The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-11-07
Local Men Drive Machines to
Prevent EasterWard Bound
Autoists From Lighting
Their Benzine Filled Lamps.
MATCH WAS BURNING
WHEN WARNING GIVEN
Frank NJ. Jones and Frank
Taylor of This City Were
The Heroes of the Exciting
Little Automobile Drama.


an automobile. Friday afternoon.
Frank NJ. Jones. of the McConaha
company, and Frank Taylor cashier of
the First National bank, were victor
ious and by opening up the throttle
on the big machine and whizzing over
the National road at the rate of about
so miles an hour, they probably saw
town, Pa, men and also saved a valu-
able new Premier car from destruc-
tion by fire.
About o'clock Friday afternoon
the telephone in the McConaha COM
pany's office rang frantically. An ex-
cited voice shouted that it was the
Premier Automobile company at India
napolis talking and to listen we'll for
they had made horrible mistake.
When the man who was doing the
talking at the Capital city was suffi-
ciently pacified to speak intelligently.
he stated that two automobile dealers
from Johnstown, Pa, had just pur-
chased a new Premier car there and.
through a mistake. the lamps had
been filled with benzine, instead Of
coal oil.
Assistance Was Asked.
With this dangerous outfit the party
had left Indianapolis before the error
had been discovered, he said, and in
desperation he had called up the Pre-
mier agent in Richmond to see il
something could not be done to pre-
vent what appeared would result in an
inevitable catastrophe. He stated that
he realized that it would be impossi-
BILE for them to overtake the Johns
town men as they had been gone en-
tirely too long.
Shuddering to think what would
happen unless the party could be no
titled of the mistake before darkness
arrived, Mr.. Jones dropped the re-
ceiver (after he had been furnished
with a description of the two Pennsyl-
vania men) and cranking his power
full machine started out on his excit-
ing race against time. 1t is estimated
that all speed records were broken
between Richmond and Cambridge
City. but the strain on the big car had
been too great and when that point
on the journey had been reached. fate
proved unkind; the engine broke
down and the machine went to the
bad.
Where Seconds Counted.
Each second might now mean 4
matter of life or death to the Pennsyl-
vanians for darkness was approach
ing and already a grey dusk had set
tied over the hills and fields.
Never did the ominous shadows of
evening seem to fall with such re-
markable rapidity and never did the
automobile seem so obstinate Or hard
to fix. Seeing that it was useless to
repair the car and realizing the need
of haste and that not moment could
be lost, Mr.. Jones hailed the next pas
serby. who chanced to be Frank Tay.
lor. The case was explained to Mr..
Taylor. who turned his automobile
around and heading it in the direction
of Indianapolis, literally burned up
the dust in an endeavor to reach the
party of Johnstown automobilists be-
fore the front lamps were lighted.
A Match 10 Struck.
Just this side of Dublin a dark OBJ
ject was seen in the road. Upon ap-
preaching closer two men were seen
to get out of an automobile and open
the front lamps. The cold chills chas-
ed themselves up and down the backs
of Mr. Jones and Mr.. Taylor, and the
throttle was opened to it's utmost Ca
pacity, for every second counted now.
A match was struck by one of the
Pennsylvania men and beads of pres
peration stood out on the brows of the
two local men. But kind wind blew
and the match flickered and died out.
This fact was probably all that saved
the two eastern dealers from a horri-
BILE fate. All was saved now, for by
the time another match had been
lighted the men had been caught up
with, and notified of the great danger
and narrow escape which they had
experienced 1t is needless to state
that they made the trip to Cambridge
in the darkness. There the lamps
were properly filled with coal oil and
the dangerous benzine taken out.