, Lomesson and Frisbey un-
derneath.
The ditch was swollen with water
from the heavy rains which had been
falling during the last twenty-four
hours, and the stream completely coy
cred the men pinned beneath the over
turned stage Aided by William Ware
and J. H. Banbury, who lived near
by, Young and the two MeXicans eX-
tricated Lomesson and Frisbey before
they lost consciousness. Beebe, how
ever, was crushed under the middle
of the car and five minutes passed be-
fore he was dragged out. He was un-
conscious and nearly drowned.
Meanwhile a call had been sent in
to San Diego for DR.. Otto Marsh and
Dupree's ambulance to care for the
injured men. Although suffering great
pain, Frisbey and Lomesson, were not
seriously hurt, and the entire atten-
ton of the rescuers was devoted to
Beebe, who appeared to be in seri-
Gus condition.
After being worked over for more
than an hour Beebe recovered con-
sciousness, but an examination proved
that he had slight chance for recoy-
cry. He was badly crushed about the
chest, and this injury, together with
the narrow escape from drowning,
brought about his death, which oc-
Cured about an hour later, probably
from an internal hemorrhage of the
= lungs.
, Frisbey and Lomesson were placed
in the ambulance and rushed to their
homes in San Diego, where their in
juries were dressed.
eve were just crowded off the
road,' said Frisbey last night at his
home at Eighteenth and M streets.
II am more sorry than ] can say that
the accident happened | have no
idea who was the owner of the truck,
but it seems to me that they must
have known we had gone over the
embankment. They certainly should
have stopped"
Mrs. Beebe was Frustrated by the
news of her husbands death. The first
report from Encanto had informed her
that Beebe was injured, and that he
would be taken to the Agnew hospi-
tai His wife hurried from their
apartments at $40 Ninth street to the
hospital, where she made arrange
ments to care for the injured man.
Then came the story of Beebc's death
and she collapsed.
Beebe, who was retired farmer
from Seattle, Wash, and his wife
have passed the last few winters in
San Diego, returning north each
spring to their home in Washington
He had gone to the Imperial valley
to look over the farming in that sec
tion and was on his way back to his
apartments here when he was killed.
Beebe was a prominent Odd Fellow,
being secretary of the society's branch
in Colfax, Wash.
The coroner's inquest will be held
today at Johnson, Connell & Saum'S,
where the dead mans body was TAX
en-. 1t is believed that the county au-
thorities will make search for the
driver of the sightseeing truck in or
der to investigate the assertion that
the big car crowded the smaller stage
/ from the road. The new state law
also makes it felony for any auto