1st Auto Wreck Smethport, PA
June 26, 1910 100 Block Smethport read newspaper accounts & still more

downloaded from eBay TERRIBLE AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT ON MAIN ST. EARLY SUNDAY MORNING THE MCKEAN COUNTY MINER June 30, 1910 Harold Backus, Killed; Harold McCarthy, Badly Injured, and Frank Purtle, Severely Bruise RAN THE CAR INTO A TELEPHONE POLE The Accident was Probably Due to An Explosion or Blow-up of The Tire on Right Front Wheel BACKUS LIVED THREE HOURS AFTER THE ACCIDENT His Head Was Crushed Against Pole, His Right Shoulder Fractured and Left Thumb Broken---McCarthy’s Lower Jaw Broken In Three Places and Face Terribly Bruised and Lacerated---Purtle’s Injuries are slight—Funeral of Harold Backus Held Yesterday Afternoon---The Car Belonged to Judge J. W. Bouton, and is a Total Wreck. The most terrible automobile accident that has ever occurred in this country took place on Main street of this borough at about half past three o’clock Sunday morning when Harold Backus was killed, Harold McCarthy was most seriously injured and Frank Purtle sustained some painful bruises, that kept him confined to the house for several days. These three young men were driving down Main Street in Judge Joseph W. Bouton’s new Maxwell touring car, evidently at a fast rate of speed, and when they reached Union street they failed to make the turn on Main street and crashed into two telephones on the south side of the street, almost directly in front of the May Kern’s building which was recently occupied by Anderson and Carlson as a shoe store while their new building was being erected. Harold Backus, who was chauffeur for Judge Bouton and was driving the car, was thrown head first against one of the poles, rendering him unconscious and inflicting injuries to his head which caused his death at five minutes after six o’clock that morning. Harold McCarthy, who was riding on the front seat with him was thrown headlong on the pavement, sustaining three distinct fractures of the lower jaw besides having his face terribly lacerated and bruised. Frank Purtle, who was riding alone on the back seat was thrown clear over the front of the car and landed on the brick pavement fully fifteen feet beyond where the car stopped, and, strange as it may seem, he escaped with only a bad shaking up and a bruised shoulder. As soon as he could gather himself together he went to County Treasurer Frank P. Isherwood’s door and upon getting a response asked him to phone for medical aid saying that there had been an automobile accident and two men had been injured. Mr. Isherwood had heard the crash and was dressing when the alarm came to his door and he lost no time in arousing several physicians. Purtle then returned to the wreck and picked Backus, holding his head in his lap, and when Mr. Isherwood came down they bathed his head with water with the hopes of reviving him. Doctors Chadwick, Clark, Ostrander, and Hamilton were soon on the scene and Backus was placed upon an improvised stretcher and carried to his home four blocks up the street. In the meantime McCarthy got up and, in a dazed condition, wandered down to Water street and from there up a couple of blocks and back to Main Street and into Purtle’s hotel where friends found him and assisted him to his home in the living apartments of the county jail. Purtle, after assistance had come to Backus, started a search for McCarthy and upon learning that McCarthy had been assisted to his home, collapsed and had to have assistance to his room. As soon as Harold Backus was taken home, Dr. Evan O’Neil Kane of Kane was telephoned for and he made a quick trip in his automobile. However the young man was past all earthly aid and he passed to the Great Beyond at five minutes after six, without regaining consciousness. The right side of his head was badly crushed and there was a brain puncture probably caused by a spike in the pole and the terrific force of impact when he struck. Harold McCarthy, after reaching his home, received the attention of physicians and it was with much difficulty that his jaw was set owing to the lacerated and swollen condition of his entire face and neck. And several times since the broken members have become displaced, making it necessary to re-set the fractures. At first it was feared that he might suffer conclusion of the brain, but now that danger is practically over and his chances for complete recovery are very good. Just what was the cause which brought about this terrible tragedy has been the subject of much discussion and many theories have been advanced. Chauffeur Backus never regained consciousness to tell any story. McCarthy’s injuries have prevented his making any statement, and Purtle, who was in the rear seat, can only stated that it all happened so quick that he does not know what did happen. He says he spoke to Backus about making the turn but he was busy with the steering wheel and levers and in an instant the crash came. So it only remains to arrive at the best solution of the cause from the conditions as found by others. The car, after striking the pole, turned about three-fourths around so it looked as though it had been coming from the other direction. The spokes of the right front wheel were entirely broken out, a deep dent in the rim and the inner tube of this wheel was split open about fifteen inches next to the rim. The spokes in the other wheels were bent and cracked and the left rear tire was partially off. The three tires were intact and filled with air. The body of the car was badly damaged. Both lights and wind shield were entirely demolished. The radiator and hood bent and twisted; the engines’ casings, crank shaft and balance wheel broken; the front wheels doubled under the car; control levers badly bent and broken, and the front set driven back pearly to the rear seat on the right side. All a mute witness of a terrible wreck. How It Happened From what we can learn these three young men had been to the dance at the Lyceum and after the dance was over went to the restaurant for a lunch. They then decided to take a ride and the three went up to the garage and got the car. They drove up onto Main street and then down Main Street to Union Street when the accident happened. The car apparently sped right along in a straight line until it hit the curb in front of Geo W. Brennan’s store, swerved a little to the left and continued down until it hit the two telephone poles which stand close together, about thirty-five feet further on. Now the question arises, why didn’t Backus, who had the reputation of being a good, careful driver, make this turn, which is in no way considered a difficult one. Some rushed to the conclusion that they were going at a terrific rate of speed and merely did not attempt to make the turn until it was too late, but others more familiar with automobiles and the troubles that go with them have vastly different opinions. One chauffeur, who has had a good deal of experience in handling cars under various conditions, says that, after discussing the question with other drivers and thoroughly examining the wreck, he is satisfied that the disaster was caused by a blow-out of the right front tire, which he says would make it almost impossible, if they were driving fast, to steer the car to the left as was necessary to make this turn. He says that the only thing that could have made such a dent as appeared in the rim of the right front wheel would be its coming in rapid contact with the curb with the tire flat. If the tire had been full of air when it struck the curb this dent could not have been made no matter how fast the car might have been going. In support of this theory is the fact that Mrs. Charles McKean who resides about one hundred feet away and was awake at the time heard a sharp report like the firing of a revolver, which is the noise made by a blow-out, and an instant later came the terrible crash of the collision with the poles. Another condition which bears out this theory is the fact that many of those who were first upon the scene noticed that for a distance of fifty or sixty feet in the path of the car before it hit the curb, that a narrow strip of the pavement was as clean from dust and dirt as though it had been carefully swept, which is the case when a tire explodes and the car continues with the tire flat. And to further uphold this theory is the fact that where the car first struck the curb very noticeable portions of sand were ground off its edge, a condition that would hardly occur had it been the rubber tire instead of the iron rim that rubbed against the curb. Had Other Accidents. Although generally considered a careful driver and a good man with a car he has been unlucky. About two years ago while riding with his brother, J. C. Backus, he got out to crank the latter’s car, and when he started the engines the car made a quick forward start, knocking him down and quite badly bruising him before his brother could stop the machine. Again this spring he was painfully injured in a similar manner. He cranked Judge Bouton’s car in the garage to find that the machinery was in mesh on the slow speed and car started forward, catching him against a work bench and squeezing him until his back and abdomen were seriously bruised. And he was only released when his cries were heard by a neighboring chauffeur who rushed to his aid. Sketch of His Life Harold E. Backus, youngest child of Major and Mrs. John C. Backus, was born in this borough November 2, 1886. He has lived in this place all his life with the exception of a short time he was in school in Pittsburgh and in New York for a few months learning the automobile business. For the past two seasons he has driven Judge Bouton’s car and was always a careful, conservative driver. He was an honored member of the Smethport Fire Department and had a host of friends in that organization as well as among the young people of the town with whom he was well-known. He is survived by his mother, Mrs. Mary A. Backus; four brothers, Frank S., J. Clayton, Frederick W. and Murl E., all of this borough, and two sisters, Mrs. W. T. Seger of New York City, and Mrs. Arthur W. Cutler of Onenta, N.Y., whom with a host of friends will deeply mourn his untimely demise. The funeral services were held at the house Wednesday afternoon at 2 o’clock, Rev. J. Heber McCandless and Rev. W. E. VanDyke officiating. His remains were laid at rest in the family plot in Rose Hill cemetery. The Smethport Fire Department attended the funeral in a body. The floral tributes were numerous and unusually beautiful.

photo credit:  James Freer Collection Awful Automobile Accident. Harold Backus Received Fatal Injuries. The McKean Democrat June 30, 1910 Harold McCarthy Lower Jaw Broken in Two Places, Besides Receiving Serious Injuries About the Head and Face; Frank Purtle Sustains Innumerable Bodily Injuries; A Sad Ending of an Early Sunday Morning Joy Ride. One of the saddest fatalities the Democrat has ever been called upon to record occurred in Smethport shortly after three o'clock last Sunday morning, when Harold Backus receive injuries which resulted in his death inside of three hours, Harold McCarthy sustaining very serious injuries and Frank Purtle received innumerable painful bodily bruises, which will confine him to his bed for several days. The dead young man was employed by Hon J. W. Bouton as chauffeur. Late Saturday afternoon Harold had taken Judge Bouton and his family to their cottage at Frog Camp, where they had intended to spend Sunday. After leaving the family at their cottage Harold returned with the touring car to Smethport. The young man was about town all of Saturday evening, and many of our citizens saw him at the Lyceum and other places as late as midnight. As near as we are able to get at the facts some time along about 3:00 o'clock Sunday morning Harold went to Judge Bouton's garage, not withstanding strict orders from Mr. Bouton not to do so, and got the car out. Dr. Ostrander, who had just got in from a long ride to see a patient, was just coming out of Jones' livery when Harold passed down Main Street. The doctor is positive that the young chauffeur was the only occupant of the car, but evidently he had not proceeded far before he took aboard Harold McCarthy, who is extra poli(missing), took his seat by the side of (missing) and Frank Purtle, (missing) back seat. Then the (missing)gan, which had su(missing) (missing)ing ending. Everything goes to show that the car was running at a terrific speed; probably its limit; and down grade at that. At Union Street there is an angle in Main Street, and instead of steering the machine to conform with the turn in street the automobile kept in a straight course, and the right front wheel struck the curbing at about where Specht & Sasse and The Lindholm Co.'s properties abut. The machine plowed along the curbing for several feet before the wheels raised over this obstruction and took to the sidewalk, about thirty feet from two telephone poles that stand close together in front of the holding formerly occupied by the Union Telephone Co. The front wheel of the machine grazed the first pole, but hit the other, which stood a little further out toward the street, almost in the center cleaving off nearly if not quite half the large pole almost as smoothly as the work could have been done with an axe, the awful concussion broke off some of the heavy cross beams that carry the wires. The terrific impact, which shook all the adjoining buildings, almost completely changed ends of the heavy car, when the machine came to a standstill the front end pointed almost directly in the direction from whence it came. When the machine struck the pole it is supposed that Harold Backus was catapulted headforemost over the steering wheel, the right side of his head striking against one of the iron pegs that project from the pole, crushing the skull in a horrible manner, besides breaking a shoulder and inflicting other serious injuries. The fatally injured man dropped to the pavement, and the body lay directly in front of the automobile when assistance arrived. It is supposed that Harold McCarthy was hurled with great violence through the heavy glass wind shield of the car to the pavement, inflicting two bad fractures to the lower jaw, one on each side. He also received a bad contusion over the eye, besides receiving numerous painful cuts and bruises about the head and face. Frank Purtle, miraculous to state, emerged from the terrible ordeal without sustaining even a broken bone. He was hurled many feet through space before he struck the pavement, and not withstanding the fact that he is a heavy man, he escaped serious injury, but he received innumerable painful bodily bruises which have since confined him to his bed. Drs. Clark, Chadwick, Hamilton, and Ostrander were soon on the ground and rendered first aid. Harold Backus, who was in an unconscious condition, was tenderly picked up and carried to the home of his mother, Mary A. Backus, and Dr. E. O. Kane, of Kane, was summoned, the doctor making the 28 mile trip in very quick time in his automobile, but did not reach the young man's beside until just a few moments before he breathed his last. Harold never regained consciousness after receiving his injuries. Harold McCarthy succeeded in regaining his feet, but was evidently in a dazed condition owning to his injuries. He wandered down on Water Street in an effort to get home. He was subsequently overtaken and escorted to his home, the county jail. Notwithstanding his terrible suffering, he walked the entire distance. Frank Purtle was able to help himself at all times. Judge Bouton's handsome Maxwell touring car, which had only been in commission a few weeks, was almost a total wreck, and fit only for the junk heap, the salvage will only be a very small percentage of its original cost. The machine was capable of running at a very high rate of speed, and it is generally believed that it was running to its capacity when the crash came. County Treasurer Isherwood, who occupies the rooms over Brennan's grocery, almost in front of which the accident happened, informed the writer that when the impact came he thought first that the entire front of the store had fallen in, as the concussion was so great. People in various parts of town, some as far away as Bank Street, plainly heard the report of the collision. Since this accident, which was the first of any magnitude that had ever occurred in Smethport from an automobile, all sorts of theories have been advanced as to how it happened. But all these theories are idle guesswork, as no one knows. It is absolutely certain that the machine was running at terrific speed, and an instant's inattention on the part of the driver was sufficient to do the irreparable damage. In all probability the unfortunate young man's attention had been momentarily (missing) at the time the machine (missing) (missing) (missing) had time to get the car under control it had plunged into the curbing, and in the twinkling of an eye into the telephone poles. It was all over so quickly that it did not give the occupants of the car an opportunity to think. Harold Backus was 23 years of age, and was the youngest child of the late Major John C. Backus, who was in his day one of the leading members of the McKean county bar, and Mrs. Mary C. Backus, of Smethport. Harold had spent his entire life in this town, and was universally liked. He was a bright, generous, light hearted young man who had the happy faculty of making and retaining friends with all whom he came in contact, and his sudden and awful death brought sadness to every home in Smethport where he was so well known. To the sorrowing mother, brothers and sisters the DEMOCRAT extends its heartfelt sympathy in their hour of sore bereavement. He is survived by his mother, Mrs. Mary A. Backus; four brothers, Frank, J. Clayton, Fred and Murl, all of this borough, and two sisters, Mrs. W. T. Seger, of New York, and Mrs. A. W. Cutler, of Oneonta, N.Y. " Baldy" Backus, as he was familiarly called by his associates, will be missed by this entire community. May he rest in peace. The Funeral. The funeral, which was very largely attended, was held at the house at 2:00 o'clock Wednesday afternoon, the services being conducted by Rev. J. H. McCandless, assisted by Rev. W. E. Van Dyke. The Smethport Hose Company, of which the deceased was a member, turned out in a body and escorted the remains to their last resting place, Rose Hill cemetery.