Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 239, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 October 1916 — BAD AUTO SMASHUP WEDNESDAY NIGHT [ARTICLE]

BAD AUTO SMASHUP WEDNESDAY NIGHT

Rhoades Garage Ford Crashes Into Buggy and Hayladder=-Mule Killed and Occupants Injured. One mule killed, a buggy badly demolished, a Ford touring car severely damaged and three men injured slightly was the toll an an accident that occurred on the east gravel near the old Bedford estate at about 7:45 Wednesday night. The car which caused the damage was a Ford touring car belonging to C. W. Rhoades, driven by his son, Charles. At the time of the accident the automobile driven by Rhoades was going east. Young Rhoades had driven from Rensselaer and was going to the John Duvall residence at the time on an errand, but no light at the Duvall residence decked not to stop and was going on down to the Gangloff bridge to turn around. When near the Bedford estate Rhoades passed another Ford and a buggy, taking, the side of the road. Immediately after passing these he turned back up into the main road,

and owing to the dust that had been raised by the two vehicles which ne had just passed was unable to see another buggy, driven by L. C. Hooker directly in front of him, in time to avoid striking the buggy. Rhoades, however, managed to pull the car over sufficiently to avoid striking the buggy squarely, hitting the left front wheel of the Hooker buggy and tearing it off, and upsetting the buggy into the ditch, and throwing the ocslight wounds, a cut behind the ear and over the "Tip, and one arm injured. Rhoades righted the car, but had not slowed down sufficiently to keep, from running into a hay ladled loaded with tile, which was coming directly behind the Hooker buggy. The car struck the left front wheel' of the hay ladder, and one of the mules hitched to the hayladder, breaking its leg, necessitating the killing ofthe animal. The mule belonged to J. J. Lawler. On the hay ladder were eight or nine farm hands of Lawler’s, but none of them were injured. After striking the hayladder the Ford swerved around and turned over on its side, facing south when stopped. Rhoades received a few slight cuts and bruises about the head, and Dwight Curnick, who occupied the front seat with him, was thrown through the windshield and suffered cuts about the hands and body and had one ankle pretty badly sprained and his side wrenched. The Rhqades car was badly damaged, the body being smashed, the left front fender bent back, the front axle bent, one light broken, the windshield broken and the radiator bent. The damage to all concerned was considerable, and the expense will be heavy, the most of which will probably have to be borne by Rhoades.