Kauai County HI Archives Obituaries.....Waterhouse, Elizabeth Pinder June 20, 1920
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The Garden Island, Lihue, Kauai, Tues., 6-22-1920
WATERHOUSE, ELIZABETH PINDER
CHARLES H. WILCOX AND NIECE DIE IN AUTO CRASH - CAR SKIDS AND GOES OVER 150-FOOT 
PRECIPICE - WIFE AND CHILD NARROWLY ESCAPE WITH THEIR LIVES.  The Wilcox party had 
been spending the day, Sunday, June 20, at Kokee at the C. H. Wilcox place and 
left for home early in the afternoon. They were in three cars - the Misses Wilcox 
in advance, the C. H. Wilcox family next, and the Crawfords and Mrs. P. L. Rice 
last. The road was in good condition and the day beautifully clear and fine, and 
everything went well until the middle got down to the place where the road 
narrowly skirts the edge of a gulch to the left about two miles above the cane 
limit. Here there had been a slight kewai shower a few minutes before - very local 
and of such short duration that the first car escaped it altogether. It was just 
enough to make the fine, light soil "greasy." The road skirts the edge of the pali 
so close for a few yards that there is no avoiding it, and just at this point 
unfortunately there is a little hummock in the road which the car would strike at 
a pretty good jog coming down the heavy grade. Striking this probably deflected 
the car which, taken with the skiddy condition, threw it so far around that it 
went over the bank. It was all done, of course, in an instant, and no wisdom or 
skill could have prevented it. As it went over side-wise rather than end-wise, 
those sitting on the upper side -- Mrs. Wilcox, Lois, and Jack Bottomley -- were 
thrown or perhaps jumped and fell clear of the car, while Mr. Wilcox and Elizabeth 
Waterhouse remained in till the next round when they were slung out so forcibly 
that they were killed when they struck, and the former was then pinioned by the 
car when it came to rest well down the slope. This is mainly surmise as to what 
happened and how. The only thing that anyone seems to know is that Mr. Wilcox, as 
he felt the car going, cried to Jack Bottomley, "Jump, Jack!" The car went down 
some 200 or 250 feet, a perpendicular drop of perhaps 150 feet to where it now 
stands, headed mauka instead of makai. The outcome of the momentary tragedy was 
that C. H. Wilcox and Elizabeth Waterhouse were lying mangled and dead, the former 
pinioned under the rear of the car, and that Mrs. Wilcox was badly bruised and 
with a dislocated left arm, and little Lois, her daughter, with a broken collar 
bone. Jack Bottomley escaped with a few scratches and bruises. With the exception 
of the latter, they were, of course, in a helpless condition. The third car, 
containing Mr. and Mrs. Crawford and Mrs. P. L. Rice, arrived at the scene some 15 
or 20 minutes later and, venturing very cautiously over the skiddy road, came to 
their assistance. Mr. and Mrs. Crawford scrambled down the bank to give what first 
aid was possible while Mrs. Philip Rice went down to Kekaha to secure medical aid. 
This she did as hurriedly as possible, yet cautiously too, as the road was still 
slippery. She found the nearby Waiawa region almost deserted; everyone had gone to 
a tennis meet at Mana so that she could get little assistance here and had to go 
on to Kekaha mill where she got into telephone communication with Drs. Tuttle, 
Dunn, and Waterhouse, who hurried to the scene as quickly as possible. She also 
secured the assistance of the local police force, Eric Knudsen and others, all of 
whom rendered instant and invaluable service, especially Mr. Knudsen who was 
easily master of the situation. In the meantime, Mr. Crawford and Jack Bottomley 
had extricated the lifeless body of Mr. Wilcox from beneath the car, and with Mrs. 
Crawford, had given what relief they could to the suffering mother and little 
daughter. When the doctors arrived, they made what partial examination they could 
and decided to transfer Mrs. Wilcox and Lois to Makaweli Hospital for x-ray 
examination, and dispatch the bodies of the dead to Lihue. By this time there was 
plenty of help, so that this could be readily done. Later in the evening, Mrs. 
Wilcox and Lois were brought to Lihue in the care of Dr. Waterhouse. 


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