The Washington times., 1905-08-14
OLDFIELD'S FATE
FREELY PREDICTED
Just a Little : Flaw and
Then
STILL HAS HIS NERVE
Has Killed Three Men and Has Broken
Nearly All of His
Bones.
STILL HAS HIS NERVE

''One Of these days there will be flaw
in little piece OF steel. just a little
flaw, and after 1t is all over-it will
hardly take more than the tick OF
watch-peGpie Will say Well he was
going some
Lying en- a cot in hospital in ST.
Louis last summer Barney Oldfeld. the
famous auto racer, c-ife has been IN
more accidents. caused more fatalities
and broken more records than any
driver in the world. predicted thus mis-
ultimate fate should he continue 10 fol-
low auto racing.
At that time he was suffering from
four broken ribs and slight concussion
Of the brain, the result Of a collision
with the fence at the fair grounds.
which resulted in the death of two men
and the total wreck of his car.
Though his record during his career
on the track includes three men killed.
broken arm, broken ribs and hands
and numerous dislocations and bruises,
he stiH possesses that indOmitable nerve
which has placed MIN al the top of his
profession
Insane over Speed.
01dhelds one consuming desire is to
speed Born in Indiana, he spent his
early years IN farm. but soon tired
of the life, and went 10 Detroit. where
he became a bicycle rider.
Being unsuccessful. he became fire
man on q locomotive. Even this was not
fast enough for Oldheld. ana when the
auto first came into use he turned his
attention Ia it
Oldhelds 5 first serious accident oc-
CURED on September 9, 1903. While run
ming al the rate of sixty miles an hour
at the Crosse Point track one of the
front tires on his machiro burned
through and e~~ ~loded throwing the car
into fence and inJuring Frank Shearer.
a spectator, so badly that he died on
the way 10 q hospital
The machine was hurled fifty feet
through the air, and crashed into a
tree, Oldheld sustaining broken ribs and
being knocked upconseious.
Double Tragedy.
Almost a year later en- August 26 of
last year. at the ST Louis Exposition.
he crashed into a fence on rounding
q turn and killed two men. OIddeId
himself was thrown from the car, rem
dered unconscious and four of his ribs
Were broken.
The accident occurred while Olifield
was dashing along al the rate of a mile
e minute behind a. c. Webb. The dust
machine blinded him temporarily, and
the mtlte swept @into- the railing sur
rounding the track. The two men were
crushed and frightfully nangled.
His next narrow escape came on the
Ormond-Daytona beach in Florida
when his crank shaft broke while MS
machine was reeEng on a mile under
forty seconds. The car spun around on
two wheels and headed for the ocean.
hut stopped in two feet Of water,
Oldfield being thrown cut and badly
shaken up.
On last Tuesday, at Detroit. the fam
Gus driver had what he asserts was his
closest call. His machine cOllided with
the car of Dan Wurgis and went
through a board fence into the iafield
Oldfleld's head just escaped the top
bar of the fence, which would probably
hax severed his head fTbG
sized. Oldneld had his scalp almost torn
from his head and his right arm dis
located. And yet after all these narrow
escapes he said IN the Detroit Hospi-
tai: My time has not come yet. Guess
bear a charmed life. Today's accident
was the worst I ever had. Thank God.
no spectators were killed, I will not quit
racing AS soon as / am out Of the
hospital 7 shall begin again With my
new racing car. which was finished only
yesterday.