Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1909-08-26
Mcchanician and Two Spectators
Killed on the IndiAna,aalis
Speedway.
TOTAL OF WEEK NOW SEVEN
National Cur Driven by Mer1 Lost Tire
md Crashed through Fcncc--City
in Gloom because of Fatalities
--OTIcinls Called 300 Mile
Race on.

great Indianapolis motor speedway. one
mechancan and two spectators paid tho
penalty Of their lives TO satisfy the OK
trcme desire for speed.
The fatal accident came when a Ma
tional car, driven by Charles Merz in tho
e0o-mile race, lost tire and crashed
through fence into group Of spec'a-
tors.
The dead:
Claud Kellum. Indianapolis, mechanic
ian In the National car.
Ora Jolleffe, Trafalgar, Ind
An unidentified man.
Besides the three deaths, two serious
injuries came in the day. Henry Tap
king Of Indianapolis was seriously hurt
In the wreck of Merz's car, sustaining a
compound fracture Of his right arm,
broken nose and several scalp wounds.
Bruce Ke,ne, driver OF Marmon car
n the same race, crashed into a post
yhcr;iy after Merz's accident and was
badly cut about the neck and head.
After the second accident. the officials
decided to call of the 3oo-mie race. At
that time the leading car was a Jackson.
with Lee Lynch at the wheel, and 1t had
covered $50 miles. Ralph dc Palma in a
Fiat was second and Stlllman in a Mar
mon was third.
The race was declared no contest and
the great Indianapolis motor speedway
trophy will be raced for again.
MERz SAVED FROM BURNING
BY strange freak Of fortune Merz es-
capped from the terrible wreck with hard
ly scratch. He fell under the car when
II turned a somersaut down into the
gully near the side OF the track He was
In imminent danger OF being burned TO
death, but by extraordinary luck he was
able to shut of the engine and save HIM
,ef. Kelum was hurled into a gully
lone distance away.
The three deaths yesterday raise the
toll of the speedway 10 seven lives.
william A. Bourque and his mechanic
Ian, Harry Holcombe. Of the Knox rae
Ing team were killed in an accident in
the o50-mile race Thursday. Cliff Lit
teral. Stoddard- Dayton mechanician.
was killed by being hit by a big rae
ing machine while on the way out to
the speedway. Thursday Elmer Gramp-
ton, years old was killed by the auto
mobile Of DR.. Clark f. Day of this city,
while the latter was his way to the
speedway for the first days races.
pail of grief hangs over tho city and
the more reckless automoblists drive
more carefully through the streets than
they did. The frightful penalty paid
for a few broken speed records is
greater than was bargalned for when
indianapolis threw open the gates or
the greatest speedway in the world"
GRANDSTAND MISSED IT.
The fatal accident yesterday occurred
on the south turn Of the immense ellipse
and WI,
tanned more than 5000 people. The thou
sands in the grandstand did not sec
the accident, although they knew that
one of the cars had crashed through
the fence.
few minutes after the smash Merz
was brought 10 the officials stand and
mighty shout of Joy went up when
II was seen he was safe. and It was not
for some time that the Majority OF the
spectators realized the gravity Of the
accident.
The smash came after Mere had I'm
ished more than 2no miles and was run
ming NTH in the race The tire on the
right front wheel came OF and the other
car tore away from the control Of the
driver. crashing through the fence near
the foot of a bridge across the track and
plunglng into n crowd gathered there.
CAR TURNED sOMERsAULT.
1t tore through this group and into
gully, turning n complete sornersault be-
fore u reached the ground, about 10 feet
below Kellum was thrown into the
water and he was bleeding from many
Injuries when picked up. Great gnshes
were torn In his abdomen and head and
The blood had begun TO pour into his
lungs. Although he was practically dead
when picked up he lived for some time
without regnining consciousness.
The unidentified man was Instantly
killed and Jollere died as he was being
lifted into an ambulance
Al first It was thought Tapking would
die before he could be taken to the emer-
gency hospital, but quick work by the
physicians saved his life, and II Is be-
lieved he may recover.
Kellun, had not begun the race In the
car with Mcrz. He had been Athens
mechanician in another National when
the speed struggle started Atken Jump
ed into tho lead at tie start and re-
manned in the lead with a goodly margin
until one of his cylinder heads cracked
after no had covered 1d5 miles. and ha
had been forced to drop out Aiken had
covered 100 miles In 1:3l ~ $40. setting
new record for the track. Kellum broke
down and wept when he found his car
would not be able to continue.
TAINTED FROM EXCITEMENT.
shortly after Athens car was with
drawn Merz's frst mechan.cian. Rob-
ert Lyme. collapsed in the national re-
pair pit. and Xellum was substituted
TOR him. Merz's car had got into
trouble on tho far side OF the track
md Lyne had run all tho way across
Mo inflcld In the beating sun. and
his, combined with the emotional ex-
Atement OF the moment and his et-
lorts to help Mcrz. caused him to fall
INTO faint.
Tho car was working In excellent
Jhape. and as other m cchines were
dropping out regularly. Mcrz and
Kellum hoped they might work their
way into an advantageous position
and then have some freak OF fortune
give them the race. Instead came the
tragic misfortune.
Despite the fatal accident tho six
cars left In the race continued until
Bruce Kcecne in the Mnrmon skidded
into a pole beside the track.
The officials thereupon decided that
enough had been sacrificed for the
sake Of apeed and that svery man In