Kevin Earl Dayhoff Art One-half Banana Stems

Kevin Earl Dayhoff Art One-half Banana Stems - www.kevindayhoff.com Address: PO Box 124, Westminster MD 21158 410-259-6403 kevindayhoff@gmail.com Runner, writer, artist, fire & police chaplain Mindless ramblings of a runner, journalist & artist: Travel, art, artists, authors, books, newspapers, media, writers and writing, journalists and journalism, reporters and reporting, technology, music, culture, opera... National & International politics www.kevindayhoff.net For community: www.kevindayhoff.org For art, technology, writing, & travel: www.kevindayhoff.com

Wednesday, February 04, 2009

When 'breaking news' was all about horse and buggy accidents


When 'breaking news' was all about horse and buggy accidents

February 4, 2009

Eagle Archives By Kevin Dayhoff Posted on
http://www.explorecarroll.com/ 2/01/09

More than 100 years ago, horse and buggy accidents were a staple of the "breaking news" diet of local newspapers.

One example occurred Feb. 1, 1896, when the now out-of-print American Sentinel carried a brief about a horse and buggy accident involving a mail carrier. Under the heading of "Taneytown Items," the paper reported:

"On last Monday afternoon when Mr. John Shriner, who carries the mail from this place to Harney, was leaving for home, his horse became frightened and, in some way, fell to the ground, breaking one shaft off his cart. When the animal regained his feet the broken shaft struck him on the heels causing him to run away.

"After he had run some distance the cart was upset and threw Mr. Shriner to the ground with great force. He was dragged some distance and finally delivered from his dangerous position by the horse getting loose from the cart, which was badly wrecked.

"Mr. Shriner was badly bruised and scarred, and has not been able to attend to his duties since the accident, but is now slowly improving and will soon be carrying the mail again."

So let me get this straight. Neither rain nor sleet nor snow are problems for postal carriers, but apparently being dragged by a horse is?

Years ago, Jay Graybeal wrote a column for the Historical Society of Carroll County about a number of horse and buggy accidents that were reported in the May 19, 1893, edition of the defunct Democratic Advocate. Apparently roaming farm animals were involved in several mishaps.

"Mr. Jesse Long, living near Tannery, was thrown from a wagon last Sunday evening. He was returning from Tannery Station, driving a young horse to a small wagon, when the bridle came off the animal's head. The horse started to run, and running against a cow in the road, upset the wagon and threw Mr. Long out. ... Dr. W. K. Fringer rendered medical services."

"On Monday morning as Mr. Wm. Burgoon, of Bachman's Valley, and his son were on their way to this city, the horse became frightened at a goat and ran off a bridge near the residence of Mr. Jacob Zacharias, on the Littlestown pike, and fell a distance of 14 feet down into a gully. Mr. Burgoon had a leg bruised, his son received a small cut near the eye, the carriage top was smashed and the harness broken."

Let that be a lesson. Don't let a horse get your goat ... or your cow.

Read the rest of the column here: When 'breaking news' was all about horse and buggy accidents

http://explorecarroll.com/community/2208/when-breaking-news-was-all-about-horse-buggy-accidents/

20090201 SCE When breaking news was horse buggy accidents sceked

SDOSM 20090204 Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/
Kevin Dayhoff Art http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.