Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-10-27
CHAIRMAN BUTLER,
OF G[IDDEH TOUR
CRUSHED To DEATH
Referee P. ]. Walker and His
Wife Are Also Injured, When
Pacemaker'S Car Is Wreck
ed Near Triton

i. Triton, Ca, oct. 2.-Chalrnan ..
ii. Butler, Of the board of control of
| the American Automobile association,
was Instantly killed and Mr.. p. ]. Wal
ker, referee of The GIldden tour, and
his wife. were seriously injured, three
miles below Triton shortly after 8 O'Clock
I This morning, when the automobile, In
which they were driving, was overturned.
/ The accident was due TO a broken
steering knuckle on the Cunningham
{ pacemaking car of Referee Walker, in
which the victims were riding.
E The car turned a complete somersauit,
/ and pinned the victims underneath II.
Mr.. Butler was instantly killed. when
/ mis- body was crushed by the wheel
hub.
1t is feared that the injuries of both
! Referee Walker and his wife may prove
/ internal The driver escaped unhurt.
Mr.. Butler was one of the best known
I officials of the American Automobile as
/ ISOLATION Referee Walker is an official
OF the association in California, and was
/ selected to referee the lGlidden tour.
which is being run from New York 10
Jacksonville. Mr.. Buffers home was in
New York.
CAR TURNS soMERSAULT.
! c. h Johnson's Stevens-D uryea. No
II. os Atlanta. was the second car behind
ped on its nose. turned clear forward
sOmesault aud fell on one side with its
front back toward Triton.
The catastrophe happened at 800
o'clock Mr.. Johnson helped Mr.. and
/ Mrs. Walker out of the ditch and tied =
( line TO the Cunningham and pulled it
: over on its wheels from upon the body
/ Of AIR. Butler.
Mr. Butler was badly mashed, hardly
( T.. /. "a
The body was covered with a Jarpau-
lin and later brought into Triton on a
/ train
WALKERS SERIOUSLY HURT. =
Mr.. Johnson brought Mr.. and Mrs.
! Walker into Triton TO the Myon hotel.
ID. 4. McMillan's Cadillac was the first
car behind the pacemaker and furnished
the rope TO pull the car over. Mr.. Walk
/ er's right shoulder is dislUcated, his col
larbone is broken and he may be inter-
nally injured. y
! Mrs Walkers broken arm shows a
compound fracture. She also may be in
ternally hurt. Charles +. KelIman, OF
Rochester, n. Y, the driver and fac
I tory representative. was badly bruised
anu scratched, but no bones were broken.
/ he was brought back into Tifton by
Miss Roberta Marks in the Columbia
car from Athens.
STORY OF THE ACCIDENT
The disaster happened on a straight
away stretch of excellent Tiff county
road. 1t appears that the Cunning
ham was gong at the rate of about %
or s. miles an hour.
Mr.. hellman, who was at the wheel,
states that his steering gear locked and
that he could not stop the car in time to
prevent the wreck. The car left the
road and plunged over into a shallow pit
on the right side, from which clay had
been taken in the road building. Be-
fore il stopped il had turned completely
over and was laying bottom up.
Mr. Butler lay underneath for nearly
half an hour before 1.-THE ca rcould be
lifted. ISL
Mr.. Walker was pinned underneath.
Mrs. Walker managed to get clear
Only these four were in the car. No
body else in the whole tour was hurt
About 30 cars were stopped at the
scene of the catastrophe and held there,
and all that had not passed Triton were
stopped and held there.
Charles l. Ryan, contest board repre-
sentative in Georgia, a guest of Mai
John S. Cohen's White gas car. as
sumed control at the wreck and Z. L.
Ferguson. starter, took charge In Triton.
kilograms and phone messages sent
ahead stopped the car of President
Hooper and turned 1t back at II :O5 O'Clock
The tour cars in Triton were checked
ou for Valdosta- Mr.. and Mrs. Walker
were left at the Myon hotel with friends.
Mr. Buffers body viii be shipped from
here back to New York. whers he has
his home.
BUTLER WELL KNOWN.
The disaster is the greatest that ever
occurred on any tour, for Mr.. Butler
was one OF the best known men among
motorists in the United States. His po-
sition OF chairman of the A. A. A. contest
board brought him into direct touch with
every automobile contest of every nature
held anywhere in the country.
IL was he with whom all the Glidden
tourists dealt by mail and In person be-
fore the start OF the run. He was an
estimable man personally and highly ca
pable in his official position. He leaves
and the other girl of Is,
This is one Of the few tours that he
/ had personally accompanied.
The car in which he net his death
/ is a complete wreck Of twisted metal and
broken wood. The left front wheel is
gone The steering wheel rim broke OFF
it's metal spokes in the drivers hands.
/ Almost the whole weight CT the car lay
/ on Mr. Butler, who was crushed into al
most an unacceptable mass. He was
riding in the tonneau at the moment on
the right side Of the scat. nearest the
CLAW nit into which the car plunged.