The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-09-10
Tire of Barney Oldfield's Machine
Blows Up While Going Sixty
Mile Gait in Race.
AFTERNOON OF ACCIDENTS.
Harry Cunningham and Henri
Page Barely Escape Injury at
Crosse Pointe Sincholle
Wins Five Mile Event.

Detroit. Mich, Sept 9.-While Barney
Oldfeld's racing automobile was running
nearly sixty miles an hour at the Crosse
| Pointe track this afternoon in the ten
mile open event, one of the front tires on
the machine burned through and ex-
| ploded, throwing the car into the fence
and injuring Frank Shearer, spectator,
SO terribly that he died in an ambulance
en- route to the hospital.
The car went fifty feet through the air
and Oldfleld, who kept his seat, had a
marvellous escape from death. He re-
ceived several cuts about the body and
had one rib broken.
1t was an afternoon of accidents at the
track, two other high-power machines,
those driven by Harry Cunningham and
Henri Page, the Partisan, coming to grief
in other races. Fortunately, no one was
hurt in either of these accidents.
Oldfeld's power gave out a few feet
from the tape in the race in which the
accident occurred, and Oldfield lost nearly
two miles before he repaired the damage
and started after Harry Cunningham. the
only other entry. The tires of the ma
chine were the same ones Oldfield used at
Cleveland, and as he was turning into the
stretch on his seventh miles the friction
on the upper front tire burned through
and it exploded
The track Is banked high at the turn,
and the car. with its tremendous mo-
mentum. shot for the outer edge of the
track. which is six feet above the ground
beyond. oldfeld had Just time to twist
his brake and head for a spot between
two trees.
HIT SQUARELY.
Shearer was standing against the fence
at this point, and the car struck him
squarely. breaking both legs In several
places and fracturing his skull. He was
thrown seventy-five feet and never recov-
cred consciousness.
oldfield had presence of mind enough to
throw himself backward fiat on the deck
low tree and landed a complete wreck
fifty feet from where It went through the
fence. A brother of Shearer was standing
near him and had narrow escape.
In the fiye-mile open event, which Sim
cholle won with ease, Harry Cunningham
lost tire as he turned off the back
stretch. His machine side-wiped the in
ningham cieverly steered IL across and off
the track down a road which was fortu-
Il nateiy near. One wheel of the car was
Henri Page lost a front tire in the ten
mile handicap, but succeeded in checking
MS machine before ii struck the fence and
escaped injury, although two wheels on
mis- car were wrecked.
The first event of the afternoon was the
ten-rnile triangular race between the three
Frenchmen, Papilion. Page and Sincholie,
which the latter won handily. PapiIlon
had trouble with his engine and did not
finish. Sincholle's best time was 1:021h
Sincholle led all the way In the five-mile
open, which he won with ease He made
one of the miles in this event in 1:02 Is
Harry Cunningham won the ten-mile ham
dicap. in which the Frenchmen did not
finish, because of accidents to their ma
chimes. Two more heats of the match
race between Tom Cooper and Barney
Oldheld, begun yesterday were run off to-
day. Each took one, but Oldfields win
yesterday gave him the match. Oidfieid's
time of 1:02 1-5 in the second heat was
the best time made in the race. Sum- |
mary:
Three miles. for SO0-pound cars and under-F. |
Prong Detroit, first Time 4:45
Ten miles, special triangular race-Jules Sim
cholle Paris, first Time, 10:44.
Ten-mile handicap-Harry Cunningham, Cleve-
land GO secondsl; first Time: lo:ssS.
terday-Won by Oldfeld; second heat Tom |
Cooper, first. Time. 5:ls 3-5. Third and final |
heat, Oldfeld. first Time. Sis Us q
Ten miles. open-Harry Cunningham. first. |
Time. 1883 4-5. !