The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1911-05-31
RACE:
TO HARBOUR,
ONE DEAD
Indianapolis Scene of Ro-
man Holiday = Reckless
Acts of Drivers in Dare
Devil Spectacle Cheered
by Thousands.

Indianapolis. May 31.-One life was
sacrificed and eight persons were in
jured yesterday in the 500-mile automo-
bile race, which was won by Ray Har-
roun in a Marmon car.
Riding faster than any human being
ever rode before for the same distance
Harroun shot over the tape in the final
lap just six hours. forty-one minutes
and eight seconds after the starting
bomb was fred. His average speed was
eighty-two miles hour.
laundering along scarcely two min
utes behind, Ralph milford in his
Lozier No. 33 finished second. David
Bruce Brown of New York, who led for
mile after mile in the earlier part OF
the race. was driving like a demon at
the finish and crossed the tape third.
almost in tibet smoke of Mdlfords ma
chine.
At Apex of Excitement
The last ten miles of the race proved
to be more spectacular than had been
anticipated by even the old-timers.
When the 4so-mile mark was reached
Harroun was in the lead with milford
and Bruce-Brown clinging to the smoke
of his exhaust. Following close behind.
with only a few laps to make up. we're
Spencer Wishart in his Mercedes. Ralph
DePalma in his Simplex and Charley
Merz in his National
AS the cars, with a speed almost be-
yond the conception of human eyes,
streaked down the grand stand stretch
and tossed themselves around the end
| curve and into the back stretch. the
spectators shouted and waved their
hats and handkerchiefs.
As the speed demons again plunged
1 into the grand stand stretch. Milford
closed in the Marmon car, nlnS
the end curve within five feet of hic
principal rival.
on the back stretch the Lozrer passed
Harroun. but kept the lead for less
than a quarter of a mile
Crowds shout and start.
With Harroun again at the head of
the racing string of steel contrivances,
crowds on the grand stand and throngs
| in the automobiles surrounding the
course shouted and stamped. But Null
ford kept close to the Marmon racer
and Bruce Brown traiIed along within
a cars length of the Lozier.
| Then Mulford's tire went fat. To re-
pair it was but the work of two min
] car and off again.
| The delay proved fatal to the hopes
| of the Lozier driver He urged his
craft to it's highest speed and made up
some of the time lost, but Harroun
/ crossed the tape and was proclaimed
/ winner before Milford had finished his
| last lap.
/ 1t had been race the most exciting
| in the history of automobile contests,
but the sport--if it may be so classified
must pay the price for the huma n
sacrifice demanded for yesterdays rec
ord. It is probable that the 5o0-mile
international Sweepstake race just fin
ished will go down in history the
first and last contest of the sort ever
waged.
Automobile manufacturers and driv-
ers alike agree that the price of cut
ting a few seconds off the worlds rec
ord is too great to warrant a repetition
of the effort. This protest is led by the
winner of yesterdays race, Harroun.
who announced that he never again
| would enter such a slaughter.
The terrific, heart-breaking strain of
keeping up the pace about the giant
saucer that serves as track was ap-
parent from the very start. OF the
4
pornp of a bomb this morning only
/ twelve withstood the demands made
upon their nerve and machines. The
/ remainder succumbed, one by one, after
holding on long as human limita-
tions would admit.
The race itself however, must be
considered an unprecedented success II
viewed from a purely sporting stand
point. 1t drew the greatest crowd that
ever witnessed a similar contest any
place in the world-100,000 speed fans
drawn from every state in the Union.
FIRST Three Winners.
Here are the first three winners. the
men who will get the lions share OF
the $40. 900 purse:
Driver and car. Time.
Ray Harroun tEarmonD .6:41:0s
Ralph milford (Lozier) .6:43 EOS
ID. Bruce-Brown tFInt) .6:45 :02
These records cannot be compared
with others. for the simple reason that
no such race ever before was run IT
| the history of automobiling. Never be-
fore was a 500-mile race attempted The
longest previous race of the sort was
just half of this distance-25o miles.
tHarrouns feat is still more remark
able because of the fact that he accom-