The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-08-22
DEATH DEALT
BY AUTO CAR
Second Accident on Race
Track.
THREE KILLED AND TWO HURT
Machine Crashes Into Group Of
Spectators.
Driver Merx Escapes, hut HIS srechan-
tcian II Seriously Injured--Oc-
ours During the 800 Miles
Contest.
THREE KILLED AND TWO HURT

Indianapolis, Ind. Aug. 21.-Three
more lives were sacrinced today In the
saturnalia of speed which has inausu-
rated the great Indianapolis motor
speedway. One mechanician and two
spectators paid the penalty or their
lives.
The fatal accident came when a Ma
tional car. driven by Charles Merz. in
the 800 mile race. lost a tire and crash
ed through fence into q group of
spectators.
The dead are:
Claude Kellum. Of Indianapolis, me-
chanician In the National car.
Homer Jolleffe, Trafalgar, Ind.
Jas. West. meat cutter, indianapolis
Besides the three deaths, two serious
injuries resulted during the day. Hem
ry Tapkins. OF indianapolis suffered
In the fatal wreck compound fracture
of his right arm, a broken nose and
several scalp wounds. Bruce Kenne,
the driver Of a Harmon car In the same
race, crashed into q post shortly after
the National was wrecked and was
badly cut about the neck and head.
Call Race on.
After the second accident the of1cials
decided to call of the 500 mile race,
when the leading cara jackson, with
Lee Lynch at the wheei--had covered
235 miles. Ralph de Palma. In a Fiat,
was second. and stillman. In q Mar
mon, was third.
The race will be declared no contest,
and the great indianapolis motor speed
way trophy will be raced for again. BY
q strange freak OF fortune, Merz es-
capped from the terrible wreck with
hardly a scratch. He fell under the
faYRnAd MOrnAraofflf
through the air and down into the
gully near the side OF the track. He
was In imminent danger OF being burn
ed TO death, but by some miracle, he
was able to shut on the engine and
thus save himself from q horrible
death.
Kellum was hurled out Of the car
and landed In the gully some distance
from the twisted mass Of steel and
iron that had once been a speed ma
chine.
The three deaths today raises the
toll Of the speedway to seven lives this
week. William A. Bournue and his
mechanicihn, Harry Holcomb OF the
Knox racing team MeFs KILLED in al
accident In the ESQ mile race Thurs
day. cliff SLittieraii Stoddard- Day
ton mechanician, was killed when hit
by big racing machine while on the
way out to the speedway. On Thurs
day, Elmer CHAMPION, 6-year-old boy,
was killed by the automobile Of DIR.
Clark 2. Day, of this aity, while the
latter was on his way to the speedway
for the hrst days races.
Pail Of Grief Over City.
Tonight there Is a heavy pail OF grief
hanging over the entire city and speed
mad automobilists drive more carefully
than they did on the streets earlier In
the week. The frightful penalty paid
for a few broken 9speed records Is
greater than was bargained for when
indianapolis threw open the gates of
the greatest speedway In the world"
The fatal accident today occurred on
the south turn OF the immense eiipse
and near the open stands that con-
tanned more than 5000 people. The
thousands in the grandstand did not
see the accident, although they knew
that one of the cars had crashed
through the fence. A few minutes af-
ter the smash, Merz was brought to the
officials' stand and q mighty shout of
SOY went up when 1t was seen that he
was safe and II was not for some time
that the majority of the spectators
realized the gravity Of the situation.
The smash came after Merz had I'm
isHled more than 200 miles and was run
ming ffth in the race at the time. The
tire on the right front wheel spun OF
and the car tore away from the con-
troll of the driver. It crashed through
the fence near the foot of q bridge
across the track and plunged into a
crowd that was gathered there. The
car tore through the group and into the
gully, turning a complete somersault
before II reached the ground. about ten
feet below.
Kellum was thrown into the water.
and ne was bleeding from innumerable
injuries when he was reached. Great
Rashea were torn in his abdomen and
head. The blood had begun to pour
into his lungs and he was practically
dead when picked UP. He lived for
some time without regaining conscious
ness.
The unidentified man was Instantly
killed and Joleffe died as he was being
lifted into an ambulance. At hrst 1t
was thought Tapking would die before
he could be taken to the emergency
hospital to be operated upon, but quick
work by the physicians saved his life
and II is believed he has fair chance
KeIIums Death Dramatic.
Kellum's death is dramatic inasmuch
as he had not started the race In the
same car with Merz. He had been
Athens mechanician In another Ma
tionaI when the race started. Attken
Jumped into the lead at the start. head
ing the nineteen starters. Aitken re-
NAMED in the lead and had a goodly
margin between his car and the next
one. when a Cylinder head cracked af-
ter he had covered los miles and he had
been forced to drop out. AitlEen cover
erd 100 miles In 1:31:41 clio. setting a
new record Tor the track and break
ing the one made by Chevrolet In the
$50 mile race Thursday.
Kellum and Aitken tried everything
in their power to get their car in
shane to continue and were forced to
sit by as the cars they had been lead
ing a few minutes before flashed by
them. Kellum broke down and wept
like a child when he found their car
would not be able to continue the elU-
aiva chase after victory.
shortly after Athens car was with
drawn, Berz's first mechanioiRn. Robert
LYME. collapsed in the National repair
Dit and Kellum was substituted for
him. Merz's, car had gotten into trou-
ble on the far side OF the track and
Lyme had run all the way across the in
fleld in the heating sun. and this, oOm-
bined with emotional excitement OF
the moment and his efforts to helm
Marz, caused him to fall into a dead
faint. He was able to gasp out that he
wanted a new battery for the ear
Kelium, eager TO get back into the
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