The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1909-12-23
INDIANAPOLIS AUTO
SPEEDWAY IS SAFE
Howard Marmon in Writing to
Motor Age Tells Reasons
for Accidents There.


city Is safe In every way, n in his
letter explains the aso for the acci-
dents which caused such a harvest Of
He says.
Much has been said and a vast deal
has been written about the three-day
meet at the Indianapolis motor speed
way-'the Roman holiday ! have just
aid down an article that violently said,
in most emphatic terms, that climatic
heat, dust from the track and it's in
herent roughness which resulted in the
physical exhaustion of the drivers, were
the sole cause Of the unfortunate casu-,
alties that marred the opening OF this
mort brilliantly conceived and executed
speedway. 1t has been freely and
widely said that the strain of driving
a 100, 200 or 300-mile race at the So
called terrific speeds that were incident
to this race We're beyond the powers
of human endurance and that to safe
the drivers should be changed every
80 or 100 miles or that races over 100
miles In length should be abolished.
Where the Wrong Was.
That the accidents happened cannot
be gainsaid, but to n who lived in
side the paddock during the races,
knew what was happening to the ma
chimes, was acquainted with and un-
derstood the temperament n physical
capabilities Of the men, and was in
intimate touch with all the incidents
Of the meet, the analysis Of the results
that places the burden on such and
similar causes as those cited above,
seems to be incorrect and misleading.
To the onlooker standing idly in the
sun during the three days, 1t was hot.
The heat, however, bad no effect on the
drivers. The members OF one of the
best organized teams at the meet wore
sweaters while driving and commented
afterwards that they were glad they
had them. While the dust was bad, II
was not sufficient to in any way inter-
fere with accurate and precise driving.
Though after a number of hours the
drivers eyes began to smart from the
dust, Ii was to no such extent to in
any way suggest blindness. One dra-
matte and widely blaZened case of dust
blindness came directly under the writ
er's notice. A machine was rumored
overturned on a remote part Of
the track. The writer promptly
repaired thereto and found the
derelict car right side up and the
driver and mechanician struggling with
the bonnet. After this and other i'm
pedimenta were removed 1t was seen
that a vagrant connecting rod had
made a role in the crankcase that one
could almost walk through. Shortly
after, the driver-now blind from dust
was led by the grandstand-which
was a roundabout way-to the hospital,
where ar uncannily wise physician
gave him a glass of water to drink
and thereby restored his eyesight.
The rack was rough, they say, and
brought the drivers to a state of phys
ical exhaustion. After the longest
races some of the drivers and mechani-
clans promptly reports to the pits to
help remove h supplies for the night,
n naively remarking that to those
not actually in the, race it must be
rather tiresome to keep track Of it and
wishing to give the pit attendants a
chance to leave for their evening meal
and relaxations. This, which was said
in perfect good faith by a driver in
the longest race. does not sound like
physical exhaustion.
Novel Conditions.
1t was said, before the completion
of the speedway, by those intimately
familiar with available cars In this
country, that there were but few that
could go wide open on it for a couple
of hours without serious distress. This
prophecy seems TO have been fulfilled.
The speedway presented conditions
novel to this country. Road races have
permitted high speeds on straights,
but the numerous turns have brought
constantly recurring relaxation to the
car and motor-though not to the
driver-and the nature of mile circular
track has prevented wide open throt-
tie conditions. But the speedway con-
ditions were such that permitted a car
to continuously develop its highest
possible power until, In the vernacu-
lar, 1t blew up. Tho curves at the
speedway were not deterrent. La fact,
due to firm surface conditions on the
curves, moderate powered cars that
could only do So to so miles on the
comparatively heavy pulling on the
70 and rs on the turns. The point is
that after q car once started in the
long races It had. no rest or mercy
until several hours later when the
black and whitechecked flag was
waved at 1t.
No Boys Game.
Driving a racing car is a mans
game and q peculiarly constituted man
at that. There are those who can
drive a car at any speed 1t will go, so.
20, 80 or 80 miles an hour around
curves, dodge a bad point In the track,
pass other cars, for hours with the
nonchalance and assurance that a mo-
torman will drive a street car around
a corner on steel rails, and with no
more fatigue-provided his confidence
In his car keeps up. If his motor
continues to run sweetly n every
organ about the car functions properly
he will drive surely and accurately
as long as timers can stay awake to
watch him. But If he discovers his
radiator Is losing water too rapidly,
an alarming thump Is developing in
one cylinder, an unnatural and moi
some sound Is coming from his rear
axle, or an undue amount of play is
developing In his steering gear, he will
be, unless an unusually phlegmatic
sort, worn out in an amazingly short
time. II his motor stops on hirl in a
race and he has to crank his heart
out to start 1t, the nervous fear that
he won't be able to start 1t will wear
him out long before the physical ex-
ertion will exhaust him..
Not the Track.
The drivers were merely a vehicle
OF expression. If the track had been
smoother, speeds would have been
higher and results not much different.
1t was not the track or the drivers
who were not ready. But the major
ity of the cars were not ready for the
terrific break dow test that the long
races afforded. Weak points in con-
struction that reveal themselves more
or less as accidents in normal service
loom up with prominence in sustained
high speed work-only possible on
such a place as the speedway-that
demand instant attention from tn.