Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-06
VICTIM WATCHES
GASOLINE DRIP
TOWARD FLAME
ONE MAN CONSC.OUS-OTHER
PINNED BENEATH T0NNEAU
NEITHER ABLE TO STOP FLOW
OF DEADLY DIsTILLATE
Harry c. Freeman Makes Crawl of
Agony with Broken Arm and
Wounds and Finally Saves
J. L. EighoIz, Companion
c. FREEMAN and J. Law

"ARRY c. FREEMAN and ]. Law
renee Eigholz, who lay for an
~ hour early yesterday morning
under the debris of a wrecked automo-
bile, awaiting an explosion from the ig-
milton of escaping gas fumes by the
Prestolite lamps on the car, told story
yesterday at the c alifornia hospital Of
deliyerance from death at an instant
when both had abandoned hope, Ill
momentary expectation of the fash
which would have ended their lives.
The two men were the victims OF an
accident which occurred one-half mile
east of the conveyance of washington
and Adams streets with Venice road,
when the Mitchell car which they were
driving overturned. pinning Eigholz be-
meath the tonneau, and leaving Free
man helpless and frightfully injured
beside the wreckage. listening to the
drip of gasoline from the tank and
counting the moments until the lamp
flames should catch the fumes and end
all in the consuming flash.
Held by Broken Bones
Freeman's first attempts to aid his
more seriously injured companion were
Intellectual because the protruding bone
of his broken right arm was caught
and held under a root of tree against
which he had been thrown, although
later, after infinite struggle ana pam,
he freed himself.
F,igholz is an automobile writer and
Freeman is the manager of the
Stearns- Locomobile 300-mile race which
will be held in Ascot park August 15
Eigholz received dangerous INTERNAL
injuries, deep cut on the forehead
! in which eight stitches were taken, 9
deep cash on the right leg and pain-
] f,,I nd
| tire body.
Freeman is more painfully but not
so dangerously injured. He received a
compound comminuted fracture of the
right forearm, severe wrenches of the
left shoulder and of the left ankle, in
addition to n deep cut across the
bridge of the nose and a number of
painful bruises.
The victims of the accident were
members of a party of newspaper men
and automobile dealers who were
guests at a dinner given Wednesday
evening at the Alexandria hotel. After
those in attendance had dispersed
Freeman and Eigholz made a trip to
Venice in the latter's car, in company
with several other members of the
party, who also drove automobiles.
Going at Easy Speed
The Mitchell was the last of the pro-
cession of four cars which left Venice
shortly after midnight, and was but
short distance behind the others
when the crash occurred. All were
travelling leisurely and Freeman and
Eigholz could see through the fog
bank the rear lights on the car ahead.
THE memory of the accident still
seems like a delirium," said Freeman
at the hospital late yesterday after
noon.
THE car was running smoothly and
/ remember that we lessened speed
slightly as we passed the junction of
Adams and Washington streets with
the Venice road. / remarked to Fig
holz, who was at the wheel, that the
fog was lowering. Through the mists
l could see dimly the lights of the
car ahead and could occasionally catch
the pounding of the exhausts. The
moon stood above the fog bank and
we could see the road clearly for sew
eral hundred yards ahead.
Had Premonton of Danger
LAS we approached a wide turn
Eigholz lessened speed slightly, al
though we were travelling not more
than thirty miles an hour. AS the
! car swept around the turn l had a
! shuddering premonition of danger, with
the skidding of the wheels on the oiled
roadway.
"Just as l was about to shout a
warning to Eigholz, there was rift
| in the darkness, an age crowded into
binding instant of chaos, and the
slow pulse of returning consciousness
with dim impressions crowding in or
my returning senses. There was the
moon again, just slipping behind the
fog bank; there was the black sill
houtte of a grove of trees across the
roadway, and finally a pencil of rays
shot from the still burning lamps OF
the overturned automobile into the
| blackneSs ahead
"It seemed to re that the engine
still was running and that 1 could heal
the pounding, but as / peered at tht
machine half blinded by fragments Of
my broken glasses. saw that 1t was
overturned and reasoned, gropingly
that the engine could not be running.
No Answer from Friend
Larry 1 called several times.
"There was no answer and | moved
slightly to crawl toward the machine
A wave of eXcruciating pain threw me
again into a moment of unconscious
ness and when l regained my senses
tried to move My right arm was helC
fast. 1 felt of it with my left. The
forearm had been broken and one o.
the splintered ends had been driver
under a root of a tree against which
/ lay.
Cautiously I freed myself, and cling
ing to the tree trenk drew myself up
An instant later 1 fell on my face
again senseless.
when ] again regained conscious
ness the fog had lifted and the moor
showed me as ! peered along the leve
of the ground that Eigholz was pinnc,
under the tonneau. / could see hi
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