The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1920-07-15
THRILLS GALORE
ASAUTOS COLLIDE
Five People Flirt with
Death in Three Cornered
Collision on Tuesday.
ESCAPES ARE NARROW
Two Autos and Crowded Street
Car Mix Things at Prairie
Avenue Crossing.

Five people flirted with death, two
automobiles were wrecked and seven
ty-fve passengers aboard city street
Ear were badly frightened and most of
them as badly shaken up just before
half past five o'clock Tuesday after
noon as a result of bad mix up Of the
automobiles and the street car at the
corner Of Prairie avenue and Sheridan
Road. One young woman, Miss Violet
Nolan, was slightly injured her face
being cut from flying glass Of the
wrecked wind shield of the car belong
ing to her brother L. L. Nolan, 307
Valentine street, who was driving it.
M. Kempf, Mike Pfeifer and Alex
Soke all employees of the Nash Mo
tors company and all residing on Rur-
al Route No. 2 in the town of Pleasant
Prairie picked themselves out from
the wreckaye of the car which had
been driven by Kempf, all badly shak-
en- up but not one of them even severe
ly bruised. 1t appeared to be another
one of those motor accident miracles
how all Of the people escaped without
some one being killed. The automo-
biles were wrecked.
Tried to Avoid Street Car.
Nolan was driving his Ford automo-
bile north along Sheridan Road at q
very moderate rate of speed, in the
front seat Of the car with him was
his sister and the pet bulldog Betty.
Kempf came up from the east on Prai-
rie avenue and was planning to turn
into Sheridan road and the street car
came along from the north. Kempf
claimed that he did not hear the car
coming and that the gong of the car
was not sounded until it was right
at the crossing. When he saw the car
barring the crossing he turned short
and ran head on into the Nolan auto
mobile forcing it off the street and on
the sidewalk and wrecking it. A sec
ond later the street car crowded with
passengers bore down on the car which
was driven by Kempf driving it into
the Nolan care and completing the
wrecking of the two automobiles. The
car was going fast enough that when
the collision took place the passengers
were thrown out of their seats into
the crowded aisles of the car and
while some of them claimed to have
been slightly bruised no one was Sc
verely hurt.
Kempf Absolves Nolan.
Kempf promptly declared, after he
had pulled himself out of the debris
of the automobile that Nolan was in
no way to blame for the accident. He
admitted that he had his choice of
running head on into the street car
or making the short turn and that he
did not see the Nolan automobile until
it was too late to stop his car. He
appeared to be deeply grateful that no
one had been severely injured. The
conductor of the street car busted him
self with taking the names of the pas
sengers of the automobile and made
no apologies on the part of the com
pany, In a few minutes a great crowd
had gather about the wrecked auto
mobiles. Later they were towed away
to garages. 1t was claimed that the
damage to the automobiles would be
several hundred dollars. The street
ear was only slightly damaged and it
proceeded on it's trip-after the con
ductor had taken the names of the
people in the automobiles.
Kempf and the other men with him
declared that the accident could have
been averted if they had heard a gong
on the street car. All of the men de-
clared that the gong was not sound
ed until the street car was at the
9aOssing.
Freight Leaves Track.
Just about the time one crowd was
@eing thrilled at the east end of the
Prairie avenue by the motor car wreck
another crowd at the west end of the
the avenue had a thrill when a
freight train left the track of the
Northwestern road at the Prairie ave-
nue. crossing One of the cars struck
one of the big poles of the Wisconsin
Gas & Electric company breaking it
off like pipe stem. AS result the
workmen of the company were forced
to make hurried repairs in order to
have light out in a portion of the
west section for the night. Prairie
avenue was blocked for several hours
as a result of the wrecked cars being
across the street. The loss as re-
suit of the accident was of minor
nature.