Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-06-01
THREE DIE IN AUTO
| RACE WILCOX WINS
Thurman and Lecocq, Driv-
ers; Bandini, Mechanician,
Victims in 5OO-MiIe Grind.
$4,000 SEE CONTEST

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind, May 31.-How-
ard Wilcox of Indianapolis today won
the seventh annual International
motor speedway. his time for the dis
lance being 5:44:2l:75. Two drivers.
Arthur Thurman and Louis Lecocq.
and a -mechaniotan, .RssBandini. wsrs
killed during, the contest. ana. two
others MN slijafS ID. u 81
As a result Of his victory, wilcox
wins a prize Of 100000. Fifty thou
sand dollars was divided among the
first ten drivers. The other prize
winners finished in the order named:
Hearne. Goux, Guyot. Alley. De Palma,
L. Chevrolet, D. Hickey, g. Chevro-
let and Thomas. Hearne's time was
5:46.15:05; Gou1' was 6:5o:4s:so, and
Guyot's 5:63:33:50.
Leads From Halfway Marx.
Wilcox and Guyot were team
mates. Wilcox assumed the lead as
the contest approached the hilf-way
mark and drove consistently through
out. He had two stops. one for
tire change and on the other occasion
to take on gasoline. oil, water, and
to repair loose steering knuckle.
His average was s7.12 miles an hour.
All records for the Indianapolis
speedway were shattered by Ralph de
Palma for the first 200 miles. Louis
stays in the pit, however, put the
Italian driver almost entirely out of
the running and it only was by ter
rifle speed that he managed to finish
sixth. He barely nosed out L, Chew
rolet.
How Men Are Killed.
Arthur Thurman Of Newark, N. J.,
driving a car he had reassembled him
self, was killed when his machine
turned over on the back stretch be-
fore the race had progressed $50 miles.
He was dead when found. His mech
anician received fractured skull,
and was rushed to hospital. where
he was operated on Immediately.
Louis Lecocq and his assistant, r.
Bandini, both of Los Angeles, Calf,
were burned to death when their car
turned over and caught fire. The ac-
cident happened on the treacherous
north turn and the machine rolled
over three times before it stopped,
pinning both driver and mechanician
under it. ~.
]. Chassagne, relief driver for Bah
lot, and his mechanician were injured,
but not seriously, when their ma
chine went over on the north turn
French Drivers Disappoint.
The showing of a number of French
men, made favorites at the start be-
cause Of their sensational work in
practice, was disappointment to
crowd estimated at $4,000. The ter
rife pace at the start, however, in
which they were consistently among
the leaders. resulted in many stops.
Wilcox has partaken in every 500
mile race held at the Indianapolis
speedway. It was his first victory,
however. OF the six half-thousand-
mile grinds-the seventh internation-
al sweepstakes was for a distance of
800 miles-three local drivers finished
first. Ray Harroun won in 1911 and
Joe Dawson in 1912.
Race Is Sensational.
The race was one of the most SEN
sational ever held here. Broken steer
ing knuckles, the loss Of wheels, two
cars 'overturning without serious in
jury and the loss of exhaust pipes
kept the crowd on edge from start to
finish. The electrical timing device
was broken when one car. pulling in
minus a front wheel. caught the wire
and tore 1t from its connections. This
happened in the last fifty miles Of the
race.
AT no time was the neld strung out.
CONTINUED on Second Page.)