Omaha daily bee., 1909-06-17
AUTOISTS NARROW ESCAPE
Western Vanderbilt Tryout Almost
Results in Tragedy,
ONE AXLE IS BENT ON CURVE
Remarkable speed ~ shown ~ sew
ernl Prospective Contestnnts--C. A..
EnEIebrecht AXE Rect Tar
of nay,

CROWN POINT. Ind, June Is -Monsen
and Stutz. driving two American auto
mobiles which are 20 compete in The West.
ern Vanderbilt June 1919 furnished a real
racing incident in practice over the Crown
Point.Lowell course. IN which a tragedy
was NARROWLY averted
Morsen and Stutz having left the grand
stand a few miles behind. found themselves
running a close race on the double curve
known as the "s." II Is a picturesque
stretch. much haunted by photographers
even In ordinary times. the road from the
south descending gently into a wide right
curve. This curve then bends into n re-
verse to the left, describing a half circle
and shooting at the end a hundred yards
straight way to the half way house.
At this point the road turns almost a
right angle to the right again on a rising
grade. Drivers generally have referred to
this bend as the most dangerous or the
route. the short straight stretch tempting
greater speed thau can be carried around
the curve.
Man Thrown From Car.
Monsen and stutz raced almost bonnet
to bonnet around the s." but he former
led into the -~straiRhtswsy With StutE fol-
lowing close In the cloud OF dust raised
by his rival. He saw the curve a little late
and made too quick a turn. HIS rear
axle was bent, and his mRchinist. Ray
Thinker. was thrown from his seat onto the
soft sod. He was uninjured as tho car
did not turn over and he was soon back
ii. the car which returned to the garage. A
new axle. 1t is said will be Installed in time
for the race on Friday.
Art" Griener, the amateur, was greeted
with applause when he appeared on the
course. Griener left a hospital last Sunday
to prepare for the race. and since then has
been unsuccessfully trying to find a cam
shaft to replace a broken one in his ma
chine. He could not get what he wanted.
and entered the practice today with his old
one patched up. Having been around the
course but once, he had painted on his
footboard a diagram of the route. He dis
covered, however, that IT was not needed,
as the flagman and signs plainly indicated
the road. He rounded the course slowly,
in order to save his weak cam-shaft. I'm
mediately after the contest he will return
to the hospital for an operation.
f. A. Hearne, the only other amateur en-
NSiNu WIZ VII SOAlOSN III NiS bAB Chl AhtS
Saturday, took an hour in his Fiat round.
I ing the first lap. He loosened up on the
second and did the twenty-three miles and
a third in thlrty-four minutes.
Best Lap of Day.
The best lap of the day was made by
c. A. Englebrecht in a big ~Stoddard-D Day
ton. Englebrecht was clocked at 1880, his
machine finishing in perfect order despite
the bumps of the course. Miller, another
Stoddard- Dayton man. made the round In
rs flat. Strang in a small Buick did the
trick in q flat and Denison In a Knox
made 1t in 26.
The electric timing device, used on the
last mile of the race showed the time oil
three cars for the distance. Strang was
fastest at the rate of 704 miles an hour
Florida in a locomobile was second at g.
and Lyle plotting an Apperson was third
with 64.5. Robertson, driving a locomoblle
is said to have taken the "S' revers,
curve at double the speed hitherto at
tempted. Drivers usually have treated thi
section with marked respect. Robertson
1t is said, expects to gain on his competl
tors along this stretch.