New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-08-29
0LDFlELD KILLED TWO.
BLINDED BY DUST RACE
Unable to See at Turn, and Went
Through Fence-Hurt Himself.

st. Louis Aug S-Blinded by the dust thrown
by the swiftly moving machine OF A. c. Webb. OF
Toledo Barney Oidfeld, also of Toledo, lost con-
troll of his machine in false start of the fifth
at the Worlds Fair automobile speed contests
to-day. and. crashing through the fence instantly
killed John Scott, watchman employed at the
park, and inflicted injuries on Nathan Montgomery
a negro. from which he died few hours later
OldfeId was painfully injured and his machine
demolished.
When the machines came down to the tape for
the start Of the fifth the judges sent them
back to try it over but Oldaeld and Webb did not
see the fla gnan's signal and continued around the
course at high speed. Shortly after passing the
first turn of the mile track, Webb secured the lead
by a narrow margin and the men were in relatively
the same position when passing the three-quarteT
pole
In making the turn Webb's machine skidded and
raised cloud of dust that completely blinded Old
field and half smothered him. Not being able to sec
that he had finished the turn. Oldfeld continued on
his course and crashed through the fence.
When Oldheld failed appear after Webb had
emerged from the dust cloud there was considerable
excitement. but as IT was announced that he
not seriously injured and shortly afterward was
driven TO the clubhouse in automobile. il
not generally known that the accident had resulted
fatally. The race. after short delay run.
being won by Webb by a large margin. 1t the
most important event of the day. the prize being
the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Trophy, valued
at $500
Barney" Oldfeld first came into public notice
an amateur racing cyclist IN his home at Toledo. in
the middle @s. For several years he Of
the best OF the amateurs in that district and won
many races in Ohio and Michigan. With the in
PRODUCTION Of motor pacing machines. Oldfeld be-
came interested in them. and for some time
pacemaker for different riders He generally rode
the Of the pacing tandems. as ne
understood the machinery. and he attended to
ming the motor while the other rider steered the
machine
The wonderful nerve called recklessness by
many, which he has shown racing automobile
driver. was gained only after long experience with
the "s99." the machine which first brought Oldheid
into prominence in the automobile field. He and
tom" Cooper very friendly, and when
Cooper abandoned cycle racing in 1902 Oldheld went
with him TO his home Detroit where Cooper
bought the '999'' from Henry Ford its builder
The Toledo worked over the machine for
months. changing It in many ways. until he was
able to ge more speed out of it than Ford had ever
been able to do.
OIdfeId practised with the big machine the
Crosse Ponte horse racing track at Detroit until
he thoroughly familiar with the ungainly
piece OF mechanism and understood its vagaries-
When he first came East with IT and appeared at
the Empire City track at Yonkers, no created a
sensation by the manner in which he guided the
big car around the turns cf the track. Fournter
ana other racing men had run their cars close to
the rail the Inside of the track. ard had man
se og around T the turns 0idheid devised an en-
tirely new way 10 get around the turns The Sss
had been built for straightaway racing only ana
could not swing around the other cars could
OIdfeld would run along near the outside fence
as ne nerred the turns. and would swing his ma
chine sharply across the track as he entered the
He put the mile track record down 70 50 sec
onds Empire City track. and afterward
made a mile in q nth OF second better time out
West. but the record not allowed, as il vas
made on a sunday and was not officially sane
toned He defeated W K. Vanderbilt r., in the
mile standing start race on Ormonde Beach in
Florida last winter. and for time was hailed as
the champion American racing automobile driver
He had many narrow escapes from serious
injury and Detroit. last summer his machine
dived through the fence at the Crosse POtnte
track and killed Of the spectators The man
had been standing in the path OF the machine.
and when he jumped 10 side, Oldheld steered
his machine the other way but the IN his
fright jumped back directly in the path of the car
and fatally injured.