The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-06-29
LAWSON'S
NARROW ESCAPE
SWede Falls in Match With BiHv
King.
WAS OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
WILL BE IN HOSPITAL FOR so1r7
TIME.

W HILE riding to victory with all +r.
w reckless abandon peculiar In +bs
motor racer, Gussie Lawson was
thrown at the Hartford avenue coIisau,,
in Baltimore last week and picked nm
for dead. The scalp over the frontal
bone was terribly lacerated and HE
face a mass of cuts and blood, while hi,
arms were scraped and his body and
legs bruised. Lawson was carried +,
the training quarters and received i'm
mediate surgical aid from Drs. T. Z
Richardson and Frederick HemDbm
who were among the spectators and in
stantly volunteered their services. His
wounds were dressed and he was pra-
pared for a siege Of idleness.
The accident happened during tba
second ten-mile heat of LawsOn's rsra
with William +. King. Lawson had
won the first heat in mastery stvIa
For the second heat King had the poIa
and there was much jOckeying before
the men were started. King was paced
by a motor ridden by Thompson and
BOake, and Lawson by a motor ridden
by Turville and Fisher. From the crack
Of the pistol il was a terrific rush for
mastery, with the Lawson outfit on
the outside and the King men hugging
the pole. 1t was plain that Lawson had
the better Of the speed, but It was
stubborn fight. On the second turn o.
the track the Lawson crowd thought
they had gotten well enough in the lead
to SwOOp down and take the pole with
rush.
Just as they cut down from the up-
per edge Of the sharp embankment
Lawson was hurled into the air. and
King, 10 save a more appalling acct
dent rode up the bowl and. it seemed.
would rush of into the crowd. but he
controlled his machine and both mo-
tors and King escaped accident. Ieav-
ing Lawson bleeding and unconscious
on the track.
The Front Wheel Collapsed.
Either the front tire Of Lawson's BIZ
cycle was punctured, thus COllapsing,
or when he rode down for the pole the
crank hanger Of his bicycle touched
one Of the wheels Of Kings racers. The
bicycle tire and rim were crushed and
the front wheel destroyed.
That he escaped death is probably
due to the fact that he held on the ham
die bars of his bicycle with a death
grip, and il was the front forks Of the
machine and the handle bars that first
hit the track, thus saving Lawson from
the full force Of the impact. The doc
tors who dressed his wounds said thai
no bones were broken, and that the IN
juries were not dangerous unless COM
plicatiOns should ensue.
The first heat Of the race was all
Lawson. He drew the pole and held il
to the finish. King made great efforts
to pass, and the sport Of the race came
when King would ride up TO even terms
with Lawson and hang above him on
the outer rim Of the bowl and yet IN
able to pass. Lawson rode his best in
the last mile. and in the last half King
was ridden of his feet. Lawson quickly
drawing up until at the finish he was
nearly a whole lap to the good. The
time was 15;48 3-5, which was not fast
for the sort Of racing held at the local
bowl track.
After the race Kings manager
claimed the winners end Of the purse,
and Referee WoIlman took the protest
under Amusement.