New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-08-22
THREE MORE DEAD
on AUTO SPEEDW WAY
PACING NACHINE DUES
INTO CROWD.
Mechaniciau and T7ro Spectators
Killed IN Crash at Indianapolis
Second 4ccidenf Stops Race.

erich has marked the opening Of the great IN
Hsrspolis motor speedway. One nlechanician
.rs TWO spectators paid the penalty Of their
4rss 10 satisfy the desire for speed. The fatal
.o,isent came when q National car, driven bv
rLsrlss Nerz. n the 30o-nile race. lost a tire
srs crashed through q fence into a group Of
sp4.tstors spreading death and destruction IN
ne wake Of its wild plunge
The dead are Claude Kellum of Indianapolis.
nschanician Of the National car. Ora Joneffe.
of trafalgar. Ind. and an unidentified man.
Besides the tLree deaths. tvyo serious injuries
resulted during the day Henry Tapkng OF
indianapolis was seriously injured in the fatal
wreck sustaining q compound fracture Of his
light arm, q broken nose and several scalp
wounds Bruce Keene, the driver of a Marmon
,sr in the same race, crashed into a post shortly
s.er the National wreck and was badly cut
about the neck and head.
After the second accident the officials decided
70 cal OF the 3oo-rnile race when the leading
csr g Jackson. with Lee Lynch al the wheel
had covered go miles Ralph de Palma, in a
rat was second, and Stllman. in a Marnon.
rss third. The race VIII be declared no con
.yt, and the great Indianapolis Motor Speed
way trophy viii be raced for again.
MARVELLOUS ESCAPE FOR MERz
BY strange freak Of fortune NIerz escaped
rom the terrible wreck with hardly Sc -atch
He fell under the car when il turned 4 sonler-
sault through the sir and down into a gully
near the side Of The track. He was in imminer.
danger Of being bu.no1 TO death. but bv cxrraor-
dlnary luck he was able TO shut of the engine
snd thus save himself from horrible death.
KsIun was hurled out OF the car. and landed in
ne gully some distance from the twisted mass
n steel and iron that aad once been speed
machine
The three fatalities to-day raise the death toll
If the speedway 10 seven lives this week
William A. Bou-Que and his mechanician. Harry
Hocombc q the Knox racing team were killed
10 an accident IN the 150-mile race on Thursday
Cliff Literal q Stoddard- Dayton uechanician.
vas killed by being hit by big. racing machine
while the way out 10 the speedway. on
THURSDAY Elmer Champion, d six-year-o old bov,
Tss killed by the automobile of Dr. Clark Z
rsy Of this city. while the latter was on his
Esy 10 the speedway for the first DAYS races
Te-night the pail of grief hangs over the city
sui the more reckless automobilists drive more
asfullv through the streets than they do
ssrisr IN the eek The fTightful penalty paid
fm few broken speed records is greater than
vas bargained for when Indianapolis threw open
The gates ~ its greatest speedway in the
world"
turn Of The immense eIipse and near the open
stands, which contained more than five thou
sand persons. The thousands in the grandstand
d4 not see the accident although they knew that
me of the cars had crashed through the fence
and Of the track
few minutes after the smash Merz
brought % the oaicials' stand and mighty
shout Of JOY went up when il was seen he was
ste, and it vas not for some time that the ma
lority OF the spectators reslized The gravity of
the situation
CAR PLOUGES THROUGH CROWD.
The smash came when Merz had finished more
han two hundred miles, and was running ffth
IN the race The tire on the right front wheel
cane OF and the car tore away from the control
q the driver. crashing through the fence near
ne foot q a bridge across the track and plune-
'ne into crowd gathered there. II tore through
ms group and into the gully. turning q COM
pete sopeFsaub before II reached the ground.
soout feet below. Kellum was thrown into
'he water and h. was bleeding from innumer-
sAe injuries when picked up. Great gashes
Ne!e torn III his body and head and the blood
-a' pegun 70 pour into his lnngs Although he
ss uy-Ag when picked up he lived for some
u,le without regainlng consciousness.
ne uA4aettlhed man was instantly killed and
s0.eAe o-eo as he was being lifted into an am
o1lshoe Al first II was thought Tapking would
AZ before ne could be taken To the Emergency
a'2t-'al 70 be operated upon but quick work
the physicians saved his life for the time
le d east and il is believed he may have
chance 70 recover.
keilum had not begln the rsce IN tba ean,e
WIN Nerz. He was Aitken's rnechanician in
N.olAer National Vhea the speed struggle start
- Al,ken jumped into the lead - the start.
a~-Ae the nineteen starters He had re-
ea IN ne lead with a good margin be-
- ms car and the next one, until one of his
-'-el hsads cracked, after he had covered
'A-es' and he had been forced TO drop
Al-ken mad covered one hundred miles in
S--.' setting z, new record for the track
sr+ - oEesA-ng the one made by Chevrolet in the
".-tnlle race on THURSDAY
-'Uin ana Aitken Tried IN every way IL. their
I'VE 70 get their car in shape 70 continue. but
'oFoeo 70 sit by as the cars which they
- 'eea leading dashed by them. Kellum
co"n ana Vept when he found their car
-.1 ho' BE- able - continue the elusive chase
ater victo-y
'--~I-d SUBSTITUTE ~ FATAL CAR
HaoFly after Ait.en's car was withdrawn.
nrst mechsniclsn Robert Lyme, collapsed
e National repair pit and Kellurn was
.'oteo 1or hin. Nerzs car had got into
80 On the far side Of the track and Lyme
g. IN sA The way across the infield in the
,,-1e e sun and this combined with the emo
- excitement ct the moment and his efforts
p Mefz caused him 10 fall into z deed
he was able 20 gasp out that he wanted
new battery for the car
b.,. 1ll' eager 10 get back into the exciting
n. si~ooe1 q battery and started off across
49, -'-' After little work on the car he and
co. 'eie able 20 get il under way. and they
a. Tie dizzy grind around the track.
as @@S becoming more bumpy every minute.
r,., -'UtA passed The National repair pit the