Los Angeles herald., 1908-12-25
BOY NEAR DEATH
AT ASCOT PARK
MOTORCYCLE RUNS WILD AND
LEAPS SIXTY FEET
RIDER cLlNGS TO WHEEL AND
ESCAPES UNINJURED
Raymond Seymour Thrown on Turn
Riding at MiIe-a=Minute Clip
While Trying Out
Machine

Hurled through the air for distance
of sixty feet by a motorcycle that went
wild on the turn of Ascot park yester-
day afternoon, Raymond Seymour es
capped death by the narrowest margin.
He had been trying out his twin
cylinder Thor machine in preparation
for the race meet Saturday and Sun
day, and as he rounded the turn into
the home stretch the machine left the
ground and hurled itself high into the
air, landing with the rider under it
thirty feet away with another bound
it went high into the air and again for
the third time sent it's rider flying far
down the track. Seymour clung to the
wheel and saved himself in some mex
plicable way from being crushed under
the heavy wheel
When the machine finally stopped
after making three jumps that aggre-
gated at least sixty feet Seymour dis
entangled himself from the wreckage
and staggered to the side of the track
in a dazed manner. Before the crowd
that lined the fence near the lower turn
could reach him he had started down
the track to warn a fast flying car
that had been following him on the
back stretch
To those who saw the accident from
the stretch it seemed as if the ma
chine and rider turned somersaults IN
the air as it made the three spectacu-
lar leaps at a mile minute clip.
Seymour had rounded the turn at
fast rate of speed, and as he turned
into the stretch to straighten up for
a rush to the tape he opened the throt-
tie wide. The leap of the wheel as it
responded to the power threw it from
under him and in an instant he was
near death as he was catapulted
through space. Great chunks of dirt
were torn out of the track where the
machine struck, and onlookers stood
aghast, thinking that they would find
a dead and mangled body entangled
with the mechanism.
As Seymour rose and started down
the track toward the turn around
which he had just ridden a great re-
lief was felt.
He denied any hurt or injury from
his fall, but he was doubtless more or
less bruised from his impact with the
hard track.
The tires were torn from the wheels
and the rims bent and twisted out of
all shape. The chains were wound
around the gears and gasoline and oil
tanks ripped open and their contents
spilled on the track.
Other than the damage to wheels and
tanks the machine suffered little other
than probable bends to the frame
which were not discernible.
Seymour's spectacular accident was
not the only thrill that the rail birds
had yesterday as the racing machines
were out and reeled off many miles
well under a minute.
Charlie Soules took stock Stearns
around the track in a minute fiat,
equaling the worlds record. He was
tuning up the car and expects to do
better than that Saturday.
Barney Oldfeld was out early in the
morning before there was anybody to
clock him, but when he came in he re-
ported that the track was fast and
that he was not worrying about run
ming second to anybody.
AS the White Flyer was sent for
mile by Gus Seyfried in 56 seconds and
then brought in for little more tun-
ing there is a certainty that Oldtield
will have to come up to standard to
hold his laurels. He is conceded to
be the worlds champion track driver
and is not likely to let anyone get the
title without eXerting his utmost skill.
The Christie car was not hitting on
every barrel during its tryout and
Hughes kept making adjustments on
the carburetor each time, getting bet
ter action. The enormous speed that
the car will make on the stretches
forces the drivers of the powerful cars
to take the turns as fast as they can.
Hughes tmade the crowd sit up and
hold their breath repeatedly as he
swung around the turns and then flew
down the stretch at an awful clip.
What attracted the most attention,
however, was his raising from his seat
and leaning far over the radiator to
adjust a valve while driving the car
with the other hand at a forty-mile-a
hour clip.
Hughes is looked upon as a strong
rrffI n1AGn11 nd f1.xF-
outs of the White Flyer have placed
it on a basis that comes near to that
of +he fast Stearns to be driven by the
intrepid Barney.
A number of local entries have been
made and will doubtless add much in
terest, as some of the 1909 stock models
will be seen in speed work for the first
time in Southern California.
Ruess has entered his new Pope
Hartford demonstrator and has en-
gagged Hughes to drive it.
The Marmon will be handled by Har-
old Stone and from the showing that
it made the other stock cars will have
to hustle to keep it from getting first
place. Corbin roadster entered by
H A. Huepe is showing up well and
takes the turn at a gait that augurs
well for a fast turning of the oval.
The stock White cars that were
brought down from San Francisco and
form a part O1 the y yliiS w Hll6 SQudu-
ron will be entered in several events
for stock cars. Dundee and Seyfried
will pilot them.
A Locomobile will probably be en-
tered, as it has been promised. 1t is
the Vogel car and will have the dis
tinction of being piloted by an Old
field but not Barney. Lee H. Oldfeld
will hold the wheel of the speedy chain
driven roadster which will be entered
in the free for all stock class. Lee H.
is no relative of Barney and as yet
has not met his namesake, but has a
great desire to emulate the example of
the better known driver and keep up
the reputation of the name.
A feature that has been promised ana
will be put on as an exhibition is a
speed trial by the newly built eight
cylinder coyote Special" which is
backed and built here in Los Angeles
LarlIin will twist the throttle of the
car, and if IL will travel as fast as
the reports from its tryout would in
dicate it will be a rival of anything
else on the track.
Walter Hempel has arranged a pro-
gram that promises the best speed car
niVal ever seen on a circular track in
the west or, for that matter, in this
country, as he has assembled five rae
ing cars and more than that number
of fast stock cars.
Some ck-burning motorcycle
events are expected if a place can be
found for them on the program. There
is already a lengthy program arranged
for each day which will be comprised
of the following events arranged doubt
L. ~, A-1