Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-10-03

Brighten Beach Race Track, N. T.,
Oct. 3.-W1bt trail OF injured and
dying men and llopelessly wrecked
racing machines behind them, six Of
| the twelve automobiles that started in
the twenty hour race at Brighton
Beach race track last evening, are still
In one mad w.hirl today
Apparently prudence has been cast tN
the winds. and no chance lis considered
too great, no danger too menacing, to
the drivers Of the flying machines AS
a result all previous records d1ave been
eclipsed. It is apparent, If the terrifis~
speed Of the leaders lis maintained to-
the end, that nearly If not quite 100
miles would be added TO the twenty
four-hour figures.
The four leaders at the end OF the
tenth hour were in advance Of the best
previous mark from three to forty three
miles. This was not accomplished,
however, without fearful demolition Of
the cars, collisions and spills, in which
driver and mechanic escaped death by
! the narrowest margin. In the third houl
the piling up of the racing machines
going at better than fifty-five miles per
hour, was averted as by a miracle. the
four cars, grouped closely together.
being thrown into confusion by the
crossing directly in their path Of M.
G. Pickett, special patrol officer. Three
cars managed to avoid by dodging the
figure, out Robertson's machine struck
him with fearful force and hurled him
sixty feet. He is now in a critical
Condition. All the other injured aee
drivers and mechanics on the racing
cars. None of them is seriously 11ur
Mishaps Are Frequent.
Mishaps to the cars were frequeni
during the night. Shortly after 3
O'clock French car, driven by Julian
Bloch, caught fire as it was rounding a
turn and ran into the inside fence
Its mechanician was unable to steer
it, the flames blinding him, inflicting
severe burns. Less than three minutes
afterwards an Italian car driven by
Matken burst tire a few feet from
where the French car had come To
grief and was hurled into thu outer rail
both driver and mechanician being
hurled twenty feet. Matk ems left hand
and wrist were badly lacerated and
bruised. The Italian car was impaled
on the broken railing and hopelessly
wrecked.
The French car also was permanent-
ly disabled. The accident to the lat-
ter was due to leaking gasoline, which
ignited at contact with the open ex@
haust flame. The American car driven
by Chevrolte also was put out Of thd
running during this hour by the crack
ing of the two rear cylinders.
At o'clock the field had been re-
duced to six cars by the careening OF
No. in the eleventh hour. and Of
these only the first four were keeping
up the lightning pace. It was 9 pretty
race between these, however, and tha
early morning crowd was brought TO its
feet again and again as first one and
then another shot by the grandstand
at a mile a minute speed.
Bloch's Miraculous Escape.
At the conclusion of the twelfsh
hour the track was cleared to permit
repairs being made on the turns. which
had been badly cut up. When the race
was resumed after two hours Of inter-
mission the American car driven nv
Young and Doty, which had been pre-
vented from starting by a collision
early last night, appeared as a fresh
contestant.
From stories told by some Of tho
drivers who witnessed the accident "a
Bloch, driver Of the French car, it ap-
pears that his escape from death was
almost miraculous. When his carr
ablaze, and going at a fifty-mile clip.
overturned, he was caught under 1t and
held there The blow Of the drive
wheel against his chin knocked him un-
conscious, and had it not been for thu
driver and mechanic Of another car
who stopped their car and jumped OUT
to pull him from under the blazing
wreck, he must have been burned Il
death. The score at the end Of thl
thirteenth hour was:
No. 5 -. - .ooA
No. 2 ................... ..ol4