Los Angeles herald., 1910-04-05
ACCIDENT PROVES
SAFETY OF TRACK
Livingston Going Seventy-SK
Miles an Hour, Breaks
Steering KnuCkIe

An accident which on any other
course would have meant fatality
yesterday proved fully the absolute
safety of the motordrome track It oc-
Cured when AL Livingston, going sew
enty-six miles an hour broke a steer
ing knuckle, shot toward the sky line,
bounced off the 90-pound steel guard
rail at the top of the rack, glided along
the track for 200 feet and then settled
in the soft dirt at the bottom without
the slightest jar-and a broken hub
cap, all the damage recorded, in addi-
ton to the knuckle which caused the
mishap.
When Livingston in the Corbin did
this it proved beyond the shadow of
! doubt that the track is perfectly safe
to driver and public alike, and stamped
the seal Of approval by actual test on
Frank Garbutts contention that such
! would be the result should the condi-
! tion arise.
There was nothing premeditated
about this near accident. 1t was only
| one Of those chances which may occur
! again, but the last VeStage of fear has
been taken from every driver who wit
| messed the occurrence, and goodly
| bunch Of the speedy drivers were at the
| track when 1t happened. Oldheld, De
| Palma, Bragg, Dingley Hanshue, Sell
! bert, Zeibel. Kerschner and Robertson
| all witnessed it, and a more fortunate
| demonstration of a mooted point could
not be desired by this vitality interested
| bunch.
Track practice started shortly after 3
! O'Clock and Frank Seifert in the Doris
! circled the course a number of times in
the 4Os. But when the big Fiat, with
| DePalma driving and Bragg riding, put
in two miles in 3S2 and 80, and Kersch-
ner in the Darracq made miles in SO to
| 40, and Barney Oldheld, with Eddie
Maier riding turned the course in 46
to 49, the real practice work of the af-
| teInoon was OH.
1t was noticeable that all the cars
were equipped with round tread tires,
! as previous tryOuts have demonstrated
! that the life of fiat tread tires was
very short on the board track. owing
| to a little roughness here and there,
which condition the mOtordTome man
agement Is busy overcoming with big
| force Of Workmen planning off the rough
! places. .
CROWDS N ATTENDANCE
| The track garage where all the fast
| cars will be stored, will be completed
! by Wednesday, as also will be the
! Judges and press stands. A fair crowd
| of persons are at the track each day,
! as admission is free and the Los An
| geles- Pacific is maintaining good car
| service. The loop railroad track is com
pleted and the arrangements are such
| that twelve carloads Of passengers can
| be discharged or loaded at the Motor
! drOme station per minute. The motor
drome MANAGEMENT are also looking out
| for the safety of the public who come
| out TO witness the trials, for while all
visitors are allowed to stand back Of
/ the pits if they desire. none but driv-
ers and others having business there
is allowed ON the platform in front
Of the pits, as the big crowd out sun
| day sWarmng around the ears came
near causing several accidents.
George Robertson and wife were in
terested spectators yesterday. They
quietly slipped into the city and out
to the track TO outWit demonstra-
ton planned for them on arrival by
bunch of the other drivers, for the
popular driver of the Simplex was
married last week i'm New York and
has brought his bride TO the motor
drome meet on her wedding trip. The
little woman and her big husband
courtcously allowed The Herald to be
the first to present their pictures to
the public.
The people Of Los Angeles, as a
whole, do not begin TO realize what the
big motOTdrome race meet means TO
the city in an advertising way. The
track is just now the one subject of
/ conversation among motor car enthusi-
asts all over the country, and private
parties from every speed center Of the
/ United states are ON their way here
4 to Witness the big meet. 1t is a Ger
| tainty that every motor car track rec
ord, except the straightaway marks,
.
| days and the wonderful new track will
win for the city much influential pres
tigc, as thousands of wealthy enthu-
siasts win make this city their OBJ
| jectiye point for summer and winter
| pleasure trips.
Box seats for the motordrome meet
are now ON sale at the Los Angeles
| Pacific depot, Hin street station, and
nearly sixty boxes have already been
| sold Telephone orders came in yester-
day for four boxes from Coronado and
five from Del Monte