The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-05-19
CLAUDE HAYcRAFT INJURED IN
AUTO RACE AT MONcRIEF
Lost His Bearings in Cloud of Dust
Ed Tucker Wins Handicap
Race From Bob Burman

haCe FROM bod DuTHldU
In a spectacular bid which he was
making for the honors of the first
event of the automobile races at
Moncrief yesterday afternoon against
Speed Kink Bob Burman. c. H. Hay
craft. the resolute Ocala racing man,
who was at Inc wheel of the Giant
Knox, was lost in cloud Of dust,
produced by the first named in his
Buick Bug. resulting in the Florid-
ian's consequent crash through the
rail at a mad momentum, his car fir
( ing and seriously burning him over
nearly the whole of his body.
A thrill of horror ran over the hun
dreds of spectators when the flash of
fire shone through the deep cloud of
dust, the plucky driver seen strug-
Cling away after his terrific fall, his
clothing in flames, and the Giant
Knox, famous on many race course,
some distance away, bonfire of de-
bris.
| An excited group soon rushed to
the scene of the accident, which was
at the turn to the right of the grand
stand, only few hundred yards from
where the big crowd was seated. DR..
]. H. Pittman, DR.. T. c. Thompson
and several other physicians were
soon at his side. A minute of two la
ter the wounded man was placed in
private automobile and hurried to
the DeSoto sanitarium.
It was reported there last night
that close examination showed that
Haycraft had suffered no fractures,
but that his burns were of a serious
nature.
The accident took place in the Sec
ond heat of the first event, which
was on the program as a match race
between Burman, in his Buick Bug,
and Haycraft, in the Giant Knox, one
of the Barney Oldfeld cars. Every
one was expectant, and as the cough
ing engines shot past in the begin
ming of this second heat, a burst of
cheers were given them. Just past
the grandstand and on around they
went like meteors. But the Buick
Bug threw a great cloud of dust to-
ward the outer track. This Haycraft
hoped to find his way through in an
instant But it was too dense and too
deep. Before he could cut off his en-
CINE it was crashing through the
track railing.
The splintered pieces of lumber
were thrown here and there, the body |
of Haycraft precipitated to the park
ing space with his clothing in blazes
and the big Knox car turned on it's |
side and in the ditch.
Haycraft Immediately freed himself |
of several articles of clothing and |
then sprang into the ditch, where a |
small amount of surface water was
of further benefit to his emergency. |
A blanket was brought to him in a |
few seconds and all but exhausted |
he was wrapped in this
Dust Cloud Cause
The cause of the accident, accord |
ing to the men who were figuring in |
the race, was all on account of the |
dust cloud which made it impossible |
for Haycraft to see a foot in front
of him.
Don't worry about the car; see if |
the boy is injured said Burman, who
is the owner of the Giant Knox The
machine was practically wreck, the
whole of it's mechanism being badly |
scorched and the woodwork put into
charred ruins.
The 'five-mile handicap race for au-
tomobiles, open to all cars entered,
brought out three cars. Burman, in
the Bug, was the scratch man, and
he gave minute and forty seconds
to the Cadillac, driven by r. Kleop-
pei, and one minute to the Buick, |
driven by Ed Tucker. The race be-
tween Burman and Tucker was al
pretty one, but the former could not
overcome the handicap acked of him
and the Buick was the first home,
making the excellent time of $3.50 Is. |
Burman showed a wonderful per-
Torrance in this race, going the five
miles in 4:5S is, and average of less
than a mile a minute for the dis
lance. This was the browning event
of the afternoon.-Monday's Times
Union.