The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-09-21
.DEF0REST YOUNG. NEAR DEATH AT
 BPT. HOSPITAL
Tripped on Coat and Fell in Alighting from Burning
 Automobile
James H. Kelly's Car Side Swiped Telegraph Pole
 and Gasolene Ignited

DeForest B. Young, of 39O State street, widely known throughout the city, lies at the point of death at the Bridgeport hospital with a badly frac- tured skull today as the result of a most extraordinary chain of accidents which resulted in the almost complete burning up of the eight cylinder Ste vens-Duryea car belonging to James Fl. Kelly, keeper of cigar store at Al Fairfield avenue.
 At noon an operation was performed upon MT. Young at the hospital wirh the hcpeN of relieving the pressure cu his skull. He has not regained con- sciousness since the accideft,s which occurred about Il o'clock last night. : While running along the Miifol d turnpike at speed of between 20 and 9 miles an hour, the car side-swiped telegraph pole, the gas o'inc tank burst and the libera5sd fuel burst into , MT. Young, who was not hurt in the crash. started to get out of the car. tripped on his long auto-coat and fell heavily into the road. Others in the party who went to help him up were astonished to find him unconscious and apparently badly hurt. He had fallen in such a way as to sustain a bad fracture of the skull.
 The car was wrapped in flames ana most of the woodwork on it was de- sfroyed. A passing auto offered as- sistance, and MT. Young was placed in t and taken to the Bridgeport Hos pitaI where his condition was seen t, be very grave. He is of heavy build. and fell in sucn way as to strike his head a. severe blow.
 The others in the party were grief stricken at the accident to MT. Young, who is one of the most popular young men in the city. He is member of several clubs and is known familiarly to hundreds as Tommy Young.
 There was nothing wrong with the steering gear of the car,s but the ac- cident was due to MT. Kelly's turning out to let speeding car pass him. He discovered that he had turned out the other side. The dust was so thick that he couldn't see anything ahead of him until suddenly a tele- graph pole doomed up. He steered clear of it but the rear of the auto swerved and the rear hub hit the pole. The impact severed the gaso- line feed pipe and the exhaust pipe, and the flames from the exhaust in- stant1y ignited the escaping gas and burned up the car in a few minutes The shock of the machines stldking the pole moved the pole several in- ches. The pole, which is only par tfal one, and was broken by a prev fous autom obiIe accident, is very close to the side of the road and in an extremely dangerous position.
 Besides MT. Kelly and MT. Young in the machine at the time were Henry M. Oviatt and Gilbert w. Good ridge MT Goodridge sustained a painfully bruised hand, but none in th,s party was badly hurt by the crash, ano Mir. Young would have been en- tirely uninjured but for his mishap in alighting from the car.
 The automobile was partially insur- ed The chassis was lowed into town and taken to the Erwin M. Jennings Co. garage this morning. The steer ing gear was found to be in perfect condition. 1
 All the members of the party to- day felt particularly bad about MT Young, as he had not been one of the original members of the party but had been invited into the car for the sake of a little ride MT. Kelly was talk ing home MT. Goodridge, who lives at the shore, when the accident oc- cured. MT. Young was invited .tc come along simply for the pleasure oi making the trip.