Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1915-current, 1915-07-08
FALL Of "a FEET
INTO MITCHELL CREEK
And the Automobile Drops on Top Of
Them P%inionine the Four Men
Beneath the Wreck

How would you like to fall twenty
an automobile fall in on the top of
you?
That was sure one adventure to be
remembered. 1t vas a narrow escape
from death for John P. Riordan, Geo.
f. Brandt, A. J.. Galloway and William
Woodring. That was a Fourth of July
they wont soon forget.
1t is declared that the only thing
that saved the mems lives was the
fact that in tearing out the old bridge
the banks of Mitchell creek had caved
in. This left three or four feet Of
dirt on either side.
When the car went over it complete
ly reversed itself, end for end, and
turned upside down. The channel was
20 feet wide and the car was long
enough to span from one side Of the
caved in earth 10 the other. This left
a little space underneath the car be-
tween it and the bed of the dry creek.
Riordan vas driving. He knew that
road like a book. He had been over
it many times. He says he has no
ambition to see how near he can come
to the edge of a bridge. He always
aims to strike a bridge right in the
center.
And when Commissioners Gregory
and Jones in company with Mr.. C. H.
Prentice of the Telephone company
visited the scene of the accident Mon
day, it is said, they found the tracks
of Riordan's car making straight for
the center of where the old bridge
used 10 be.
1t was nine o'clock Sunday even
ing. The boys had lit the big LIANT
ems. at Hylton and started on the
upper South Fork road to take in the
celebration that night at Lamoille.
Riordan was driving. The lower
South Fork road makes straight for
the old bridge site. But the upper
road makes a bend less than forty
feet away. Riordan had made the
turn and was only five or six feet away
when he saw the danger. He was
moving at a snail's pace. He put
on the brakes, turned off the gas
and tried to stop. Then he said, 20
Jesus" and the car was on top of
them.
Woodring was the first to free him.
self and crawled out from the tonneau.
He lifted the car by main strength
from of the other boys.
Riordan had his shoulder badly
bruised and wrenched. Galloway at
first was reluctant to believe he was
hurt hut found later when he couldn't
move his fingers that his arm was
broken.
The lights had gone out when the
cal tumbled in. This left the men in
fpr;;nfG3 q.
Woodring and Brandt started off in
the night for the homestead of A. J..
Dubois five miles down the creek.
Riordan was able to assist Galloway
to climb out OF the creek bed by
digging steps in the side Of the per-
pendicular bank. Then they built a
fire Of sagebrush and waited two
hours till Dubois and the others ar.
rived in the Dubois car.
Dubois took the party to Fred Cud-
ney's place at Ten Mile. There they
were me by VIII and Jim Ballinger
from I.amoille in another car.
Riordan and Brandt are mining in
the Diamond range forty miles from
Hylton. Woodring Is freighting for
Hanna at Hylton and Galloway works
in the hotel at Hylton.
That chasm into which R~iordsn's
car jumped had been open for ten
days, ever since Thatcher had chang.
ed the bridge. And the very next day
after the accident a woman and her
children In broad day came near going
into hat same hole with another cal.
And the old road was not closed un.
I'll Commissioners Jones and GrIswold
themselves Monday piled some sage.
brush across 1t TO mark the danger.
What could any man have meant
by leaving a danger point like this
~unguarded? The friends OF the in.
jured men say that It was little short
OF criminal negligence.
Mcnamara G. Van Fleet say that the
county Ia lucky to get to settle this