The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-05-29
MOTORCYCLES At
DEAD MANS BEND.
One Rider Killed and Three Others
Badly Injured In Accident
Seen by 5000
Spectators.
SPECTACULAR SMASE- UP
Crash Of Speeding Wheels Proves
Fatal to One Racer But Bal
ance of Program Is
Carried Out.

Bend" the treacherous west curve Of
the race track at Hawthorne, figured
yesterday in another fatal accident.
One motorcycle racer was killed, an
other mortally hurt and a third in
jured severely, and several experienc-
ed miraculous escapes in spectacu-
lar smash-up at the bend staged be-
fore 5000 spectators.
Each of the racers, stars at motor.
from other cities to open to Chicago
from othercities to open the local
motorcycle racing season at the invi-
tation of the North Shore Motor Cy.
cling club.
The Dead.
NIXON. HARRY, Dayton, Ohio,
thrown against outer fence, his body
carrying away the top board; died
shortly after being taken to st. An,
thongs Hospital; had been promi.
nent among motorcycle racers since
1902 and was consider one of the best
dirt track racers in the country.
The Injured.
Bailey, Paul j., indianapolis, Ind.
skull fractured; ribs crushed In; dy.
ing at ST. Anthony's hospital.
Hinkley, G. S., Aurora collar bone
broken; cut and bruised; will recov
erA
Hart, Frank, Springfield, Mass
known as one Of the youngest motor
cycle racing stars; cut and bruised.
After the crowd had been driven
from the track by horde of police
men and the dead and injured had
been carried away, the event, ten
mile free-for-all that had second place
on the program, was run off again,
as if nothing had happened.
1t was few minutes after three
o'clock when the contestants in the
fatal race, one of the principal draw
ing cards of the day, dashed over the
starting line. w. ]. Tubener, profes
sional racer of note, led from the
start, with Frank Hart in hot pursuit
On the first lap, Dead Mans
Bend" was passed without acciden.
at a mile-a-minute pace. The second
over Hart, who was speeding with
the reckless courage of his eighteen
years. These two darted by the grand
stand first The field was scattered
behind
At the bend Hart made desperate
effort to capture first place. The rat
/ tie of his engine mounted to a
shrek as he jammed on the last biz
Of power, swerving to pass the leader
/ There was scrapingeand thud. A
heavy cloud of dust shut off the view
of those in the grand stand Hart
had fallen.
From the dust pail Tubener dashed
unharmed, as Hart's body rolled ovel
and over until it struck the inner
fence
Nixon, Bailey and Hinkley were in
bunch
Their speed made sudden stor
impossible and they were carried
helplessly on. Hinkley's machine hit
that lately ridden by Hart, now lying
in the middle of the track a mass OF
tangled wreckage. Hinkleys motor
cycle fell across his body, a partial
protection
Without checking speed, Bailey dex
terously avoided the flesh and iror
obstruction and dashed safely past
Behind him the frenzied crowd was
pouring from the grandstand ant
temporarily had escaped police con
tro,
4 In the same second Nixon had ram
med into the wreckage His machine
leaped into the air, throwing him
from the saddle. The motorcycle som
/ ersaulted over the barrier, while the
man was hurled with such force
4 against the outer fence that a heav,
/ top board was carried away.
Bailey, his eyes blinded with dust
4 lost control of his machine at the
I farther stretch of the bend, hun
/ dred feet away The motorcycl;
I seemed suddenly to waver and wilt
! while the rider was tossed high In tn,
air and over the outer fence.
/ Fred Huyck. who formerly held al
most all the motorcycle speed rec
i ords, and who was injured last yea
in typical Dead Mans Bend" ac
/ cident, guided his machine througl
I the mass in his path. Leo Galitzki il
I George Smith and Guy NJ Greet, 9th
| er contestants, also escaped injury.