Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-11-05
CLEAN UNIFORMS
VERY IMPORTANT
Many Serious Accidents
Caused by OvcralIs
Soaked With Oil.

A greasy pair Of trousers, soaked
and shiny with oil, accumulated in two
| or more years of wear on the gasoline
! Cir, ui, came near costing the life of
| a mcchauician IN the Grand American
! automobile race. held ON the Chicago
| speedway week ago yesterday, and
played a spectacular part in the ffth
Serious accident Of the 1916 season OF
/ speedway competition.
The Wcarcr OF the inflamm3blc
trousers was Ralph llctlch. now re-
covering from scriOus and painful
burns susie med when crawford car
driven by Wilbur D'Alcne and carry
ing the hoodoo number l3. caught on
fire.
The accident which came near re-
sulung Ia fatality and putting blot
ON the safety first 'scutChoon of the
Chicago speedway, occurred carly In
the race. In his haste to pour gasoline
~ the tank of the car. which had been
stopped at the pits, Hetlich spilled
about a gallon of iucl on the track.
Tho neat from tho exhaust pipe Of ,hc
car lrnitcd the gasoline and the fla3les
lraUCd to the OH soaked trousers or
the mechaniciln
CrazcG by the intense heat. Hetlich
ran down the track, and. stumbling
over the barrier IN front Of the press
stand. fell on the grass officials and
attempted to smother the fire with
'uNcrcoats but made slow work OF IL.
After TIE flames were cNtuEuishcd,
IN" victim of the accident was so
badly burned about the legs. neck and
head tha: attcnding physicians at !irst
feared he would die
II seems rather mcrciloss to jump
on a man when ne Is down, lying oh
a cot in hospital, but, nevertheless.
ltf IA Ia AL. Dor
hlps the manager OF the Crawford
team, Billy Chandler. the driver with
whom he rode, D'Alcne, and the Off
cials also should hc ccnsured. At all
events. a rule of the a. \. a. contest
board was broken a rule that stipu-
ldtos that all drivers and mechani-
clans shall wear clean uniforms Wn,lr
engaging in practice and participating
in "A race.
II lIetlich knew of that rule no
cvadcd y: II he did not know of IL
Chandler or D'Alcnc should have tJld
him and seen that he obcycd 1t. Had
the officials seen the suit that he wore
they probably would have enforced
the rule. ordering him to put on a
clean uniform. They took such action
against another mochauician, or'.er-
ing him off the track and making II
imperative for him to borrow linen
jumpers before he was permitted to
start in the Grand American.
Anyway 1t was unfortunate that
the rT,C was not ubtyed and enforced
Had ii been iIctlich's greasy trousers
would have hung in the garage while
the race was in progress. He would
] not have suffered the torturcs that Mt
did. Tie gasoline would have been
/ spilled. he ear endangered by flames,
4 and. pc,haps. the clean uniform Of
. D'Alcne's mcChaniCian scorchcd 10y thc
fire, but single squirt of Pyrene of
k-M eNtnguishcr would have saved
him from injury.
Dirty greasy uniforms not only are
dangerous. as the unfortunate llctl,ch
\ now will testify but they rob "A race o.
ITS class and smartncss The immacu-
/ late driver. like DE Palma or Wckcn-
/ hachcr. odds distinction to a contest
. by his personal appearance. DIRTY
. suits dctraCt from an automobile
classic. lust as soilcd costumes make
the handsomcst musical comedy chu-
rus look like troupe of second -cl tss
/ hurlcSuue soubrettcs Ring I.ardncr
hit Tie rail on the head when he sid
|. that the reason the Philadelphia Ath-
/ !rtlcs in their LAYS Of world cham
pioVship glory. were the poorest draw
ng caro- on tie American league cir
cult was because they wore the dirtiest
uniforms. Many true word Is
spoken IN Jest
To prevent such misfortune as be
foll rcuich and to make automobile
races more attractive. the clean uni
form rule of the \, \. \. contest board
shOull hr rieidN enforced. Drivers
ana Wc"hauiCians should hc fined for
appearing ON track in a dirty suit
Al the present time here is no pen
atty proNid ided for the irfraction. or at
tempted evasion Of the rule,
N..HN "a