The Marietta journal and courier. (Marietta, Ga.) 1909-1918, 1916-11-03
one MAN KILLED AND
TWO LADIES HURT
IN ACCIDENT
Auto Wrecked AT Sharp
Turn On Atlanta Road
Late Saturday Night

Mr. Fielding Smith, OF Atlanta,
was instantly killed, Miss May Belle
Clark, of Covington, Ga, was Sc
riously hurt and Miss Nell Waldo,
Of Atlanta, painfully hurt shortly
after midnight Saturday, at the un-
derpass just south of Maner's store
On Atlanta road, when Mr. Smith S
, automobile turned over.
The party, which included AIR
Ernest Sheen and Mr.. st. John
Brooks, of atlanta, had been out to
Judge Sam Atklnson's for a possum
hunt, and after the hunt had enjoy
ed a picnic lunch, starting back to
Atlanta after midnight Two other
machines made up the party and one
had gone ahead of Mr. Smith whil~
the other was running behind
Mr.. Smith was one of the best
known young men in Atlanta and
was the son of Mr.. and Mrs. w. 7.
Smith. The devotion of his mother
can. only be measured by the fact
that the shock of ner sons death
proved too much for her and she
passed away Monday morning.
Mother and son were buried Tues
day in West View cemetery.
The accident is one that is hard
to account for but Judge Atkinson
went to the scene and made care
full examination and gave the fol-
lowing interview to the Marietta
Journal:
The accounts of the accident, as
contained in the Atlanta papers, are
for the most part correct. The state
ments that the car "skidded" and
turned turtle" were inaccurate. 1t
did neither. AS you will recall, at
each end Of the under-pass, there is
an abutment of concrete, the full
width of the railroad bed which
supports the end of the trestle,
while the middle of the trestle rests
upon a concrete pier which has it's
UaSS III Sl1C ItI1uulS VI JlIC puDllC
road To avoid danger of collision
between vehicles at the under-pass,
it is customary for vehicles going
in either direction to keep to the
right of the pier. The entry to
the under-pass is by sharp curve
in the road. The constant running
around these curves, always in the
same direction, tends to cut away
the outer edge or the path of the
vehicle. In addition to this the sur
face drainage from the road washes
away the dirt at the outer edge of
the road Consequently, opposite
the base of the south abutment the
bed of the road is considerably low
er than on the side next to the pier
The tendency therefore of an auto
mobile going south, trying to round
this curve, is to turn over in the
direction of the abutment. The
machine is very apt to suffer that
consequence unless the driver
knows the condition of the road and
brings his machine practically to a
stop before turning it into the I'M
derpass. Mr.. Smith was not accus-
toned to the road, and, while the
tracks of the machine showed that
Ne slowed up considerably and suffi-
GENTLY had the road-bed next to the
abutment been higher or even on a
level with the side next to the pier,
yet he did not slow up sufficiently
to prevent the momentum from
turning the car over when the right
wheels went upon the lower edge
of the road. Had he been gong
rapidly, he could hardly have turned
to get in the narrow underpass, and
would hardly have avoided striking
the south aoutment with the front
end of the car. Neither of these
things occurred. The car was clear
ly within the underpass, and as
nearly as possible, Immediately I'M
der the railroad track, and turned
upon it's side, the top being crush
ed by contact with the South abut-
ment against which the upper side
of the car rested. The steering
wheel was on the left of the car and
the impact seems to have caught
Mr.. Smiths head between the steer
ing wheel and the abutment, break
ing his neck and crushing his Jaw
Had the abu'tmeAt not caught the
car and prevented it from turn1ng
turtle there would no doubt have
been five persons killed instead of
one. There WAS the track of one