Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-30
Speeding Fast, Wheel Breaks,
Driver Hurled to Death.
CEDRINO is THE VICTIM
Killed Trying for Record on the
Pimlico Track.
CAR TURNS IN THE AIR
Tragedy Occurs While italian Auto
list Is Driving His Machine a
Mile in Fifty Seconds.

BALTIMORE. May 3o.-Emanuel Ced-
rino one of the worlds most famous
drivers of racing automobiles. was killed
Instantly at the Pimlico race track about
b:ao yesterday afternoon. while tuning up
his Fiat Cyclone car for the races that are
to take place at the track this afternoon.
While turning into the backstretch of the
track at a speed much greater than a mile
a minute, the right front wheel Of the car
is believed to have collapsed. and the big
car. weighing probably nearly three tons,
swirled half around. left the ground, turn
ed a complete somersault and killed Ced
rno instantly. The occipital bone was
mashed. and DR.. Herbert Schoenrick, who
witnessed the accident and rushed to aid,
said that Cedrino had died before his
body and the car hit the ground after the
aerial flight. The body was found near
one of the posts supporting the fence
around the out side of the track. and the
jurrbled mass of steel and wood that had
been the car was twenty feet farther
along the track. Many Of Cedrinos bones
were broken.
For several feet along the track coins
from the pockets of Cedrino were strewn.
which the witnesses take as substantial
ton of their belief that the car revolved
in the air. tearing away Cedrino's life
bS1OTS II nII the GROUND. " men IOuHu the
powerful machine was pointed In the OPP
posite direction to that in which 1t had
been going when the accident occurred.
CedrinOs marvellous presence of mind in
the face Of instant death was mutely but
eloquently shown by the fact that, In the
very act of dying. he had turned off the
gasoline, thus stopping the motor.
Wheel Whirls On.
When the wheel collapsed the hub dug
before the conflict of forces sent the car
spinning into space. The rim and huge
pneumatic tire. torn loose from the track.
vaulted the hedge and went with terrific
force a distance of 800 yards to the high
board fence surrounding the grounds. The
rim and tire hit this fence so hard that
II returned on the rebound about 100
yards. The spokes of the wheel were
splintered into nOthfngneSs. and all the in
animate surroundings testified to the ap-
palling force of the sudden stoppage of a
three-ton racing car going at record speed.
And 1t was record speed at which Ced-
rinO was travelling when he met his doom.
He had arrived here yesterday morning
for the purpose of establishing world
records for circular track. To those at
the track and who were thrilled by the
ensuing terrible spectacle. Cedrino dem
onstrated that the records would go. He
had the famous Flat Cyclone auto Of six
cylinders, peculiarly low construction.
and with which he had won innumerable
races during 1906, 1907 and this year.
The machine was SO constructed that its
driver was practically fastened into it
although no strap was used. His feet
rested on a board that just cleared the
ground. and his head had just sufficient
clearance from the bonnet of the car tc
permit him to see. His stepbrother, Nat
thai Nn-bia. was his assistant. and Mr..
E. A.CaeCidy held the watch for the trials
but Cedrono was alone in the car.
Early in the afternoon Cedrino had
seconds. Later he cooled out" expressed
satisfaction with the track. and cheerfully
said that today he would go twenty-five
miles at a f1fty-second-per-m clip. After
all the other cars had had their workout
late in the afternoon he got out his racer
and said that he would do the fifty sec
onds then and there to prove that he could
do it
Moment Of the Accident
Cedrino made mile in IS seconds. one
in 53 2-5 seconds. and. with speed In
ereasing constantly, worked off lap at
81. Shouting merrily to those in the
grandstand that this time he would do the
80 or better. he dashed down the home
stretch. swirled in a bewildering cloud OF
dust past the clubhouse, on the por I'll o;
which several ladies dressed in white
waved their handkerchiefs at him, made
the first turn to the quarter mile, straight
ened out. and. leaning over. sent the grea,
car at record speed into the second turf
TO the backstretch. Cedrino leaned for
ward with the tenseness of the effor,
and pushed the lever to give the grea
car top power. A report that the spec
tators said sounded like cannon wa.
followed by a mass of steam and dust
through which whirled into the air thu
great fabric, and Cedrino had died.
cedrino had been in this country foul
years He was thirtyfve years old, borr
and reared in Turin, Italy
Chauffeur to Queen Helena.
After Cedrino had served his appren.
ticeship at Turin he became chauffeur fol
Queen Helena of Italy. His entry in thi:
country in a competitive event was in the
Eagle Rock hill climb in 1904. August %
1905. he made a new worlds track record
of o3 minutes IA 2-5 seconds for fifty
miles at Long Branch. He drove a cal
III the Vanderbilt cup race M October the
same year, but was forced to drop Out
after the second lap when his machine
broke down. He lived on Long Island
with his wife and child. His wife was the
sister of Carlo Capra, who acted as Ced-
rinoS mechanic when he finished second
with the Fiat in the Briarcliff trophy
road race in Westminster county. Cedrinc
was not only a capable racing driver but
was an electrical engineer and mechanical
engineer well. Before becoming in
terested In motor cars he had designed
and constructed motorcycles and held a
number of city-to-city motorcycle records
i'll Italy.
Just before the Brarclif trophy race
last month, Cedrino had his life insured
for $1,000. He was rated as one of the
most capable and experienced racing driv.
ers in this country
He had the middleweight track record.
for one. two three and ten miles tn.
first three being made in 1896 and the
ten-mile record last year. He finished
second in the Briarcliff trophy race las,
month. He drove conservatively durins
the first four rounds of the race but his
time for the last four of the course wa.
the fastest four laps of the contest.
At the Ormond Beach races of the Au
tomobile Club of America last March Ced
rino won the 1OO-mile race for the Mime
apolis trophy on the first day. His great
est feat at Ormond. however. was drivin.
20 miles in hours and % minutes 4
seconds making an average speed of Z. o:
miles hour and breaking the forme
record of 10.S miles an hour. made las
Year by NaZZaro with another Fiat o.
considerably higher power. Cedrino ais,
made a new beach one-mie record fo
middleweight cars with the Fiat Cyclon,
at Ormond. driving the distance in q:
seconds, and breaking the former class
record of ~ 30 seconds. held by Gu,
Vaughan.
Crosby S. Noyes Memorial Fund.
Mr.. Charles j. Bell. treasurer of In
Crosby Stuart Moves memorial fund. hal
received the following additional SuhScri