Monday, 6 October 2014

1914-09-15aa


“Two horses were killed, a two-seated carriage was smashed into kindling and four occupants of the rig were badly shaken up”

          Hamilton Spectator.   August 15, 1914.

          Shortly after 8 p.m. during the evening of August 14, 1914, a man went to the Macnab street north livery stable owned by W. J. Dore. Giving his a name as Wlliam Maguire, and his occupation as a tailor, the man, accompanied by another man and two young women, hired a wagon and two horses.

          When neither the carriage, nor the people who went off with it returned the next morning, Mr. Dore became concerned. Then he received a telephone call telling him that his horses had been killed and his rig completely destroyed in an accident. The accident had occurred on King street, just east of Ottawa street.

          Mr. Dore immediately went to the scene of the accident where he learned that his rig, filled with the four individuals, was proceeding east on King street, when it was approached, from behind, by an eastbound electric street car. In turning out of the way of that car, the rig was pulled to the left, directly into a rapidly advancing westbound street car.

          As described in the Spectator :

          “The horses were struck and pushed back for some distance, the carriage was crushed into kindling wood and the stone roadbed between the tracks was plowed up for a distance of over twenty feet.

          “The two girls in the carriage screamed with terror, but as soon as the car was stopped, they were helped out of the carriage by the men, and all four disappeared.”1

               1 “Accident Almost Cost Four Lives : Horses Killed, But Occupants of Escaped : Outfit Smashed and Roadbed Badly Torn Up”

          Hamilton Spectator August 15, 1914

          Livery stable owner was left with the loss of two of his horses and one of his carriages for hire. None of the individuals involved in the accident were located. The shop of tailor, William Maguire, the only one of the four whose identity was known, was visited, he did not return to his place of employment.

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