Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-12-11
AUTO ACCIDENT
PROVES FATAL
HARVEY Z. MILLER OF ELDON
KILLED ON RIGHT OF WAY
EAST OF CITY.

i
Harvey E. Miller of Eldon, employed
at Vass & Knights garage of that city,
was killed on the old Burlington right
of way about o'clock this morning
when the brake stuck on large tour
ing car he was driving, wrecking the
machine and throwing the other occu'
pants out.
The accident occurred on narrow
part Of the road near the w. L. Sar-
gent country home a short distance
east of Ottumwa. Raymond Knight,
Art Moore and Charles Sarver who
were in the car with Mr.. Miller. were
unhurt. The right wheel OF the ma
chine was demolished, the spokes hav'
ing been broken OF near the hub as
If cut with a saw, thus lending to the
theory that the brake stuck when the
car was under good speed. The auto
was large touring car and the prop
erty of r. D. Grove Of Eldon, and had
been left in storage at the garage.
The remains of Mr.. Miller were
brought to the Moroney undertaking
rooms where they were prepared Tor
burial and the inquest held this morn
ing. The body was taken to Eldon by
auto at the noon hour
Witness Tells Story.
The manner In which the accident
occurred as told by George Hendricks,
an employe of the Davis Auto Co., OF
Ottumwa,. who brought Messrs.
knight, Moore and Sarver to Eldon
and followed the touring car back to
Ottumwa, is as follows:
Three Of the men were in Ottumwa
during the evening and the car in
which they rode become stuck out In
the west end near the Dennis poultry
and egg plant. They were taken by
me to Eldon where they went for an
other car in the garage there to tow
the disabled machine home. When
we started back, I was In the lead Of
the other car which was large and we
ran at good rate Of speed. Fearing
that if / should meet anyone on the
right of way and had to stop, that the
other car could not keep from hitting
me on account Of the speed we were
making, let them pass me and kept
on at good clip after them. When
we reached narrow part of the right
of way near the Sargent place, sup
pose the bridge below there doomed up
and the driver threw on the emerg-
ency, for all of sudden the car turn
ed, crossing the road and topping over
on it's side blocked the way entirely.
''Mr. Sargent was awakened and he
assisted the three other passengers,
the undertaken and myself in remov-
ing Miller from the machine. The FL
don men borrowed Mr.. Sargent's car
and returned to tell the relatives Of
Mr.. Miller of the accident. The road
was so completely blocked that had
to go back to Agency and come in OF
tumwa by the other road"
The party had been in Ottumwa
Thursday afternoon, having come here
for repair parts for an auto and dis
covered when reaching Eldon that
they had been lost on the way home.
They came back to find the lost parts
and it was on this trip that their car
became stranded in Ottumwa and
made it necessary that they hire car
to return to EldOn for a machine to
tow back their dead car.
Leaves Small Family.
Mr.. Miller was % years of age, and
leaves a wife and two small daughters
dS we'll DIS Ills Pal CulS, WI. oho WI q
Wilbur Miller. He has been employ
ed as mechanic at the Rock Island
round house at Eldon, but also worked
in the garage there and this accounts
for his driving the car Thursday night,
The verdict returned by the cor
oner's jury is as follows:
Harvey Miller came to his death at
about a. M, Dec. 10, 1915, near Sugar
creek bridge on Agency road, caused
by the automobile suddenly turning
over-throwing him violently to the
ground, causing fracture of the base
Of the skull.
Coroner Fl. A. Spilman.
jg George M. Diltz.
Jno. L. Davis.
e w. r. Gentry
Witnesses.