Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1940-05-16
TO COMMEMORATE FIRST ACCT.
DENT ON NATIONAL HIGHWAY

Initiation of an All-OhiO Safety
Contest for 1910, announced recent
ly by Colonel Robert s. Beightler
State Highway Director, recalls that
the factor of safety in highway
transportation has been a problem
since the earliest days Of Ohio's
statehood
Even then, as simple and as un-
complicated as were the methods OF
transportation the American tenn
perament in its love of speed, the
necessity for getting the mail
through and other exigencies, in
Guiding competition between stage
lines, created hazards for travellers
StagecOaches were waylaid and rob
bed. and teams getting beyond the
control of drivers on steep hills
would upset at curves.
The first fatal accident on record
on the National Highway-now u
S. Route 40-occurred on August
90, 1885, at the eastern limits OF
Norwich, Muskingum county. Here
Christopher G. Baldwin was killed on
a curve when stagecoach overturn-
ed, according to a tablet erected on
the site.
In celebrating a Century of Prog
ress of Transportation on the Ma
tional Highway, May 16 and II.
plans have been made by the COM
mittee in charge to commemorate
the occurrence, according to the Ohio
Chamber of Commerce
A motorcade starting from Wheel
ing, West Virginia, the morning of
May II. will stop to place a wreatn II
on the tablet with appropriate cere-
monies. The motorcade at this
point will comprise, besides the
Wheeling unit, others from Bridge
port, Bellaire, Martins Ferry, St
Clairsville, Brookside, Morristown.
Cambridge, Old Washington. and
New Concord. The motorcade will
then proceed to Columbus, where
after being Joined by other units
along the way, it will meet a motor
cade from Richmond, Indiana, TO
stage joint ceremonies at the State
capitol.
Another accident which did not
result fatally, but which was of suf-
flcient importance to obtain notice
in the newspapers of the day, hap
pened three years earlier than the
Norwich occurrence, at the crooked
stone bridge over Crooked Creek
near Cambridge.
Owing to the icy condition of the
road mail stage bound for Zanes-
vile was overturned and wrecked,
according to one newspaper ac-
count This necessitated the trans
ferring of passengers to sled. At
the Crooked Greek bridge, where
there were many accidents in later
years, the sled sweeping around a
curve overturned by striking the
parapet of the bridge.
''The passengers (some of whom,
we regret to learn, were much in
jured) were instantaneously thrown
from their Seats according to a
newspaper account Three of their
number, one of whom was a lady,
were cast by the force of the con-
cussion over the parapet wall into
the stream below. One of these. a
gentleman, fell upon the edge of the
stream; the other two-the lady be-
fore mentioned and a gentleman
from Steubenville, (Mr. TurnbulD
fell into the water which was sup
posed to have been ten feet deep at
that time. The former Individual
was considerably bruised by the
fall; the latter swan out unhurt,
and the lady saved herself by cling
ing to cake of ice floating near
her, until she was rescued from her
perilous situation"
The newspaper was pleased to
report further that the mail was
saved, except one bag of newspa-
pers, recovered later, Gin state
much damaged by the watery ele-
ment to which it had been so sud-
denly and unceremoniously consign-
ed"