Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-13
STEARNS WINS
ASCOT EVENTS
SMASHFS WORLDS - RECORD
FOR FIFTY MILES
DRIVERS NARROWLY ESCAPE
SERIOUS INJURY
Cars Turn Turtle and Crash Into the
Fence, but Broken Coliarbone
Is Greatest Damage
Done
fContInueh from Rage ono,

quarter OF the track when the Apper-
son was seen to make 5omersault in
the air. The crowd rushed to the scene
- the accident, for Hansnue was at
the wheel and Haushue and GhericEa
are we'll liked by all patrons of the
automobile track.
In making The turn at the quarter his
rear right wheel went to pieces, break
ing into Il thousand sDlinJers At the
same moment. probably by the splintets
being thrown from the rear wheel, with
the car travelling gait Of fraction
over a mile a minute, for Hanshue was
after the Ste1rus, which was then lead
ing him around the circle. his front
right wheel went fiat, and this let the
car down.
Punging forward with her nose tear
ing into the track, the car somer-
saulted. throwing GheriCke ahead for
probably twenty feet. directly over the
hood Hanshue by some means or other
scrambled out OF the mass Of debris his
car now was and looked for his me-
chaniciau. Ghericke was uninjured and
came back hastily 10 find his comrade
advancing to meet him. Neither of the
crew was hurt at an. and how these
men escaped serious injury is one of
the things for which Ascot is now cello
brated-no one can be seriously hurt
on that traek-a phenomenal fact.
With a steady. consistent grind the
Cadillac. driven by II. J. Beaudet, was
reeing off her miles at the rate of
fifty miles an hour surprising the on
lockers with the splendid work Beaudet
was doing-nis first appearance upon a
local track. At almost the identical
point at which the Jack Rabbit came
TO grief, Beaudet found he was having
trouble, owing to the fact that his car
was becoming hard to steer. DO what
he would the car insisted on huggiug
the inner fence. II was a thrilling mo-
ment for the crew Of that car. ana
Beaudet deserves the highest credit fo"
the manner iu which by CoOlheaded
judgment he handled his wheel in the
face of trouble.
Says "Go Ahead"
AS he made round after round Of
the track the trouble Of steering grew
upon him and he realized that his left
wheel must be gong wrong He called
the attention OF his melhanician to
the fact, but brave little Jimmy Rogan
said, nothing the matter here, Beau
det go ahead"
Scarcely had the words been uttered
when the car took a violent swing, ana
just as it passed the wrecked &pper-
son the Cadillac sWerEed and turned
a complete somersauit, landing wheels
In air, with Ncchanician RoSan thrown
over the hood and Beaudet pinned un-
der the car so that he had to be prac
tically dug out, not a scratch on him.
Released from under the car, his
first thought was of his mechaniCian,
who was lying on the track, but eX-
animation of Rogau discovered the
fact that but for a slight confusion
over the right eye he was all right.
A thrilling incident occurred al a
point just before the Cadillac over
turned. Hanshue was endeaVorlng to
get what was left of the Apperson off
the track. and with his mechanlclaa
lying on the track Beaulet came along
with the Cadillac. IT looked like
case of death for either Hanshue or
Ghericke, but despite the pefIe'.e
steering gear Beaudet managed 10
miss Haushue by an inch and ms
mechanician by almost as narrow a
margin.
The two disabled cars, Cadillac and
Apperson, were now laid off the track
side by side, and the race proceeded
as Interestingly a. ever until the sun
set. which had been having Gluten
trouble at the first of the race, finally
rounded into good shape and the man
ner in which the little Peter Pan rolled
Off the miles ELECTED tile most NoclIef-
Gus applause from the spectators.
All went well until, following the
fav0rite little ear around the track,
she was seen 20 stir up the dirt and
fly inJo the air, stopping at the outer
fence.
Again the crowd rushed to the scene
of the mishap The car was a wreck
and under il lay Leonard NcLarty,
her popular driver, and his mechan-
ician, Boden, the latter unable 10 speak
and ovidcntlv injured internally The
ambulance at hand promptly was used
TO place the injured man within the
surgeons care while NcLariE was
taken from the wreck. McLarty was
I-F.Y, s4r mr. .n d
bone, but was able to walk across lne
track, climb the fence and with Boaen
was removed to the hospital
Both men gave evidence of tha
nerve they possessed i'm plotting the car
and in a few days both viii probably
be about as usual
Palmer's Hard Luck
These incidents covered the more
serious events of the day, but there
were others. 40 car won't out on the
track with more splendid promise of
success than the Palmer-Singer, IN
charge of tnat most excellent but uL-
lucky driver Frank Sicfert. A mag
nificent race was being run from the
very outset Of the grind with Soules
tearing down the stretches ana IeIus-
ing to take the turns except with foot
damned down on the throttle.
The Jack Rabbit was following up
the pace and Sieflrt With the Palmer
was hanging onto the Jack Rabbit 5
rear wheel With the tcnacity Of a bull
Cog, refusing to be shaken of.
Beautifully the three cars led the
procession and there We're evidences OF
the skill of the mon at the wheels that
will compare with any driver in the
world. SicfIt was seen to slow down
on the back stretch ana coming to the
pits pulled i'm to 6ud that he had blown
out a head on cylinder No. /, and he
decided it best t1 lay out Of the run
ning. Q. Werner owner of the car and
agent for the makers FASTENED to the
spot and ordered the injured cylinder
cut out, plugged up and 10 proceed
with five cylinders ut work.
Siefert argued for q moment with his
employer and advised against IL. but
Werner insisted that he was no quit
ter and if it smashed the car to smith
Greens to go ahead ana make the run.
Siefert patched the break. killed the
broken cylinder and received a round
of applause when he pluCllily took TO
the track again.
And what d pace he set for the
Palmer from that moment with only
ave barrels at WOrk-l.0g 1905 and
Ggain 1.041a. and he Chuckled with glec
as he recled off the terrific speed at
which he was driving the lame car
Down the last stretch he came at the
wild pace Of better than a minute clip,
when suddenly there was a rain of
nuts. bolts, pieces Of cylinders. squirt
of water and OIL and for a distance of
hundreds Of feet pieces of the maChin-
.,E4 4l,, Dol Y,1 To 90,