New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-10-02
Car SWerveS Into Ditch on VAN
derbiIt Cup Course, Near Mil
Waukee, and MaChanl-
clan Is Fatally Hurt.
BOTH HURLED INTO FIELD
Rear Tire Blows Out While Co.
ing Ninety Miles an Hour on
the Eve of Race-Dead
Sportsman Competed
for Love of Game.

Milwaukee,, oct. david Bruce
Brown, wealthy young New YORK
sportsman, lest his life, and his mech
anician. Tony Scudalari. was fatally
injured in an accident on the new
Wauwatosa automobile road course to-
day on the eve Of the eighth running
Of the Vanderbilt Cup race.
Brown was driving his high powered
Fiat car ninety miles an hour when 3
rear left tire blew out. The heavy cal
swerved into a ditch and a second latel
men and machine were catapultet
diagonally across the road and into
field. The men were thrown clear o.
the car, which was hurled high into
the air. It's fall converted it into
tangled heap Of wreckage.
Bruce Browns skull was fractured
! his left leg was broken and he suffered
internal injuries. The top of Scuba
lari's skull was crushed, his right arm
was broken and his body was seriously
torn.
Death Comes in Three Hours.
Bruce Brown died at Trinity Hospi-
tai Of hemorrhage Of the brain three
hours after the accident, having par
TALLY regalned consciousness only fol
a few minutes. Surgeons had tre-
pinned his skull on both sides.
Caleb Bragg Bruce-Brown's close
friend; Ralph De Palma, Teddy TetZ-
laff and other well known drivers stood
weeping in the hospital corridor as
Bruce Brown was wheeled from the
operating room to private ward. The
hospital authorities withheld news OF
his death for an hour.
Bruce Brown, according to Bragg
met death in heroic but futile EFFORT
to keep his swerving car on the com
paratively narrow roadway after the
explosion of the rear tire. Bragg
said that the course was dangerously
narrow and that Bruce Brown could
have saved himself under similar con-
ditions on a wider road.
Exceptions, however, were taken to
this statement by officers of the MIL
waukee Automobile Dealers Associa-
ton, under whose auspices the races
here are to be held. Referee A. r.
Pardington also declared that the acci-
dent could not be blamed on the course
Unavoidable, Says Referee.
THE accident was unavoidable. y
said Mr.. Pardington, and the track
was in nowise to blame. II is In ex,
cellent condition. The casting Of the
tire would have upset any machine
travelling at that speed, no matter
how excellent the course was"
The wreck occurred while Bruce
Brown was racing few yards behind
Teddy" Tetzlaff in a second Fiat car
Bruce Brown had just driven the fast
est lap Of the days tuning up trials
and had set a new record Of minutes
53 $40 seconds for the 7SS-mile
course. He was endeavoring to better
this record and had just attempted &c
pass Tetzlaff when the crash came.
Tetzlaff declared he did not hear the
tire explode, but missed Bruce-Browr
behind him as he slowed down to take
the graveyard" turn at the lower END
of the South Fond du Lac Road. Tetz-
laff at once reported Browns out" &c
patrol Judges at the stands Mean
while George Clark, one Of the Mer-
cedes drivers, discovered the plight OF
Bruce-B Brown and Scudalari and tele-
phoned for an ambulance from a near
by farmhouse. after giving first aid tc
the injured men.
Messages Sent to Mother.
While the surgeons were working
over Bruce Brown at the hospital half
a dozen friends of the young driver
were making repeated efforts to reach
his mother by long distance telephone
at Mrs. Bruce Browns country place
Islip, Long Island. and at her town
house in East 10th street, New York
Messages also were sent to Bruce
Browns brother, in New York, and &c
other relatives. Tonight messages
were received here stating that Mrs
Bruce Brown, accompanied by other
relatives had started for Milwaukee
Bruce Brown had been in Milwaukee
only two hours and twenty minutes
when the accident occurred. He ar
rived from New York this afternoon
accompanied by his manager. V. W.
Kliesrata, and Caleb Bragg. To-day
was the first time he had gone around
the course since the early trials, more
than a week ago.
He was greatly interested in prepar-
ing for Saturdays Grand Prix, the
only event in which ne was entered.
He had won the American Grand Prix
twice at Savannah, land he had hoped
10 win 1t again this year, which would
have made him permanent holder OF
the American Grand Prix cup.