Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1909-08-25
TWO LIVES LOST,
RECORDS BROKEN
DEATH COMPLETES WITH MEN
OF NERvE-HoTH ARE
vicToRs.
foLDFiELD MAKES MILE IN REC
ORD TIME AT INDIAN
APoLIs.
CHEVROLET WINS LAuRELs IN
10 MILE, STRIPPED CHASSIS
EVENT.


broken during the Inauguration of the
indianapolis motor speedway yester-
day. William A. Bourque, driver of
Knox car in the $50 mile race. and
Harry Holcomb, his mechanician,
were killed.
Barney Oldfield, driving a high pow
cred Benz, covered the mile in
34 ITO, breaking the De Palmas
mark of 81, and Louis Chevrolet in
Buick negotiated ten miles in S:5S
lilo, cutting the Oldfield time of 9:12
both are new American track
marks.
Robert Burman won the $50 mile
race, the feature of the day, and the
contest that cost Bourque and Hol-
comb their lives. The winners
time, 4:3S:57 4-1O. was slow because
of the many accidents that marred
the race. The STANDARDIZATION
Clement, was second in 4.46:01 $40;
National, Merz, third, in 4:52:39 ITO.
The death of the two men caused
the American Automobile association
to issue an ultimatum to the owners
of the track that certain changes
must be made by today or sanction
for the event will be withdrawn. The
American Automobile association de-
mands that the track be freed from
dangerous cuts, said to be unavoida-
BILE in the new track, and that every
inch of it be thoroughly oiled and
tarred. Yesterday only a short por'
ton in front of the grandstand was
oiled and the dust on other parts is
blamed for the collapse of the two
drivers in the long race-Louis Chew
rolet and Ellis, who were almost
blinded by the dense white mist that
/ covered the major portion of the
track, and were taken to the hospital
Two records were broken and the
first day on the immense track
proved fair to be an unqualified sue.
cess when a pail was cast over the
$4,000 spectators by the sudden death
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
down the home stretch the car sud
denly swerved and tore into the fence
at the left of the track turning COM
pletely over and pinning it's two oc-
cupants beneath it. Both men were
alive when taken from under the ma.
chine, tut Bourque died in the ambu-
lance on the way to the hospital. Hol-
comb lived few minutes longer, but
was dead soon after ne arrived at the
hospital.
Stories as to- the cause of the acct
dent vary and no one will ever know
what really caused the car to swerve
| from the track According to the
story told by Private Frank Brandon,
company H, second regiment of the
Indiana national guard, who was
nearest the scene of the accident and
narrowly escaped injury, something
caused both men to suddenly turn
and look behind. As they did the
steering wheel slipped from Bourque's
hands and he threw his arms help
lessly in the air. Then came the
crash.
One of the rear wheels was found a
few hundred feet from the scene and
this has led to the advancement of
the theory that the axle butts on 1t
had not been properly frightened when
the machine had taken on new tire
shortly before. The men probably
felt the wheel slipping off and after
they looked behind they realized their
helplessness to prevent the accident
Bourque had been the Knox com.
pany's racing driver since 1907 He
finished second in the recent CODE
trophy race at Crown Point, Indiana,
and shortly before he had been seri-
ously injured when his car over
turned in hill climbing contest near
Worces Ter, Mass, in May.
Holcomb was considered one of the
best mechanicians in the racing busl-
ness.
Without the deaths the $50 mile
race teemed with dramatic incidents
and disappoin ments. The following
cars started:
Knox, (Bourque); National, kin
ca d.; National (Merz); Stoddard-
Dayton, (Miller); Buick, (Burman)
Buick, (Strang); Buick, tChevroleD
jackson, ellis and Stoddard-Day-
ton, (Clenents).
Strang was the first to come to
grief as his car caught fire before he
had completed one lap The fire
sapped all the racing blood from his
machine and he dropped out after