The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1909-08-27
z RECORDS BROKEN.
z LIVES CLAIMED.
WHEN AUTOS MEET
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDING
INAueURATED UNDER ExcIT-
ING CIRCUMSTANCES.
UETIMATUM is ISSUED
Track Must Be According to Require
ments or Race viii BE Stopped.
Friends Of Dead Men Burst Into
Tears.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind, Aug. 20
Two lives were lost and two records
broken during the Inauguration of the
indianapolis Motor Speedway Thurs
day. William A. Bourque, driver Of
the Knox car in the 25O-mile race
and Harry Holcomb, his mechanician
were killed in the frenzied carnival OF
speed
Barney Oldfeld, driving a highpow.
cred Benz, covered a mile in O:43 lilo,
breaking De Palma's mark of 0:51,
and Louis Chevrolet in a Buick ten
miles in the marvellous time of
1886 4-1O, cutting oldfeld's time of
9:12. Both of these are new Ameri-
can track marks.
Robert Burman won the 25O-mile
race, the feature of the day and the
costest that cost Bourque and Hol-
comb their lives. The winners time
was 4:38:57 4-10-slow because of
the many accidents that marred the
race.
The Stoddard-Dayton (Clements)
was second in 4:46:O1 $40, and the
National (Merz) finished third in
Asp ITO: Another National with
Kincaid at the wheel was the only
other car Of the ten starters to finish
the long grind.
The death of the two men caused
the American Automobile Association
to issue an ultimatum to the owners
of the big track that certain changes
must be made by today or the sane
ton for the event will be withdrawn.
The American Automobile Association
demands that the track be freed from
the many and dangerous ruts, which |
are said to be unavoidable in a new
track, and that every inch of it be
thoroughly oiled and tarred Thurs |
day only short portion in front of |
the grand stand was oiled, and the !
dust on the other parts is blamed for |
the collapse of two drivers in the long
race-Louis Chevrolet and Fred Ellis,
who were blinded by the dense white
mist that covered the major portion
of the track
Two records were broken and the
first day of the immense track proved
to be an unqualified success, when
pail was cast over the crowd of 10000
speed-mad spectators by the deaths
Of Bourque and Holcomb.
The Knox car was in second place
with Burman in his Buick leading,
and had covered nearly $50 miles
when the crash came. While coming
Town the home stretch the car sud
lenly swerved and tore ito the fence
It the left of the track, turning COM
'letely over and pinning its two &C.
upants beneath it. Both men weret
live when taken from under the i'll
ated machine, but Bourque died in
he ambulance on the way to the
leroy Hospital Holcomb lived a few
minutes longer, but was dead soon
fter he arrived at the hospital
Stories as to the cause of the acct
ent vary and no one will ever know Il
hat really caused the car of death p
} swerve from the track. According Il
} the story by Private Frank Brand d
r, Company H. Second Regiment, n
ldiana National Guard, who was G.
earest to the scene of the accident l
nd had a narrow escape from injury, u
caused both men to sudden
turn and look behind. AS they did M
, the steering wheel slipped from a.
aurque's hands and he threw up his "
ms helplessly. Then came the II
ash. IN
One of the rear wheels was found a W
W hundred feet from the scene of OF
e accident, and this has led to the W
Ivancement of the theory that the 81
lie nuts had not been properly tight
ed when the machine had taken on I
new tire on this wheel shortly be
re.
The men probably felt that wheel
piping of, and after they looked be-
nd they realized their helplessness al
prevent an accident. ST
Bourque was 26 years old and had fir
en- a racing driver since 1907. He be
ished second in the recent Cobe tn
'phy race at Crown Point, Ind, and fir
ortly before he had been seriously gr
ured when his car overturned in a
l-climbing contest near Worchester,
lss., In May. frt
Ioleomb was % years old and lived MI
Grandville, Miss. He had been thu
h the Knox Company for two years ne
4 was considered one of the hest tn,