Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-08-20
TWO LIVES LOST
Continued from page. L.

parts which are said to be unavoid-
able in the new track and that every
inch of i. be thoroughly oiled and
tarred
Today only short portion of the
track in front of the stand was oiled
and the dust on the other parts of
the track was to blame for the col
lapse of two drivers in the long race,
Louis Cheverlet and Fred Ellis, who
were blinded by the dense white
mist that covered major portion of
the track
Two records were broken and the
firstday of the meeting at the big
track bid fair to be an immense sue
cess when the pail was cast over the
crowd of speed-mad shouters by the
sudden death of the two men men
toned above. The Knox car was in
second place with Burman in his
Buick leading, and had covered near
ly $50 miles when the crash came.
While coming down The home stretch
the car suddenly swerved and tore
into the fence at the left of the track
turning completely over and pinning
the two occupants beneath it. Both
men we're alive when taken out from
under their machine, but Bourquet
died on the way to the hospital.
Holicomb lived afew minutes but
was dead soon after he arrived at
the hospital.
Stories as to the cause of the &C
dent vary and no one will ever know
what caused the car of death to
swerve from the track. According to
the story told by Private Frank
Brandon, Co. H, I'd. Regiment, Indi-
ana National Guards, who was near
est to the scene of the accident and
had a narrow escape from injury
something caused both men to turn
suddenly and look behind and as
they did the steering wheel slipped
from Bourquas' hands and he thru
his arms helplessly in the air. Then
came the crash.
One of the rear wheels was found
a few hundred feet from the scene
of the accident and this has led to
the advancement of the theory that
the axle nuts on it had not been
properly frightened when the ma
chine had taken on new tire short
ly before. The men probably felt
the wheel slipping off and after they
looked behind they realized their
helplessness to prevent the accident.
Bourquas was &c years old and
lived at Springfield, Mass, he had
been in the employ of the knox COM
pany for seven years and had been
racing since 1907. He finished Sec
ond in the recent. Cobe trophy race
at Crown Point, Ind, and shortly
before he had been severely injured
when his car overturned in a hill
climbing contest near Worcester,
Mass, in May. Holicomb was %
years old and lived at Randville,
Mass He had been with the Knox
Company for two years and was con-
sidered one of the best mechanics
in the racing business. Both men
were unmarried.
Albert Denison, the racing partner
of Bourquas collapsed after the &C
cident and the services Of a phisi-
clan were required.
The sight of two men laying dead
was too much for friends of both
who had been called upon to face
death in the same manner.
Louis Chevrolet. French driver Of
the Buick team, almost blinded with
dust from the track was led into the
hospital after the two men had died.
The Frenchman who had been lead
ing during the early part of the
race was forced to give up, as he
gazed Upon the bodies of his two
former rivals Of the track, he NUT
tered, "Too bad, too bad," and then
staggered to chair, too weak to
stand both the physical an dmental
strain of the moment.
As a result of the two deaths, the
Knox Company has withdrawn it's
its entries from the. next two days
and it is said it will probably never
again enter its cars in a race. Il C.,