Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1902-08-21
STORY OF THE FAIR TRAGEDY
Eyewitnesses Say They We're
Nj Riding TerrifiCally.
FRONT WHEEL TIRE EXPLODED
Fair Tried to Steer Straight
Ahead.
But it Was Impossible to Stop and the Ma
chine Ran Into a Tree-Machine Maker
Claims That Fair Was Possessed of
"speed Madness"
New York Herald Special.

Paris, France, Aug. 15.-Jean Raj
mond, who while travelling in his auto
mobile saw the accident to Mr. and
Mrs. Charles L. Fair, who were killed
in a similar machine near Evreux yes
terday, said today:
,.The Fair automobile was going at
breakneck speed, making over 90 miles
an hour, when the front tire exploded |
with loud report. Mr.. Fair attempted |
to steer straight, but it was impossible |
to stop and the machine struck tree, |
rising like horse on its hind legs.
"The heads of both Mr. Fair and his
wife struck the tree with such force
that splinters entered the flesh Of their
foreheads. Both died in few mo-
ments.
Nj. Raimond saw the dead bodies,
whose faces were badly damaged, but
still recognizable. The task Of embalm-
ing, the bodies was performed at the
Chateau Buisson Du May. They will
be brought from Pacy and will be de-
posted in vault, to be sent later to
| San Francisco.
The chauffeur appears to have escaped
| with only few scratches and bruises.
| When the crash came he was pitched
| forward about 45 feet and landed in
| field of wheat.
NJ. Wineburg of New York, who was
an intimate friend of Mr.. Fair, and
who was with him when he bought the
| fatal machine from NJ. FournIer at the
| end of June, was seen at the Hotel
4 Ritz by your correspondent Mr.. Wine
berg had come from Aix-les Bains the
preceding evening in the hope of meet
| ing Mr.. and Mrs. Fair. He was mex
i pressibly shocked by the terrible news
which awaited him upon his arrival.
/ '.It was by mere chance" said M.
Wineburg, fthat M Fair bought
this particular machine. The one
which he was to have taken was not
quite ready, and one day toward the
\ end OF June Mr.. Fair and were at
M. Fourniers place. A Mercedes ma
chine of 45-hoIse power, red painted
automobile, was there, ana M. Fournier,
turning to Mr.. Fair, said:
lyon can have this one right away,
IL you choose. III.
"Mr. Fair examined it and found it
! to his liking. We got in. went down
| TO the Hotel Ritz for Mrs. Fair and
l.4-dFoye off for trial spin in the Bois.
Mr.. Fair was SO we'll satisfied with the
machine that he bought it there and
then, the purchase price being $13, 600
sit is strange circumstance that on
the trial run in the Bois we met with
: slight accident, another automobile
running into the Mercedes with a vio-
lent shock and giving severe shaking
! to all of US. Mrs. Fair received blow
| on the forehead, and had not caught
) her she would have been thrown out.
: It is sad to think now thar Mrs. Fail
. did not like the new machine, and on
more than one occasion expressed hel
presentiment of an accident, owing tc
3 its speed possibilities. Mr.. Fair, how.
p ever, was an expert automobilist, ano
U something exceptional must have hap
pened to have caused such catastro
! phe.
HAD "sPEED MADNESS.
! The fatal acci dent to Mr.. and Mrs
Fair is the sensation of the city.
The manager of the firm which sole
Mr.. Fair the automobile in which ht
met his death said in an interview to
day that ne had more than once warnet
. Mr. Fair that he was too imprudent
d He said Mr.. Fair had "speed mad
y ness.
]. ~ attribute the accident . said th,
e manager, tto the condition of the roat
q where the disaster happened. At thi
point there is steep and treacherou
ia incline, down which Mr.. Fair mus
Is have gone at full speed. His automo
1t bile, which was capable of runnin!
l. about 68 miles on level ground, woulC
70 then have attained a speed of from 8
y to SO miles. Mr.. Fair was not skill
Z, ~ full driver like w. X. Vanderbilt, Jr.
n The chauffeur says that before th
n accident ne noticed that the tire O
the left hind wheel was Debated ant
n that the rim of tho wheel was rubbing
d on the ground. He told Mr.. Fair, VIII
4 tried to stop, and the accident fol
~ ~ lowed. Peasants who saw the automo
d bile say it was going at such terrifi
pace that it was impossible to dis
le tinguish its color
e MRS. FAIRS RELATIVES.
.e Elizabeth, N. j., Aug. 15.-Mrs
+. Hannah E. Nelson of Newmarket, n
ly j., mother of the late Mrs. Charles
lg l.. Fair, and her son, Abram Nelson
will leave tomorrow for California
~ They have been summoned by Mrs
u Fairs lawyer to San Francisco.
n Mrs. Fair was the youngest daughte
i'll of Charles j. Smith, of Newmarket
he He was tailor in the employ of Henr
BY Dunham. She left home when 16 yeaI
re old, and three years later young Fai
q met her in San Francisco. After th
m death of Charles j. Smith his wido'
us married Mr.. Nelson, a hotelkeeper.
/. Mrs. George Bonnell, who resides i
Union township, was Miss Elizabet
Smith and is an eldest sister of Mr'
Fair. Her husband is janitor of
ne church and school.
es Paris, France, Aug. 16. The chauffel
GO of the automobile in which Mr.. an
Mrs. Charles l.. Fair were killed, who's
Id name is Brotey, returned to Paris tn
is morning
ed In an interview with the correspoI
a. dent of The Associated Press he thre
,u some further light on the cause of IL
", accident, saying: "When we left Trol
al Vile, MIR. Fair was suffering fro
o- bronchial catarrh. He coughed fir
or quently on the road, and during IL
al fits of coughing his face was much Co
mt gested. evidently producing slight dizz
pit ness. He had just been coughing, wht
Ial / noticed that the tire of one of tl
sll hind wheels was debated. realiz,
so tho danger, and, jumping to my fe
W, and leaning forward, shouted in M
in Fairs ear in English: Stop quickl
he tire no good. Mr.. Fair glanced bac
of ward, but did not reply. Apparent
Dr. he tried to stop, but in doing SO
must have made the wrong steeril