1914-07-18gag

“Two mischief-loving youngsters, a much-peeved chauffeur and a runaway automobile caused a lot of fun and excitement at the head of the Jolley Cut shortly after six last evening”

Hamilton Times.  July 18, 1914 .

It was an incident which started with a large touring car which had suddenly come to a stop just before it was to descend the Jolley Cut from the edge of the escarpment to John street in the lower city.

One of the hind wheels of the large automobile had slipped off its shaft causing the driving gear to be badly wrenched.

As meticulously detailed by a Time reporter, the malfunction set off a series of interesting, if occasionally humorous and dangerous events:

“A number of boys and girls gathered and watched the driver jack-up the car. When he crawled under to fix the gear, two lads grabbed the wheel, and giving it a start, sent it rolling down the grade.

“Now, as the chauffeur was rubicund as to countenance and girth, the first fifty yards was made in record time, then the grade got him in its grip, and pedestrians were at a loss to know which should be stopped, the man or wheel. The latter gained momentum at each revolution, made the first turn at forty miles an hour, the second at eighty; the hospital was passed and one could almost swear that the revolving piece of rubber and wood smiled sardonically as a horse tried to stand on its head.

“The haymarket was almost reached when a husky farmer hove in sight and, with great judgement, made a brilliant capture, for which he was sorry, as the cheering of the crowd made Silas feel somewhat embarrassed.

“In about twenty minutes, the owner came puffing up, and as he grimly started to roll the wheel back, what he said about children in general showed that in future he would advocate race suicide.”¹

¹ “A Gay Time : Lads Start Trouble for Chauffeur On Jolley Cut”

Hamilton Times.   July 18, 1914