Mohave County miner., 1917-11-10

Four Mohave county officials had a narrow escape from death last We'd nesday afternoon when their machine turned over in rounding curve in the Needles road five miles west of Topock. Charles Lynch, supervisor, sustained a fractured skull and has been lowering between life and death in a Los Angeles hospital since the accident. J. N. Conenour, sheriff, was painfully, but not seriously, hurt about the head and spine and returned home Thursday. S. D. Stewart, county att torney, and Robert Blum, county en- gineer, the other occupants of the machine, escaped practically unhurt, except for a severe shaking up. MT. Stewart accompanied Mir. Lynch to Los Angeles and Mir. Blum returned to Kingman Thursday night.
 A telegram received this morning from Mir. Stewart said Mir. Lynch showed signs of improvement and was resting quite comfortably. His life was despaired of for two days. Mrs. Lynch went into Los Angeles We'd nesday night and has been at the bed side of her husband since then.
 The accident occurred in rounding a sharp turn in the road and was caused by the rear wheels skidding in some loose dirt which had just been thrown up by a road gang. MT. Blum, who was driving, says they were not going at an excessive rate of speed.
 According to his account of the ac- cident, the steering wheel of the Dodge machine was loose and that as he gave it a heavy turn to take the curve the rear end sIlidded over an embanlment of about two feet and the machine turned turtle. Both he, Lynch and C0henour were pinned un- der the car, while Stewart was thrown clear of the wreckage. Blum was pinned under the steering wheel and was unable to extricate. himself until the car door had been torn off.
 Lynch, who, was riding in the front seat with Blum, was caught under the front end of the car, the seat of which was resting on the back of his head. It was the back of the head that seemed to have been most badly in jured. Physicians who examined him when he was taken to Needles and later at the Los Angeles hospital, de- clared that he had sustained fracture of the skull. Cohenour was pinned under the back seat, apparently hay ing been doubled up" with none of the cars weight resting upon him. His injuries consisted of a severe blow on the side of his head and he com plained of trouble in the lower spinal region.
 Both Cohenour and Lynch were rendered unconscious. Lynch did not regain consciousness for a day or more, while Cohenour came to in an hour or so and was able to walk about He apparently was suffering most on Friday and was confined to his bed.
 It was thought for some time after the accident that Lynch has been killed. Finally there were signs of life and Blum and Stewart started artificial respiration with him, and he breathed normally. Shortly he began screaming and yelling from the terri ble pain. He would lapse into appa- rent conditions of coma at times. Co., henour seemed dazed from the blow on the head and says he doesn't re- member distinctly events of the rest of the day and Thursday morning.
 It was only a short time until sev- eral automobiles came up. Physi- clans were summoned from Needles and the injured men were taken in and given first aid treatment until No. arrived, when Lynch was re-