Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1919-10-31
FALL 50 FEET IN
CAR BUT SURVIVE
FRED W. CONNERY AND FAMILY
SKID ON WET CLAY OVER
STEEP CLIFF.

A sheer fall of 80 feet IN an auto
mobile after skidding over wet clay
is a hair-raising experience which few
people could hope to come through
alive. Fred w. Convery has lived to
tell the story-but he was so badly
shaken up by the accident, which hap
pened August 3, that he did not tell
the story until this week.
Mr.. Convery, a well-known Olym-
pia business man, took two months
auto trip last summer with his wife
and son. They visited Sioux City,
Iowa, and Omaha, going over the Vel
lowstone trail through Montana.
They met with no serious mishap. un-
til the day before they were to arrive
home, and then they had their thrill
ling adventure.
1--WE We're about II miles east of
Gle Elum." Mr.. Convery said, "where
the road winds among the hills, and
where the most careful driving is alb
solutely necessary, for the roads are
narrow and going over the side means
going long way down. l struck
place where the road was so slippery
that could not possibly control the
car There had been a cut in a clay
bank, and as it was raining hard some
of the clay had been washed on the
road. destroying any possibility of a
traction.
vi had to think fast, and reasoned
that when a car goes off the road it
nearly always tips over because one
side goes off before the other. The
thing to do, then, was to turn facing
the edge of the road.
1--WE were on an overhanging cliff,
and didn't know how far down the
landing place might me. However, l
figured that we were going over, and
that there might be a ghost of a
chance if we could keep from tipping.
So / turned the wheels toward the
cliff and shouted that we were going.
No one had time to jump.
when we realized what was hap
pening we found ourselves still alive,
sitting in the car, the machine sus-
pended in the air between two trees.
1t was tipped up obliquely, the front
axle having caught on one tree and
the rear of the car on another. We
had fallen more than 80 feet, straight
down.
I'VE climbed out of the car and
stood in the rain. My son went down
the road, and after while came to
farmhouse where he found a man
willing to help us. 1t was Sunday
afternoon, and he was dressed in his
best clothes. He simply pulled on
pair of boots and came with his team
and block and tackle. later found
his name was Virden.
Getting the car back to the road
was terrific job, but after cutting
down several small trees and making
a path, he managed it.
THE amazing part came when I
paid him. He had worked from
O'Clock to Z, and had gotten his Sun
day colthes badly soiled All he would
take was S2-just about enough to
get his clothes cleaned
After we had gotten the car fixed
up in a garage in Gle Elum we start
ed home. But some of the loose nuts
on the steering wheel had been dis
turbed by the aoeident, and gradually
frightened up. found the wheel very
hard to turn, and getting harder all
the time. thought that / had grown
weak on account of the experience
had just been through, so after a
while / asked the boy to drive. saw
he was having a hard time of it, too.
and finally said. 1t turns pretty
hard, doesn't it?' Just then it locked
tight, and as we came to turn in the
road the car would not go to the right
or left. We stopped just in time to
avoid going over steep bluff a sec
ond time, the front wheels Just a few
,rn 4 l..