Spokane 100 years ago: boy killed after his sled collided with a car on Sixth Avenue

Clifford Hawkins, 12, died when his sled collided with a car on Sixth Avenue and Walnut Street.

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“I didn’t see the boy on the sledge,” said the driver who was driving south on Walnut Street. “The first hint I had was when I felt a glass as if something had hit me near the rear wheel.”

The boy suffered a serious head injury and died in the emergency room.

The boy who lived at the Church Home for Children was on the sled during lunch at Irving School.

The school management had forbidden tobogganing during breaks because of the danger, but several boys had gone to school with the sledge anyway.

A Sixth Avenue resident said he would take steps to ban sledding on his street.

“There is no more dangerous place in town for children to sail,” said the homeowner. “… I have five children myself and I want something to be done.”

From the oil strike: Government investigators found new oil in Rockwood, just 25 feet from the original drainage.

This new seepage was found in sand about 9 feet underground.

That was good news for Alfred L’Ecuyer, who had been suspected of fraud in connection with the original seepage in his basement. He was previously accused of dumping vegetable oil in his basement to mislead investors.

“I never had anything to hide or hide, and I have been instructed to help federal agents in any way I can,” said L’Ecuyer. “I am of course pleased to have found this oil river and to those who have placed their trust in us.”

Investigators said they were extracting a lot of this new seepage for testing purposes.