Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 142, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 July 1917 — JOHNSON CAR A BAD WRECK [ARTICLE]

JOHNSON CAR A BAD WRECK

DR. JOHNSON’S CHALMERS BADLY DAMAGED WHEN HIT BY STEAMER. I s * Dr. Johnson’s Chalmers automobile was damaged to the extent of several hundred dollars Saturday afternoon, when the Stanley Steamer belonging to G. M. Myers and driven by Mrs. Myers, crashed into the doctor’s car, which was standing in front of his office on Washington street. The car was a brand new one, Dr. Johnson having purchased it only about a month ago. The machine was so badly damaged that it is probable it will never be fit for service again. The front axle was twisted, the frame sprung, the fenders and running boards wrecked, the body sprung so badly that one door will not close, the steering knuckle broken, the frame bent, the driving shaft twisted, one rim broken and the counter shaft bent. Practically every portion of the car was damaged in some way. An expert from the Chalmers company is to be here today to examine the machine and determine whether or not it can be rebuilt. The most conservative estimate places the damage of the wrecked machine at SI,OOO, and it is probable that it will be considerably more. The machine cost in the neighborhood of $1,700. Mrs. Myers was attemptmg to back up and became excited after bumping the car and threw the throttle open. The Steamer picks up speed so quickly that the crash with the Johnson car could not be averted. The W. O. Rowles Maxwell, which was parked on the street, was also struck and the fender on it badly smashed.