The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-06-01

IOO1oChG oCol1I N1SO Ao
 serts that Course Had
 Been Cleared Before Isot- ta Car .Started-The In-
 jured Are Doing We'll in
 Hospitals-Even Hosmer Potts Condition is Slight
 ly Improved.
 All of the persons injured at Sport
 Hill, yesterday, when the big Isotta car left the road, and moved a way
 through the crowd will recover, it was said this morning. excepting possibly Hosmer Potter, whose condition is nevertheless somewhat improved.
 The responsibility for the accident has been the subject of earnest in- quiry, to-day. It appears to be beyond doubt that the crowd were repeatedly warned back, from this and other dan ger points of the course, and that many more would probably have been in-
 jured had not the place been practi-
 cally cleared just before the Isotta car started. Also a little while before
 Ken McNeil left the road at the
 same spot, and many of the less reck- less spectators were then warned by the narrowness of their escape. Mo- Neil, who is a skillful, as well as g p1uckys driver jerked his car back. into the road. but it was. hairbreadth escape.
 As to the opinion of where the legal responsibility lies. it seemed to be the
 opinion of lawyers that the courts hold in such cases that the spectators are assembled in a dangerous place
 knowing it to be dangerous, at their own risk. They are responsible for case.
 President Frank T. Staples this morning mads statement to the Far mer. He said that F. F. Bellew, Ofh- nounced the course clear and had warned the crowd by megaphone of the danger. The car was not started until assurance was received by the starters that the crowd had dropped back. After the start was made they however rushed into the danger zone again. Capt. Hawes, who was in charge of the militia, who had the duty a statement in which he says that everything in tho power of the militia was done to keep the crowd out or danger. He relates his own efforts to do this work, and attributes the ac- cident to the determination of the American crowd to see everything that is to be seen. He denies that clubbed rifles were used to keep the crowd back. He also denies that the rifles were pointed muzzle toward the crowd. He says that the crowd behaved with excellent good nature, and that the rifles were used horizontally as bar rier, to hold back the press of num- bers about the hollow square his men formed around the injured.
 What caused the accident? was asked by everyone. A Farmer re- porter talked with a practical autoIno- bilist to-day who was sitting on the stone wall only a few feet from where Ehridge moved down the crowd. In jumping from the wall at the time Of the accident his wife's gown was torn by the stones which fell from the vial so close was their position to those who were ma1med.
 He said: "Ethridge drove in too close to the right hand side of the read All of the drivers were hugging as closely as possible the right hand side of the second turn of the S.. in order to prevent skidding. Sktdd1ng meant a loss of a few seconds and all of the cars that made the best time cut close to the edge of the second turn. Ethridge cut too close and his right forward wheel went into the gut ter. McNeil, driving his Stearns, also went into the gutter but he was able to get back onto the road. The Isotta car which did the damage was heavier than the Stearns and besides it was equipped with rod mud guard at tachment on the front. The guard is a long iron rod adjusted to the front of the car to attach a canvas mud guard while racing. The canvas was not attached in yesterdays race.
 The rod extended on the sides F or 15 inches out and beyond the wheels
 1t was the end of this rod which moved the people down first before it ran over anyone. I think that this fender saved the lives of many people for although Ethridge shut on his power as soon as he left the road the | car kept going and this fender caught 9 gainst a number of small saplingS and a dozen or more bicycles and tend | ed to bring the car up close to the | stone wall so that it came to stop l before it reached the place where the | people were most thickly crowded.
 "rhe men who were hurt stoon on | nearly 45 degrees. They were within | the .'S" and at the best point of van | tage to see the most exciting part of l the racing for they could peer down l and see the cars take the first turn | and then see them again on the sec ond turn. In my opinion the acci- 1 dent was unavoidable as everyone | aolng the curve was warned repeated | ly to keep back. When McNei1 went 1 into the gutter he frightened the ! crowd so that there was general back The militiamen did l good work in keeping the crowd back l but as soon as the soldiers moved along the crowd would move out to the dan | ger zone again as though the soldier | had trespassed upon their rights to