John Thomas PARSONSSubmitted by: R. Blach, ritakay -at- hotmail.comSource: "The Daily News," newspaper; Longview, Cowlitz, Washington, Pages 1-2,28 Aug 1939. "Six Lives Snuffed Out In Terrific Auto SmashCoupe Carrying Carrolls Residents Rams Oak Point Bridge SundaySix Cathlamet celebrants, all residents of Carrolls, were killed, four of theminstantly, in an Ocean Beach highway crash early Sunday morning in what istermed the worst single auto accident in Cowlitz county's history.The fatal mishap occurred at Oak Point at 1:30 a. m. when the 1937 Dodgeconvertible coupe owned and driven by Dean Nye and bearing five other passengerswas traveling at too high speed or, went out of control and without warning waspitched with death-dealing impact into the abutment and concrete railing of thebridge over Mill creek almost directly in front of the two story Oak Pointstore, about 12 miles west of Longview on Ocean Beach highway.The dead:Beryl Nye, 20.Dean Nye, 25.Mrs. Dean Nye, 16.Albert Unger, 19.Jane Poland, 21.John Parsons, 53.The party had attended the bridge celebration at Cathlamet and was driving easttoward home when death and injury met them at the curve.  Mr. and Mrs. Nye,Unger, and Miss Poland are believed to have died instantly.  They were dead whenthe first passing motorist arrived on the scene and sought to give aid.  Parsonsdied en route to the hospital.Beryl Nye, sister of Dean Nye, lived until 5:30 p. m. Sunday when she passedaway in the Cowlitz General hospital.The Mill creek bridge is at the bottom of a slight grade which terminates in awide, sweeping curve.  The fast driven Nye car crashed head-on into aleft-handed abutment, catapulted or skidded about 15 feet and came to restdirectly across the bridgeway.  It was completely demolished.  There is a sheerdrop down a rocky decline to the water of Mill creek below---(continued on Page 2, Column 1)Six Die When Coupe Smashed Into Bridge(continued From page 1)but the car did not take this plunge.No Outcries HeardA thunderous crash as steel hit concrete was apparently the only alarm soundedfor Mr. and Mrs. A. E. Convis who reside in the apartments above the store andthe store owner who was sleeping in a room to the rear of the first floor of thebuilding heard no outcries.  In fact the sleepers did not hear the crash, soaccustomed are they to traffic noises at that point, and their first intimationof disaster was when motorists who stopped their cars and gathered to aid,pounded noisily on the store door seeking a telephone to summon aid.A resident of a home on the bluff 200 to 300 yards east heard the crash.Passengers in oncoming cars also heard it.  They recorded no cries which leadsofficers to believe the four occupants of the automobile found dead were killedinstantly and the two injured stunned or rendered unconscious.Three in Each SeatMr. and Mrs. Nye, husband and wife, and Unger were riding in the front seat.Byrel Nye, Parsons and Miss Poland were in the rumble seat.  The dead, dying,and injured were found jammed well forward and tightly wedged by the bent andbroken steel of the car body.  Crowbars and other pries were necessary toextricate them from the debris.  The driver was tightly pinned under the wheeland one door was removed before the body could be taken out.At one point of the rescue efforts the heated engine of the car caught fire.  Itwas extinguished with dirt.  Traffic was stalled at both ends of the bridgeuntil officers arrived.  As soon as attention was given the occupants of thecar, and dead and injured were removed, the car was dragged aside and trafficordered to proceed.Telephone Summon: AidThe call for aid came by telephone to the sheriffâs's office from the nearbystore.  A passerby, name unknown, called central and asked that ambulances,doctors and officers be sent.  A. C. Beckham, night jailer in the Cowlitz countyjail, immediately dispatched Deputy Sheriff Hal DeWaide and Al Kuest of theWashington state patrol to the scene, meanwhile summoning ambulances, a doctorand other officers.  The Steele ambulance and Dr. J. L. Norris of Longviewarrived at the disaster scene in a few minutes.  Officers responding includedSheriff Carl Pritchard, Deputy John Price, Sergeant Abe Little, and PatrolmanBill Kellogg of the state patrol.  The Ditlevsen funeral home ambulance was alsosent and the Cathlamet fire department first aid emergency car in charge of FireChief Mitchell Doumit of Cathlamet made a quick run to the scene.Marsh InvestigatesShirley Marsh, prosecuting attorney, arrived soon after the officers.  He hadreturned from the bridge celebration a few minutes before summoned, and by astrange quirk of fate recalled he had conversed with those members of the partyin the ill-fated car with whom he was acquainted only a few minutes before hebegan his homeward journey.  Investigation at the scene and inquiry made ofofficers and those first on the scene led the prosecutor to declare the accident"due to too much speed."  He had not determined on an inquest Monday and it isnot likely one will be called.Officers of the several law enforcement agencies here who investigated andchecked the accident were as one in declaring the Nye crash the most appallingand severe of any on record locally.  They could recall at least three highwayaccidents in which four persons had lost their lives.Curious Attracted to SceneWhen daylight arrived and word of the wreck was learned curious persons began towend their way to the scene.  At times 50 or more were there at a time, andtraffic across the bridge was forced to move slowly.  This continued untilnightfall, according to E. A. Convis.  Mrs. Convis aided in the rescue workSunday morning by providing sheets and covering for the injured persons.Residents of Carrolls were stunned by the news as word spread early Sundaymorning of the tragedy.  Many residents of the community commented on havingseen various members of the party at the Carrolls store early Saturday eveningbefore the ill-fated trip to Cathlamet.First word of the accident is believed to have been brought to Carrolls by ArtRay, driver of a car which accompanied the Nye party to the bridge celebrationSaturday evening.  Ray went to the home of Nye's parents and broke the news.Mr. and Mrs. Nye resided in a two room cabin a few hundred yards from thehighway on a side of the road at Carrolls.  They have a son, Tommy, age 16months, now in the care of the grandparents.  Nye was employed at the Long-Belllog pond.Nye's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Howard Nye, live in an adjoining house where BeyrlNye also resided.  Besides his parents, Nye and his sister are survived by abrother Forrest, popularly known as Bill, by twin brothers, Bennie and Barneywho left only a few days ago to go hop picking at Independence, Ore.Mrs. Nye's mother, a Mrs. Hughes, resides in the upper Kalama river districtwith a daughter, Maxine.John Parsons was a bachelor whose home was just opposite the Carrolls store.  Hehas two brothers, Sam, of Rose Valley and Ben of Stella.  He resided at Carrollspractically all his life and at one time operated the store there.  A sister,Mrs. T. L. Goss (sic), lives at Toledo, Ore.Albert Unger was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Unger whose home fronts on thePacific highway just north of Carrolls.  A younger sister Pauline is at home.Jane Poland was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Poland of Carrolls.  Mr.Poland is the postmaster there.  She was a graduate of Kelso high school in 1936and widely known.  Other survivors are a twin brother James who went to Spiritlake Saturday and who was being sought there Sunday, and three sisters, Mrs.Esther Jones, of Lewis river district; Mrs. Ruth Ruthford of Sedro Wooley andMrs. Mildred Edwards of Seattle.Carrolls residents said that three cars of young people from that community metin Cathlamet.  Dave Connell, son of the store proprietor drove his car,accompanied by Albert Unger.  Connell had  car trouble and suggested that ifUnger wanted to be sure of getting home he go ahead with the Nyes.  Connell gothis car started and arrived at the scene of the accident a few minutes after itoccurred to find Unger dead.Art Ray of Carrolls drove the other car and also was at the scene of the wreck.It is reported that Nye passed him shortly before the accident.Hundreds of persons visited the Tommy Edwards garage in Kelso on Sunday to viewthe wrecked car, which was a 1937 model car.  As many as 50 persons werefrequently in the garage at one time.Funeral arrangements have not been completed for any of the victims exceptingJane Poland who will be buried Tuesday.  All of the remains are at the Ditlevsenfuneral home excepting the body of John Parsons, which is at the Steele funeralhome in Longview."NOTE: the sister of John Parson was Emily Gosa.