Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-10-14
AUTO RACER SK|DS
|NT0FENCE AT FAIR
Earl French Is Only Slightly In
jurcd When His Car Is
Wrecked.
SPEED RECORD is LOWERED
Eddie Hearne, of Chicago, Cir
cles Track in Fifty-Seven
Seconds Flat.

sweeping dO~n the course at sixty
four miles hour in the time trials,
Earl French. driving Jimmy Jr.." the
crack Kline speed car. skidded into
the fence just after he entered the
north curve at the Virginia State Fair
yesterday afternoon, smashed through
the heavy posts and planking. and
| landed fifty feet from the track. The
car. which turned three times in the
air after it left the course, was
wrecked. but French escaped with only
minor injuries. He was picked up in
an unconscious condition, but re-
covered few minutes later at the
emergency hospital.
! Five minutes before the accident,
Eddie Hearnc, OF Chicago, driving a
Ducsenbcrg Special, had broken the
track record of fifty eight seconds,
made several years ago, by making
the mile course in ffty-seven seconds
/ fat. French was the next driver to
enter the time trials. the first event
staged during the afternoon. His car
had shown tremendous bursts of speed
in the "tryouts," but only one other
driver had come within six seconds of
Hcarne, and French remarked before
leaving the pit that he would set a
new record for the track
FRENCH MAKES TURN
AT TREMENDOUS SPEED
| CirclinG the course once for q flying
start. French got away from the
| judges stand and made the south turn
at tremendous rate. As he started
down the straight-way he opened the
machine wide. and the car seemed to
jump forward. From the judges stand
! he seemed TO make the first half-mile
IN twenty-eight seconds, and Just
passed the post when he entered the
curve. which he took faster than any
other driver.
/ French started IN the turn on the
extreme outside. running within six
feet OF the fence, which had been re-
enforced by heavy posts and planking
to keep the cars in the track in event
Of skidding. The curve had been
banked. but his machine skidded when
/ he was about quarter of the way in
the curve, scraned along the fence for
/ about fifteen feet and went through.
/, SIX panels OF fencing were smashed,
and the heavy posts snapped OFF at the
ground. The car plunged off the
course, turned turtle and stopped about
twenty-five feet from the course The
driver was thrown perhaps fifty feet,
/ landing in soft earth.
q
twenty feet sooner. French would prob
ably have been instantly killed. He
was picked up in an ambulance and
rushed to the emergency hospital on
the grounds. He recovered conscious
ness shortly after his arrival, and phy-
sicians found his injuries consisted Of
two broken front teeth and several
| cuts and bruises. The car was badly
wrecked. the front wheels being snap
ped off. the radiator and sides of the
machine pushed In, the stearing gear
broken, and the control mechanism
twisted and torn. Bits Of wood from
the fence were wrapped around the
wire spokes OF the wheels. French.
who has driven Kline machines for
some time, makes his home in Rich
mond.
GRAND-STAND CROWD
RUsHES OUT OVER TRACK
! There was mad rush of people
/ from the grand stand and all parts of
the grounds when French disappeared
| in cloud Of dust. and. despite all eff
! forts OF the police to hold back the
| crowd, the race track was quickly
filled with spectators. The program
was interrupted for short time. The
accident, however. worked somewhat
/ aS Il CtHpcF on the Other drivers. sew
cral Of whom are known to have held
/ their machines down.
! The twenty-five mile race was the
eature card on the program yesterday
At the closing day OF the 1917 Virginia
State Fair. Attendance was declared
to be the largest on the closing day
| OF any fair In the history OF the as
sociation. and thero was great enthu-
siasm in the stand. which seated about
1000 people In addition to the throng
that lined the course and overhowed
into the Midway during tho afternoon.
| There were six starters In the fea-
turc event, which was for the Seaboard
championship, and four cars finished.
Continued on Thirteenth Page0