The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-08-23
Ploughs Through Fence,
Hops Over Ditch, Hits Tree
Spectators Hurt.
WEALTHY DRIVER LEADS
AT TINE OF ACCIDENT
Setting Pace of 20 Miles an
HOur-De Palma Wins
as on Day Before.

ELGIN, Ill. Aug 22.-Spencer Wishart,
the wealthy sportsman who worshipped
the goddess OF speed by daredevil reck-
lessness in his racing cars, paid with
his life to-day the forfeit OF the lure.
In the backstretch OF the eleventh lap Of
the race for the Elgin National Trophy
this afternoon the well known race driver
met with an accident that resulted In
his death short time afterward. Wishart,
who was leading all competitors in ono
Of the most sensational road races ever
seen, lost control of his machine, which
skdded, dashed through fence and
overturned.
Wisharts mschanician. John c. Jenter.
was badly injured also. while Ave specta-
tors struck by the uncomfortable ma
chine we're more or less seriously hurt
Wisharts skull was fractured, one leg
broken and his clf>st crushed. Jentsr
suffered broken arm and internal In
juries. but 1t is believed he will recover.
wishart died within an hoSr of his re-
moval to the Engin Hospital. where all
the injured were hurried quickly.
Wishart's bride OF little more than
month was In the grand stand at the time
OF the accident When the news OF the
accident reached her she fastened 70
her dying husbands side. Mrs. Wishart
was formerly Miss Louise MCGOWAN. one
of the social leaders of indianapolis. They
were married In that city on June 20 last
number OF explanations have been
offered as TO the cause OF the accident.
but IL Ia believed generally to have been
due directly to the recklessness OF Wish
arts pace. One story says that In trying
to pass Henning the cap on the hub
of the left front wheel struck the other
car so hard that the driver lost all con-
I troll Others maintained that something
went wrong with the steering gear
! Whatever the cause, Wisharts machine
while driven at top speed. was seen to
oscillate wildly moment. then plunge
madly TO the outside OF the course.
through a fence, over ditch ana INTO
f a tree.
There IL little doubt that the mad
pace--Wishart had maintained II for
nearly half the distance of the 301 miles
! caused the accident. Up to the time OF
/ his fatal injury Wishart had averaged
almost seventy-eight miles an hour. .
speed OF nearly Ave miles an hour greater
! than the new record which was estab-
lished yesterday ~ Ralph De Palma.
! Bob Burman. another reckless driver.
was close behind. Wishart. to maintain
his lead. had taken such desperate
chances on rough stretches as to make
the spectators gasp.
While a hastily gathered throng was
lifting the wrecked car on its victims
tho mad struggle continued among those
| left IN the nelu. Inc Iathl tCClutnt 10
| Wishart did not stop the race. Ralph
De Palma. who established a new course
record yesterday for the Chicago Auto
mobile Club trophy. repeated the feat
to-day as a result OF Wisharts catas-
trOphe. His time was hours minutes
is seconds, 1 minute and seconds slower
than that OF yesterday. De Palma's ave-
rage speed was 1875 miles an hour he
Palma drove the same Mercedes that
scored yesterday. Pullen was second. In
n Mercer while Barney Odheld. with a
stutz. finished third. Pullens time was
4:07:2S an average OF seventy-three
miles an hour.
Wisharts career as a racer had been
brief but exciting. He was only -
years of age and was attracted first by
the speed mania while driving his own
cars about New York. Soon he entered
the big road races for the pure love OF
the snort. He had driven In every 500
mile race held at Indianapolis. After al
most every important road race In which
he engaged Wishart announced his with
drawal from the racing field. but each
succeeding competition found him unable
to resist the lure OF fast driving, Al Santa
Monica, Cal. this spring Wishart aver
aged s44 miles an hour IN the Grand Prize
before going out OF the contest
The fatal injury of Wishart unnerved
Bob Burman, who was close behind at
the time, and forced him TO give up when
he was well on the way to triumph. Bur-
man, who had followed the uncanny speed
OF the pacemaker most closely. took the
lead shortly after Wisharts accident. The
strain OF the accident, the terrific pace
and the heat of his engine combined to
make Burman dangerously sick. He was
forced to stop and resign his seat to Ralph
Milford.
Burman finished the first $50 miles in
his Peugeot in the fast time OF 2;0i :34.
Alley in "A Duesenberg was second min
ute and seconds behind Pullen In a
Mercer was third. De Palma In his Mer-
cedes fourth, Grand (Sunbeam) NTH. An
derson (Stutz) sixth and olheld tStutz)
seventh.
The race began with a series OF af>"''
, dents that augured ILL., D'Alene, who was
driving a Marmon. skidded into tree in
the fourth lap while turning Hornheck
curve The front OF his car vas dam
AGED so badly that he had 10 quit Neither
the driver nor his mechanicinn was hurt
badly though both vera thrown out
heavily
, Tiedmarsh's Great Western encountered
mechanical trouble on the second lap and
had TO give up. Trouble Of a similar ma
ture eliminated Rickenbacker's Duesen-
berg and Cailleonette's White cars Gala
han who drove Keeton, was ordered o..
the track by the referee during the fourth
. lap He was driving with brakes that re-
! fused to work properly.