Los Angeles herald., 1906-01-02
DRIVER THROWN
FROM CHARIOT
SPECTATORS HoRRIFlED BY
ACCIDENT
Wesrer Of Winning Blue at Tourna-
ment Of Roses Has Narrow Es-
cape From Death Beneath
Heavy Car

Thunderlng down the course his
splendid blacks lashed to foaming fury
came the blue.
Far over the front of his gold trim
med chariot, with brawny hands
clutching flying relns, tSe charloteer
leaned. Time and again the seethinc
lash fell across the backs Of the strain
ing steeds.
Along the broad stretch around the
last turn. hugging the wall for dear
life and dearer honor, with a clear
field in front and his only threatening
competitor full length behind, swept
the driver of the winged four
Ten thousand Of his followers arose
is one with hoarse cries for victory.
Hurting past the stands the mighty
sea of people seemed to the man but
a blur of color, a babel of sound.
Fixing his eyes on the nearing goal
the mighty driver braced himself in
his rolling, swerving chariot, leaned
farther forward, shook out his loosened
reins, called his horses each by name,
urging them on and on.
Nearer and nearer the goal the
plunging horses spurned the earth,
their magnificent heads bowed low or
flung high in the air, their muscles
strained to the last mighty efforts. No
sound now reached the ear of the
driver save the thunderous rumble of
the chariot behind him bearing the
hated red.
1t was but a rod, a leap and the
mighty shout of victory went up from
thousands of brazen throats. The blue
had won.
Back against the braces the wearer
of the blue threw himself, straining
every effort to check his now maddened
steeds. Every nerve, every muscle
was thrown into one superb effort, but
that effort failed. The horses breasted
the pole and fought wildly for freedom
For an awful moment driver and an
in1als battled. Then came a crash as
the right trace animal sWerved and
fell heavily against it's mate, both ca
reening and crushing the oaken tongue
of the plunging car.
There was a sickening sound of
splintering timber and a grinding roar
as the heavy chariot crashed to the
ground.
Spectators leaped to their seats for
view of the wreck and the fallen
driver, but all was obscured by a
c,oud of dust which drifted across the
arena The view cleared and there,
ground to the earth, lay the wearer
of the blue. He had won.
The tragedy which had been enacted
was the price of victory.
The accident occurred after the fin
ish of the first race at the tournament
of roses at Pasadena yesterday Ed
Ward T. off wore the blue. a. p. Cay
lord, whose colors We're red, drove a
splendid four of bays in the competi--I
tion.
Off won the pole and the break was
even, the thoroughbreds tearing down |
The course past the grand stand and |
to the first turn. Offs horses ran away |
in last years tournament and we're |
captured only after some difficulty, |
SO that a number of cowboys, hired I
from neighboring ranches for the oc-
casion. patrolled the course this year
to risk their lives in capturing the
runaway steeds.
These men had their eyes on the
blacks and as Off came around the
turn for the last lap it was easily
seen that his four were uncontrolable
As the four neared the goal for the
finish, one of the cowboys made a
desperate attempt to head off the
horses. Quick as a flash he sent his
animal in alongside the off trace
horse OF the chariot. but the animal
SHE'D and toppled over against its mate.
The second horse broke the tongue of
the chariot and such was the speed that
the car was carried thirty feet before
the tongue dropped forward and
stuck in the loose dirt of the track.
Off was braced in his chariot. one
foot under the board at the front top
OF the car and the other under the
brace board in the bed of the chariot.
The driver clung to the reins. trying
desperately to quiet the four plunging
Al il1ir11ls until |
earth and then the chariot was
thrown high in the air, overturning
and sending the driver on his head.
The chariot missed the man by scarce
~ an inch as he fell and the horses
ran on.
AS soon as the cowboys saw the ac-
cident they dashed on the course.
Had Off wrapped the relns around
him as did the other charioteers he
would have been dragged by the horses
and killed. One OF the cowboys took
hat fact into consideration as he spur !
red madly toward the car. Then his
hand flashed toward his hip and as he
raised 1t above his head, his frontier
revolver was held in readiness. The +.
lorses were on the turn and an on
Dortunity for a shot at the inside animal .
was perfect. Off would probably never :
nave been dragged dozen feet before ;
he horses would have toppled over !
heir dead leader :
A dozen people dashed from the !
grand stand and carried Off to the :
rack cottage. He was unconscious I
md moaning. The injured man was /
'Xamined hurriedly but was found to
be suffering only from bruises and '
shock and later he appeared on the q
rack. /
I