The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1919-07-25
6 Killed in Auto Wreck
TWO FAMILIES WIPED OUT
IN AUTO ACCIDENT SUNDAY

a railroad crossing g-these three fac
tors, combined with fate to snuff out
the lives of six people at 6.1O o'clock
Sunday evening.
The dead are: j. +. Ullery, age So; /
Mrs. j. F. Ullery. so; Lima Ullery 16;
May Ullery IL; Chas. d. Shellaber-
ger. Sc; Mrs. Chas. d. Shellaberger,
G2. The last named was a sister Of
Mr.. Ullery.
At the crossing near the Noble
ranch, mile into Canyon county,
from the Ada county line, Hupmo-
bile auto, driven by j. F. Ullery, was
struck squarely by an Interurban car
that left Nampa 4 miles distantJ 10
minutes before. Although the motor
man, H. L. Marks, saw the oncoming
car, he was not sure that the man
would wait for the eiectric car to
pass, so reversed the power. AS the
street car was going about rs miles
an hour collision was not to be
avoided. There was crash, and the
auto was dragged a distance of 800
feet, scattering the occupants of the
auto along the side of the track. One
man, the driver of the auto, was pin
ned underneath his car and was
lifeless when taken out. Mrs. Ullery
and May, her youngest daugh
ter, were both killed outright,
and thrown out at the side of the
roadbed and they were sealped, pre-
snmably from the glass of the wine
shield. Another daughter was appar-
emily very little bruised, but was kill
led instantly and thrown for
number of feet to the side of the
track. Mr.. Shellaberger and his wife
were unconcious from terrible wounds
on their bodies, but lived to reaea
Nampa, where the wife died in a few
minutes, the husband lingering till
the next day. He did not regain con-
ciousness however and so no one will
ever know exactly what transpired
to cause them to stop the auto on
the track.
The motorman says that when ne
saw the auto was going to attempt
to cross the track he threw on the
brakes, but too late to avoid crash.
He says that just as the auto started
up the short incline, he saw the
driver lean over as if to reach a lever
and at that moment the auto leap
ed forward.
A Meridian man who was on the
scene a moment after tile tragedy,
but who did not observe carefully
the occupants of the car, suggests
that one of the girls, VINO had been
learning to drive the car was on
the front seat with her father anG
possibly one other as it was wiGe
seat. This girl may have been driv-
ing, from the fact that il was pleas
ure trip and the road was level. AS
the crossing was reached the car was
stalled on the track. 1t was not in
motion as the car was dragged by the
street car, and there was no force 10
throw it at the right side of the
track. Stalling an auto is not unusuai
on the uneven surface oI railroad
crossing for a novice, but to one who
has driven a car for several months
it is almost an unknown incident
The effort the motorman speaks of
of reaching for a break is possibly
explained from the theory that the
father, seeing that the auto would
go onto the track, reached for the
emergency brake. The clutch pc
ing in, the brake evidently did not
work, and the effort of the father tC
help the daughter did not succeed.
The opinion was so general that nj
blame could be attached to the motor
man that the coroner of CanyoI
county called no inquest.
AS soon as the bodies of the deaf
and dying could be taken from tn,
wreckage, they were placed on tn,
street car and taken to Nampa. TIVE
of the persons, already dead, wer,
left at the morgue near the Inter
urban station, and the others takel
to the hospital. All except one dieC
y in a few minutes after being takel
to the hospital.
The accident occurred at poin
where the state highway makes |
square turn and crosses the track
a mile below the residence of F. n
Rosenlof, and as the highway run
parallel with the street car track TO
several miles, there is no way 70
the motorman coming from the cas-
to know if the auto driver is TO a.
tempt the crossing or not, as he i
coming toward the street car.
On the other side. coming down tn
big lhll, the auto can be seen for
I half mile, as it comes toward tn
railroad track, but on the otner side
coming from the other direction, ST
feet or more Will place the auto o
the street car right OF way. 1t
for this reason, suggested 0y the tel
rible calamity, that the highway oi
ficials should be petitioned I
place a warning sign 500 fee
east of the scene of the wreck so tha
auto drivers will be warned OF daI
gerous crossing.
The Ullerys have been highly ri
spected farmers in the Nampa neigl
borhood for 2 years. They lived l
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