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New York, 17 September 1843. 3.25 pp. in ink on bifolium, 12.25” x 8”. Red postal stamp, completed address panel, and broken wax seal on p. 4. CONDITION: Very good, minor ink stains, a few tiny punctures along old folds, no losses to the text.

A vivid eyewitness account of a nearly disastrous stagecoach accident in upstate New York, in which—miraculously—no lives were lost.

Solomon Sherwood Kimball (1806–1890) was traveling with his wife Emily Ann (1823–1917) via stagecoach from Epserance, New York to Albany and then New York City when the accident occurred. Writing to his parents Nathan Kimball Esq. (1767–1849) and Rachel Kimball (1772–1852) in Montgomery County, New York, Kimball recounts that 

Through the Divine Blessing we are in New York safe and well…we left Esperance [Schoharie County, New York] about 1 O’clock with the stage very heavily loaded; there being inside 6 ladies, 3 men, 1 little girl of about 10 years old…and…an infant…outside 1 man rode on the seat with the driver and a boy on the top of the coach…we went on very well for about 12 or 13 miles till we came to Wormers Hill which is a steep hill to descend, and being a gravelly soil the water has washed the ditches on each side of the road 6 or 8 feet deep…I was looking out of the window when we came to the top of the hill and was afraid the horses would not be able to hold back with such a heavy load…the coach was so heavy that the wheel horses could scarce keep their hind feet to the ground, and one of the leaders was a vicious horse and he began to kick and plunge so that the driver could hardly hold him, when one of the pole straps broke, which loosed his swivel tree from the pole, and rendered the whole team unmanageable—upon this the man who sat on the seat with the driver jumped off, and I also sprang out of the window, and was followed by one of the men that sat on the seat with me. 

We thought to catch the horses by the heads, but they were out of our reach in a moment…the stage was turned completely bottom up into the deep ditch…with a dreadful crash…I expected nothing less than that…all…would be killed instantly, or dreadfully mangled and bruised and their bones broken, at least. But astonishing as it was…there was no one hurt, except the boy who…had a slight bruise on one leg, and the driver bruised a little on his neck. We found the boy and the driver under the coach, the railing of the top of it resting on the driver’s neck so that he could not speak…we lifted the coach…and proceeded to help the ladies from their uncomfortable position. They were truly all in a heap and we dragged them out without much ceremony. They were not so much frightened…as I was…The lady who had the child…would not believe until some time after we put her infant in her arms, but that it was dead…the body of the coach was so strong as to hold together…had it given away the weight of the wheels and running gear would have crushed them perhaps to death. 

I trust we all felt grateful and still feel so to the Great Protector of all our lives for our escape from such great danger…Another coach was procured in about an hour and we all arrived in Albany safe but too late for the boat. So we were obliged to remain that night, the next day we took the boat and arrived here safe at 6 O’clock in the afternoon and found our friends all very well.

Kimball rounds out the letter with mention of his new job as a bookkeeper (his salary a projected $700), his and his wife’s residence at 70 Greenwich Street, Manhattan, and the lack of yellow fever in New York City.

Kimball had lived in the city since at least 1836, despite his mother’s wish that he would “return and settle down where you can be more happy and contented” (“1836: Nathan & Rachel Kimball”). He worked as a clerk and later as a merchant and a bookkeeper, and married Emily Anne Close from his home town of Stamford, Connecticut in 1838 or 1839. The couple had seven children and later relocated to Bloomfield, New Jersey.

A dramatic account of an 1840s stagecoach accident and the circumstances that led to it.

REFERENCES: “1836: Nathan & Rachel Kimball to Solomon Sherwood Kimball” at Spared & Shared online; “Emily Ann Close, 1823–1917” and “Solomon Sherwood Kimball, 1806–1890” at webtrees online.

Item #9080

Price: $475.00