Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-08-23

mad speed carnival Wnlcn has lHduSu-
rated the great Indianapolis motor
speedway.
One mechanician and two spectators
paid the penalty of their lives to salts
fv the extreme desire for speed.
The fatal accident came when a Ma
tional car, driven by Charles Merz ir
the 3OO-mile race, lost a tire and crash
ed through a fence into group OF
spectators. The dead:
Claude I<ellum, Indianapolis, mechan-
ician in the National car.
Ora toilette, Trafalgar, Ind.
An unidentified man.
Besides the three deaths, two seri-
Gus injuries came in the day. Henry
ITdpking of Indianapolis was seriously
hurt in the wreck of Merz' car, suS-
tanning compound fracture of his
right arm, a broken nose and several
scalp wounds.
Bruce Keone, driver of harmon
car in the same race, crashed into a
post shortly after Merz' accident and
was badly cut about the neck and
head.
After the second accident the Off
Gals decided to call off the 300mile
! race. AT that time the leading car was
a jackson, with Lee Lynch at the
wheel, and it had covered $50 miles.
| Ralph de Palma in Fiat was second
and Stillman in a Marmoh was third.
| The race was declared no contest and
the great Indianapolis motor speedway
| trophy will be raced for again.
| BY strange freak of fortune Merz
| escaped from the terrible wreck with
hardly scratch He fell under the car
| when it turned a somerset down into
the gully near the side of the track. He
was in imminent danger of being burn
| ed to death, but by extraordinary luck
he was able to shut off the engine and
save himself. Kellum was hurled into
a gully some distance away.
| The three deaths raise the toll of
| the speedway to seven lives. in the
week. William A. Bourque and his
mechanician, Harry Holcombe of the
Knox racing team were killed in an
| accident in the 25O-mie race, Thurs
day. Cliff Literal, a Standardization
mechanician, was killed by being hit
by a big racing machine while on
the way out of the speedway. On
! Thursday Elmer Champion, six years
| old, was killed by the automobile of
DR.. Clark f. Day of this city, while
| the latter was on his way to the speed
way for the first days races.
Tonight pail of grief hangs over
the city and the more reckless auto
moblists drive more carefully through
! the streets than they did earlier in the
week.
The frightful penalty paid for a few
broken speed records is greater than
was bargained for when Indianapolis
| threw open the gates of the great
est speedway in the world"
The fatal accident Saturday occurred
on the south turn of the immense
ellIpSe and near the open stands which
contained more than 5000 people The
thousands i'll the grand stand did not
| see the accident, although they knew
| that one of the cars had crashed
through the fence.
few minutes after the smash Merz
was brought to the officials stand and
| mighty shout of joy went up when
| it was seen he was safe, and it was
| not for some time that the majority
of the spectators realized the gravity
of the accident.
Lie SIIldSI CAME after MeTZ 0dQ nm
ished more than 200 miles and was
| running fifth in the race. The tire
| on the right front wheel came off and
the other car tore away from the
control of the driver, crashing through
| the fence near the foot of a bridge
across the track and plunging into a
| crowd gathered there
| 1T tore through this group and into a
gully, turning a complete sOmerSault
before it reached the ground, about
10 feet below. Kellum was thrown into
| the water and he was bleeding from
| many injuries when picked up. Great
| gashes were torn in his abdomen and
head and the blood had begun to pour
| into his lungs. Although he was practi-
| cally dead when picked up, he lived
for some time without regaining con-
seriousness.
The unidentified man was instantly
killed and toilette died as he was be-
ing lifted into an ambulance.
At first it was though Tapking would
| die before he could be taken to the
| Emergency hospital, but quick work
| by the physicians saved his life and it
| is believed he may recover
kellum had not begun the race in the
| car. with Merz. He had been Athens
mechanician in another National when
the speed struggle started. Aitken
jumped into the lead at the start and
remained in the lead with a goodly
margin until one of his cylinder heads
cracked after he had covered los miles.
and ne had been forced to drop out
Altken had covered 100 miles in
131.41 $40, setting a new record for the
track. Kellum broke down and went
when he found his car would not be
able to continue.
Shortly after Athens car was with
drawn Merz' first mechanician. Robert
Lyme, collapsed in the national repair
pit. and Kellum was substituted for
him. Merz' car had got into trouble on
the far side Of the track and Lvne had
run all the way across the infield in the
beating sun, and this, combined with
the emotional excitement of the mo-
ment and his efforts to help Merz,
caused him to fall into faint.
The car was working in excellent
shape, and as other machines were
dropping out regularly. Merz and KEEL
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