Omaha daily bee., 1911-08-27
MACHINE GOING AT HIGH SPEED
Sixty-Four Miles Per Hour When
Accident Occurs.
SPECTATORS THROW INTO PANIC
Defective Grsndstand Falls, Adding
Excitement to the Racing.
THIRTY PERSONS ARE INJURED
Many Broken Legs Result from the
Crash, but the Racing Goes ON,
ZenEeI winning, with Grant
in Second Place.

EUGtN Ill. Aug. 26.-The 9O5-mile auto
mobile road race today, won by Len Zen
Gel in a National. with Harry Grant second
and Hugh Hughes third, was not accom-
plisbed without its toll Of death and in
juries.
David Buck. veteran Chicago automobile
racer who was driving a Pope Hartford
car. was within eleven laps of the finish'
going sixty-four miles an hours on the
back stretch, when his right forward wheel
threw a tire The machine turned somer-
sault and Sam Jacobs, mechanician was
killed instantly. Buck died later from the
effects of internal injuries and broken
back
1t was az first reported that the driver
had betn injured internally and could not
live, 1t was with this misleading informa-
ton that a messenger was sent to Mrs.
Buck
Tell me the truth at once" the drivers
wife SAID You wouldn't send for me if
his injuries were slight"
Every eye in the stands was on her as,
supported on either side by militiamen, she
left her chair and went In a machine to the
field hospital, where her husband had re-
ceived first aid. She became hysterical
when she learned of her husbands Injuries.
The body of Jacobs was taken to Elgin.
Another accident, in which thirty persons
were injured, mostly slightly, occurred
while the first lap OF the race was on.
Several sections OF the insecurely built
grandstand gave way, but the thousand or
more persons were not dropped to the
ground. When the stringers by which the
seats were supported gave way the boards
weayed over and spread out like deck Qf
cards carelessly thrown on a table.
Among the injured were Mrs. Ray
Graham, daughter of Senator William Lori
mer, and daughter-in-law OF Andrew
Graham, recently candidate for mayor OF
Chicago, and Mrs. Charles Coey. Chicago,
whose eye was badly bruised and whose
ankle was twisted. Mrs. Graham's leg
was broken. These injuries with two of
q similar nature, were the only ones that
were serious.
Four Sustain Broken Legs.
The spectators were shunted into a
huddle at the bottom. Four of them sus-
tained broken legs, among these being a
daughter of Senator William Lorimer. The
others escaped with cuts and bruises.
These injuries were cared for at the field
hospital.
From time to time during the remainder
OF the day warnings were shouted through
megaphones to the remaining spectators
not jump to tn feet, as they did in moments
of excitement, straining the heavily
burdened grandstands.
number of women and few men left
the grounds after the accident. The ten
cars which were on the course were stopped
as soon as they reached the repair pit, but
a new start was made fifty minutes later.
lnl, al xnfl,a / ag4aV
last away and who won the race last year,
set a terrific pace at once. For fifty-nine
miles he drove at sixty-nine miles an hour.
leading the field by a good six minutes.
On the next lap he went out OF the race
with a burnt connecting rod bearings.
This placed Len zengel in first position,
with Harry Grant two minutes behind hun.
1t was in this relation that they finished,
although Grant lost an additional two min
utes when he stopped mend Tres. zengel
made two stops, both for gasoline and
lubricant.
Hugh Hughes, the Mercer driver who won
the Kane county cup yesterday, ran an
other consistent race, finishing third He
stopped but once for gasoline and was
closely pressing Grant for second place
at the finish. He lost out by eleven sec
onds.
AttaiRs High Speed.
zengors time averaged for the race four
miles an hour faster than that set by Null
ford last year Grant and Hughes also
averaged nearly that much better. Muford
got the prize for the fastest lap, covering
the eight and one-half miles in seven min
utes and fourteen seconds.
Ralph DsPalma and Spencer Wishart,
Simplex drivers, went out of the race
early, the former In the second lap with a
broken fly wheel and the latter in the fifth
with a broken cog. Aitken, who was at