The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-11-11
Mechanician Loses Life i'm
Grand Prize Race and
Driver Is Hurt.
CAR M0WS DOWN POSTS
AND TURNS SOMERSAULT
Contest Will Continue, Opening
at 10 o'clock Today, Near
Savannah.

SAVANNAH, Ga, Nov. I0.-Speea
mania cost its first toll of life in the
grand prize automobile race today. Al
bert Fuchs. young mcchanician. met
instant death and ". II. Sharp, driver
and owner of the car bearing his name,
was seriously injured when the power
full machine swerved from the road and
crashed into barbed wire fence.
Sharp had his car on the course for
practice, He had made several laps
at high speed when the accident oc;
CURED. All had seemed to be we'll with
the car, and the cause of its disaster
is mystery. Only Sharp, it is thought,
may be able to shed any light upon it,
ana he is lying IN Il hospital unable TO
make statement
One theory is that Sharp took a curve
on The back stretch at too high a speed,
thus losing control Another is that
tire blew out, causing the driver TO
lose control Tbe latter theory is
supported by the fact that the left front
tire was stripped from the wheel.
Plows Up the Road.
For fifty feet along the side of the
road the car plowed its way, then leap
ing. ditch. struck small tree Seem
lngly the tree, though bent TO earth
and swept It's entire length by the MA
chine, lmpeded its course but little. A
Few yards further the car struck thick
post of barbed wire fence. The car
sped on, knocking down many posts and
tangling posts and wires in its mechan.
ism and about its wheels.
1T WIS tins tangle of wires that final.
y brought the car to q standstill first
throwing it into the air for somer-
sault, driver and 1pechauician falling as
it was thrown.
Fuchs struck upon his head Sharp
fell clear, but apparently sustained in
lurles to his stomach by striking against
the steering wheel. When 1agmau on
the course and two convicts who were
| working on the road at the point whore
the accident occurred, ran 20 the as
sistance of the men. they found Fuchs
dead and Sharp helpless.
Efforts were made to flag other racing
cars as they sped by in practice, but
without result until word was tcle-
| phoned to the grand stand. several miles
away. Then two of the racers stopped
on reaching the scene and brought the
| body of Fuchs to the grand stand
Premonition of Danger.
Fuchs. "a years old, lived in Trenton,
\. j. Men at the Sharp training camp
say he had a premonition that the
course held danger for him today, He
sought to be relieved from duty. but no
substitute was at hand, Those about
the car as he started with Sharp made
light of his fears, and his driver sought
TO steady the young man 's nerves by
giving him instructions to be followed
as they drove.
"Hold on to this oil can all the
time Sharp said "Don t let it get
out Of your hands When / call for
oil. let her have it,
Embedded in the ground in the pool
of blood that marked the spot where
Fuchs s skull was crushed, was found
the OIL can.
Sharp is manufacturer and driver,
His accident eliminates him and his
car from the grand prize race, in which
ne had drawn first place for the start
The meet will open at 10 clock to-
morrow, with seven entrants in the Sa
| vannah challenge cup race. The com
petitors will start at 30-second inter
walls, to be followed an hour later by
the eight starters IN the Tiedemau
troDhv race