Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-22
More Lives Sacrificed at
Speed Carnival
NEW COURSE AT INDIANAPOLIS
DEALS DEATH
OFFICIALS OF MEET DECLARE
CONTEST CALLED OFF
List of Those Killed at New Auto Race
Track Numbers SeVen-Two
Contestants Also Sc
riousIy Injured
(Rv AssoclateC Press.l

ASV ASSOCldLet 1TeSSsJ
7 INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 21.-Three
more lives were sacrificed today in
u the speed carnival that has
marked the opening of the new In
dianapolis motor speedway.
One mechanician and two spectators
were today's death toll. when Ma
tional car, driven by Charles Merz in
the 300-mile race, lost tire and
crashed through a fence into d group
of spectators. The dead:
CLAUDE KELLUM of Indianapolis,
HOMER JOLEFFE of Trafalgar,
Ind.
JAMES WEST, 20 years old, Indian
apolis; meat cutter.
Besides the three deaths there were
two persons seriously injured during
the day.
Henry Tapking of Indianapolis suf-
fered a compound fracture of the right
arm, a broken nose and several scalp
wounds in the wreck of the National
car.
Bruce Keene, driving a Marmon car
in the same race, crashed into a post
short time after the wreck of the
National car and was cut seriously
about the neck and head.
After the second accident the officials
decided to call off the race. The lead
ing cara Jackson car, with Lee
Lynch driving-had then covered 2S5
miles.
Ralph de Palma. in Fiat, was Sec
ond, and Stillman, in a Marmon, was
third.
Race Declared No Contest
The race will be declared no contest.
and the Indianapolis speedway trophy
will be raced for again.
Merz miraculously escaped from the
| wreck of his car with hardly a scratch.
He fell under the machine when il
| turned a somersault through the air
and came down into a gully near the
! side of the track. He seemed in immi-
nent danger of being burned to death,
but managed to shut off the engine,
and thus save himself
Kellum was hurled out Of the car and
landed in the gully some distance away.
The three deaths today raises the
Speedway fatalities to seven. William
Boroque and his mechanician, Harry
HOlcomb, were killed in an accident in
the 250-mile race Thursday. Cliff Lit
terrell, a Stoddard-Dayton mechanician,
was killed by being hit by a big racing
machine while on the way to the Speed
way.
Thursday Elmer Champion, a 6-year-
old boy, was killed by the automobile
of DIR. Clarke Day of this city while
the latter was on his way to the races.
The meeting, therefore, has closed in
gloom, the glory of broken speed rec
ords being dimmed by the tragic at
tendant circumstances.
Spectators Do No: See Accident
The fatal accidents today occurred on
the south turn of the immense ellipse,
and near the open stands that con-
tanned more than $4,000 people. The
thousands in the grand stand did not
see the accident.
A few minutes later Merz was
brought to the officials stand, and a
mighty shout went up when it was seen
he was safe.
1t was not for some time the majority
of the spectators realized that though
Merz had escaped others were dead or
injured.
After Merz had finished more than 200
miles and was running fifth in the race
the tire on the right front wheel came
off and the car tore away from the
ontrol of the driver. 1t crashed through
the fence near the foot of a bridge
across the track and plunged into
crowd there.
The car tore through the group and
into the gully, turning a complete SOM
ersault before it reached the ground,
about ten feet below.
KelIum Thrown Into Water
Kellum was thrown into the water
and was bleeding from innumerable
injuries when he was picked up. The
blood had begun to pour into his
lungs and he was nearly dead. He
lived for some time without regaining
consciousness.
The unidentified man was instantly
killed. and Joleffe died as he was be-
ing lifted into an ambulance.
Quick work by the physicians saved
Tapllings life.
Kellum had not started the first race
in the same car with Mer2. He had
been Aitkens mechanician in another
National. Aitken jumped into the lead
at the start, heading the nineteen
starters, and remained there until
cylinder head cracked after he had
covered 1O5 miles, when he was forced
to drop out. Aitken covered 100 miles
in l hour 81 minutes Al $40 seconds,
setting a new record for the track.
The Merz cars first mechanician,
Robert Lyme, collapsed, and Kellum
was substituted for him. Kellum,
eager to get into the contest, started
off across the field. He and Merz were
soon able to get the car going again
and continued the dizzy grind around
the track.
Race Continues
Despite the tragedy, the six cars left
in the contest continued the race until
the accident happened to Bruce Keene.
His car, after skidding, crashed into a
post near the side Of the track. Schiller.
the mechanician,' sustained a slight
fracture of the skull. Keene was not
seriously hurt.
After this accident the officials stop
ped the race. When the race ended,
Lee Lynch, in a Jackson. was leading
and had covered 235 miles in 4 hours.
13 minutes 81 4-10 seconds. De Palma
was second, three-fourths of a lap be-
Continued on Page I've