Los Angeles herald., 1909-04-18
AUTO
RUNS THROUGH
FENCE; 3 HURT
LANKERSHIM'S CAR WRECKED
WHILE RACING
DRIVER FRED HERR AND PERCY
PRYOR INJURED
Big Machine Being Driven at Rate OF
Seventy Miles an Hour Strikes
Buggy and Is Over
turned
THE INJURED

THE INJURED
Jack" Lankershim, son of Col.
7. B. Lankershim, bruises and
abrasions.
Percy Pryor, concussion, inter-
nal injuries.
G. Fred Herr, bruised and cut.
c. S. Matthews, run over and
injured by taxicab.
nACING his new $4,000 Stearns auto
II. mobile at seventy miles an hour
~ against the rebuilt PopeToledo
racing machine of Captain Henry T.
Hazard, driven by James Mazzie, on
the Pasadena boulevard near Bairds-
town yesterday afternoon, Jack Lam
kershim struck and demolished a
buggy, went through a fence and
wrecked his car on the railroad tracks
below, and George Fred Herr and
Percy Pryor, who were with him in
the machine, We're seriously hurt Mr..
Lankershim was cut and bruised, but
was able to be about town last night.
George Fred Herr, who is the dis
trict passenger agent of the Union
Pacl1lC fdllfOdu, WdS severely DfulSeu
about the body and lower limbs and
Pryor was cut and bruised and sus-
tained a concussion and possibly in
ternal injuries. The man whose buggy
was struck by LankershimS car es-
capped injury
Lankershim with his two friends
had been trying out his new machine
They had driven to the race track and
were returning from there after the
races. East of Bairdstown they drew
up alongside of Captain Hazards
machine, driven by James Mazzie, his
chauffeur.
Challenges for Race
The Hazard machine is a rebuilt
racer and is known throughout South
ern California as demon for speed.
Lankershim called to Mazzie and
dared him to try conclusions with him.
The challenge was accepted and the
drivers threw their clutches into the
high speed and the two machines
started down the straightaway of two
miles at a terrific pace The Pope
! Toledo gradually drew away from the
| Stearns and at the Bairdstown station
was leading the Stearns by nearly 100
yards
Lankershim was not satisfied and
wanted to try conclusions again, SO
the machines were turned and driven
back to the start of the straightaway.
By this time a score or more automo-
biles returning from the races had
arrived on the scene, and as soon as 1T
was learned that a race was on the
machines were parked alongside the
read to enable the occupants to watch
the speed trial.
The second time the two racing cars
were sent away at top speed and
whirled down the road at sixty-mile
gait, but, as before, the Hazard ma
chine, beautifully driven and tuned to
its highest pitch by Mazzie, drew away
and flashed past the finish post twenty
lengths in advance.
Asks for Third Test
Again Lankershim asked for another
trial, and MaZzie, perfectly willing,
turned his machine and rolled back to
the start, remarking at the same time
that this time he would show the
Stearns machine what his little old
Pope could do to it.
The third time the machines were
sent away, and this time at even
greater speed. According to watches
which We're held on the two racers.
the first half of the distance was nego-
tiated in less than one minute AT a
speed approximately seventy miles an
hour they rushed toward the finish.
which was at the Bairdstown station.
AS they neared it an automobile going
toward Pasadena came over the road
bridge. At the same time a buggy
driven by an old man drove across the
tracks on the grade and turned in the
direction of the racing machines.
Mazzie in the Pope racer was lead
ing by nearly 300 feet and he threw his
machine directly between the advanc-
ing automobile and the buggy, dartinS
between them like flash of light.
Lankershim, going at a terrific rate.
was partly blinded by the cloud of dust
raised by the Pope machine. He saw
the automobile on the right of the
road and drove to the left to escape
it, following MazZie. He veered too
far to the left, however, and struck
the buggy with a fearful impact, toss
ing it to one side. broken heap. The
occupant of the buggy escaped all in
Jury, however, in seemingly marvellous
fashion, and before any one could
reach him to find If he was hurt he had
arisen to his feet and started down the
road to catch his horse, which had run
away
AS the Lankershim machine struck
the buggy the driver lost control of
the steering wheel and the machine
struck and went through the barbed
wire fence separating the road from
the embankment above the Pacific
Electric tracks.
With a leap the machine shot out
into the air and landed on the rail-
road track below, rebounding and turn
ing completely over, burying Pryor be-
meath the wrecked machine and throw
ing Herr to the opposite track of the
railroad. Lankershim was thrown from
the machine as it struck the fence and
was tossed into heap of broken posts
and wire.
A moment after the accident hum
dred people were on the spot and the
wrecked machine was lifted from off
the body of Pryor. who was uncon-
scious. He was carried to the road
above where DIR. ]. w. Trueworthy,
who had been watching the race. rem
dered him first aid and then attended
to Lankershim and Herr
The three injured men were placed
in DR.. Trueworthy's machine and
brought to Los Angeles. Pryor was
taken to the Lankershim hotel and
Herr to his rooms at the California
club, where he received medical at
tention.
1t was at first thought that Herr
was the most seriously injured Of the
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