The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-11-16
AUTOlST RUNS
ON STREET
ABLAZE
La Grne, Mechanic, in En-
durance Contest, Saved
$3.50 Pullma0 Burned.

Hampered by accidents from the time
1t started in the great endurance run
yesterday, under the management Of
the Automobile and Motor Club of New
Jersey, the 2o-horsepoWer Pullman,
owned by P. f. Gillette. and driven by
Peter Ii Grue. took fire last night at
the corner of Broad and Chestnut
streets, opposite the club house. and
before the aremen arrived the machine
was a mass of flames.
The reports of the explosions We're
heard for several blocks and For a time
great excitement prevailed.
La Grue was badly burned about the
hands in his endeavor to exlinguish the
flames which burst from his coat after
the first explosion. That he did not
lose his life was due to some unidenti-
fed man who beat out the fire on his
clothing.
Haste to get into and out of the con-
troll established at the headquarters
was primarily responsible for the fire.
The car, which bore the number Il.
had been unfortunate ever since the
start from the clubhouse early in the
afternoon. Roads that did not seem to
hamper others in the contest held it
back, and by the time the first lap vas
finished and the machine rolled up to
the house 1t was several minutes be-
hind time and every one was on the
alert to light the lamps, fill the gasoline
tank andsget 1t away again to catch up
with the others.
The car had scarcely come to a stop
when La Grue was on the ground be-
side it, ready to take the gasoline cans
as they were handed and fill the tank
under the front seat, which had been
turned up by another member of the
party, while a third lighted the lamps.
The only light for the men to work
by came from the are light ON the cor
ner. Whether ii WAS because the tank
leaked or, In his haste, some of the
liquid was spilled down the sides of the
car is not known, but a moment or two
after the can had been set again on the
sidewalk near the machine it was seen
that the woodwork was glistening and
wet. Two or three of those standing
near stepped forward to warn the
chauffeur, but before anything could
be done the fire had started. The flames
first broke out at the can on the flag
stones, so several witnesses claim, but
for effect 1t might as well have been in
the car itself. so quickly did the blaze
travel from the ground to the tank,
La Grue was leaning over the front
seat peering into the half filled reeep-
tacle when the flames reached him and
even before he could jump back the
seal rose up as the gasoline ignited,
scattering liquid fire over him n over
the owner and Charles Parsons. who
We're sitting in the car. Both covered
their faces with their hands for q sec
ond and did not see La Grue, who, with
his coat, his cap and his hair a mass
of flame, was running blindly down
Chestnut street, beating himself with
his bare hands. Everyone in h crowd
was equally stupefied by the noise and
/ glare, excepting one man. who snatched
up a heavy fur oVercoat and made
after the mechanic, catching him and
rolling the coat round and round him
until the flames We're smothered, burn
ing his own hands painfully as he did.
La Grue was too much dazed and the
b~ystanders were too excited to note
who 1t was who saved him.
In the meantime Mr.. Gillette and his
friend were doing what they could to
extinguish the flames that had taken
hold of the floor and seats in the ton
neau. as well as of their own clothes.
They had nothing but their hands to
work with and though they managed
to free themselves from the flames they
soon saw that they could mot hope to
do anything more.
a fire alarm was turned in, but while
the engines were on the way two more
explosions occurred. one caused by the
heating of the gas tank feeding the
lights and the other by an overheated
tire. The reports shook the nerves of
the crowd, and few were taking a hand
at killing the flames when the fire APP
paratus arrived. It was a comparative
~ simple matter for the iremen to get
the chemicals on the blaze, and it was
o o e~xtinguished.
The total value of the car was about
S 1850. The body was completely con
summed, and one tire exploded. The
damage to the engines is not yet
known.