Atlanta Georgian., 1914-03-01
RACERCRUSHED
AS CAR UPSETS
At GRAND PRIX
Marquis Probably Fatally Hurt on
California Track-DePaIma
Has Short Lead

SANTA MONICA RACE COURSE,
Feb. 2S.-Less than two minutes aft
er he had snatched the lead in the
International Grand Prix race from
Ralph DePalma this afternoon, j, Is.
Marquis, driver of a Sunbeam car.
attempted to take death turn" at so
miles an hour, and the little English
car turned over Marquis was crush
ed against the steering wheel, and an
ambulance rushed him to the course
hospital, where a surgeon said an OPP
Grafton would be performed in an ef-
fort TO save his life. Harry Haugh,
the Sunbeam's mechanician, was
thrown clear of the car and was un-
hurt
The accident put Gil Anderson, in a
Stutz car, in the lead
Ralph DePalma, winner of the
Vanderbilt Cup Race here Thursday,
took the lead as he entered the twen-
ty-third lap around the s.4mile
course i'm the 40324S-mile classic.
The Italian driver of the Mercedes
entry went ahead when Spencer Wis
hart, the young millionaire driver,
risked his own life and his chance to
win the race by swerving his madly
rushing car out of its course to avoid
running down an old soldier who ran
across the track in front of the Sol
diers' Home at Sawtell
nIdGoII
A few minutes after this incident
Barney Oldfeld, in his mad effort to
get in front of the other drivers. ran
past the turn at the Soldiers Home
and scattered crowd of more than
| 1000 as his machine dashed off the
| course. Many were trampled upon by
| the crowd in its efforts to escape from
| the danger Of the racing monster that
| appeared to be climbing into the tenn
| porary stands.
| Wishart had been driving a pretty
race up to the time that he narrowly
missed killing the old soldier, He had
| led from the start. and, with the race
| nearly half over had a good chance
| to capture the $4,000 first prize.
Wishart Loudly Cheered.
| The car, going nearly IS miles an
| hour, wavered from its course. swayed
| from one side of the track to the
| other, and came TO a dead stop less
! than fifteen feet from the inner edge
| of the crowd, with the bearings OF the
machine ground to powder The old
| soldiers escape from death was by a
| small fraction of a second.
| WiShart was loudly ,cheered when
| he returned to the stands, the race
| hopelessly lost. He was declared out
| of the race, and an announcement was
made of the heroism he displayed IN
saving the indiscreet old soldier who
| had escaped the eyes of those guard
| ing the course.
oIdfieId For1es to Front.
| To-day's race was picnic for the
! pitmen The rules under which the
| International Grand Prize is run for
i bid anyone touching a car which is in
| the race, except the driver and his
mechanician, who must make all tire
| changes, fill their oil and gas tanks
and make all necessary repairs.
Barney Oldfeld, by a sensational
series of. brushes, in all of which he
came out victor nosed his Mercer wcil
| up among the leaders at the end If
| the sixth lap, Gil Anderson's Stms
held its grip on second place. when
| Tetzlaf lost his position by stopping
at the pits for a second tire change.
At the end of ten laps Wishart was
still in front, having made the 81
miles in SO minutes and 80 seconds.
1876 Miles in 90 Minutes.
With fifteen laps reeled away IN
der the wheels of the racers, Wishart
was first, having gone 1875 miles in
/ hour 90 minutes and As seconds, an
average speed of S44 miles an hour.
While the race was on the police
found the body of an unidentified man
near the race course. The man evil
IDENTIFY had been dead for two weeks.
AT the end of IS laps the leaders
were running in the following order:
Wishart Pullen and Anderson, Tetzt
laff who had been driving q furious
pace eve. since the race began was
compelled to withdraw before the end
of this lap with a broken connecting
rod.
First Fatality.
The first fatal accident chargabe
to the two DAYS of automobile racing
here occurred to-day when Paul
Frederick Seidel, aged 90, an automo-
bile dealer of Los Angeles, was killed
and two other persons We're serious'y
hurt Seidel was driving with Il par
ty Of friends to the track when the
ear went over a 25-foot emba nkment.
The Grand Prize distance to- day
was As times around the S.4-mile
course The former Grand Prize rec
ord of 1855 miles an hour was made
by the late David Bruce Brown in "a
Fiat at Savannah, November 80, 1911.
To days prizes were: First, $4,000;
second, $4,000; third, $1,000, and
fourth. $1,000.