New Britain herald., 1923-08-21
French Alps Scene OF
Tragedy As Sight
seeing Party Meet
With Spectacular Au-
tomobile Accident
Others Of Twenty Passen-
gers May Die-An Hurt
But One-Machine Turns
Complete Somersault.
BY The Associated Press.

BY The Associated Press.
| Nice, Aug. 2I.-Five American
tourists and one Frenchman were
killed and Is persons injured, some
perhaps fatally when a Sightseeing
motor bus crashed through parapet
on the mountain road between Nice
and Evian yesterday plunging over a
100 foot precipice into the river Var.
Eighteen of the 22 passengers in
the bus were Americans. The dead
are: Rev. Hiram Grant Person and
Mrs. Person, of Newton, Mass; Mrs.
Alexander Sondheimer, Mrs d. s..
White, Washington, D. c.; Charles H.
Gray, and the French chauffeur,
Louis Vallerino.
The only passenger unhurt Was Mrs.
Meta Mooney, also an American
The accident occurred near the viii
lage of Guillaumes, about 40 miles
from Nice.
Alexander Sondheimer, native of
st. Louis was in a critical condition
today. Another of those hurt was
Mrs w. w. Spaid of Washington.
d. c.
The Injured
The list of injured Is as follows:
Alexander Sondheimer, left arm
fractured in two places: Isaac Stray
horn, compound fracture of the left
arm, wounds in the head; Mrs Isaac
strayhorn, left arm broken, internal
injuries, left ankle broken, condition
serious; carltron G.. Person, lower
and upper jaws broken; Robert r.
Person, slight wounds in the head:
Russell B, Miller. fractured left knee.
Wounds in the head.
Mrs. w. A. Hecker. Jaw broken,
internal injuries, condition serious;
Miss w. III. Beaumont, deep wound In
the right leg, left arm broken in two
places; w. r. Coffey, wounds in the
chest serious wound in forehead
Mrs. w. f. Coffey, superficial wounds,
no bones broken; Mrs. w. S. Spaid of
Washington, d. c., left collar bone
broken; +. w. Rugg, official protog-
rapher of the Temple tours, internal
injuries, Rene Moreau, of Brussels,
and Jean Haul of Nice were slightly
hurt. ..t
Make Room for Frenchman
The party of American tourists led
by Prof. Russell b. Miller. OF the
of Chicago, arrived in
Nice Sunday, happy and carefree.
after beautiful tour throughout
Italy. They left here accompanied
by Photographer Rugg, yesterday
The passengers stopped
for luncheon at noon at the little hotel
Olivier in the village of Guillaumeu.
perched high in the French Alps,
eaving for Briancon at Q O'Clock.
after the Americans had gracefully
agreed to make room for French
nan, Jean Paul of Nice, who was de-
;irous of getting a lift to Barcel1on-
stte.
Paul escaped with slight injuries
md was able to relate his expert
snces. The car, he said, proceeded
It normal speed over the dangerous
oads along the left bank of the river
var, ranging from 300 to 300 feet
.bove the level of the river bed.
On Hairpin Turn
About 21s miles south of Gull
aumes the road crosses one of the
mall torrents common in the vicinity.
he bridge over this stream is reached
" hairpin turn down the side of
ne tilS louu III ITO 6tOtp
line dropping 100 feet in less than
900 yards.
The car gathered terrific speed de-
ending the hill, the chauffeur ac-
ording to M. Paul apparently losing
ontrol of the vehicle as the brakes
i'd not seem to respond. He ne
otiated the bridge safely nevertheless
ut was unable to take the sharp turn
t full speed.
The Frenchman, seated on the side
{ the car opposite the chasm, was
1rown into the road and stunned as
he vehicle hit the parapet and
rashed over. As he fell he heard
orrified shrieks from others of the
assengers who were flung away from
lie open seats as if from a giant
atapult, into the river bed below, the
ar itself turning a complete somer-
ault. NJ. Paul says the fact that
,e car was completely overturned
robably saved the lives of many of
lie passengers some of whom fell
ON 90 to 40 feet away from -
achine.
The passengers who were killed
ltright were those who were unable
extracate themselves from the
ats and we're crushed 8 under the
eavy vhicle.
TIL shrieks of terror as the car fell
ere succeeded by the walls OF the
ring and appeals for help from the
ounded. Insensibly only momentar-
:, Paul dragged himself to the para
t and gave one look into the chasm.
A Terrifying Scene
Il never saw and ] never expect
see a more terrifying scene" he
Id his friends today. land i have
ien through four years of war" he
ded sadly.
A passing automobile belonging to
Continued on Fourteenth PaEe,.