The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-05-31
RACERS
KILLED!
2 AUTO DRIVERS
BURN TO Death
Third IS CRUSHED
A. Thurman's Car Turns Over
on Indianapolis Speedway.
Travelling at 80 Miles an Hour
-Mechanician Injured.
2OO-MILE RECORDS BROKEN
DePaIma Leads Up to $50 Miles
Wilcox FOrges Ahead.
Lieut.. eddie" Rickenbacher in
Packard PAGES Racerss
A. Thurman's Car Turns Over
on Indianapolis Speedway.
Travelling at 80 Miles an Hour
-Mechanician Injured.
lOO-MILE RECORDS BROKEN
DePaIma Leads Up to $50 Miles
Wilcox FOrges Ahead.
Lieut.. Eddie" Rickenbacher in
Packard PAGES Racerss

BULLETIN.
Indianapolis, May 31.-LeCocq and
r. Bandini. his mcchanician. both
burned to death on the back stretch
of the speedway when their car caught
fire.
Lecocq's car caught fire while
rounding the southeast turn of the
track. The machine turned over and
the men therein were covered with
flaming gasoline. Both men burned
for five minutes before guards and
spectators extinguishcd the flames.
The burning gas spread over the track
and several of the speeding cars were
compelled to dash thru the blaze. The
accident was one of the most serious in
the history OF the track
indianapolis. May 3f.-AH track
records up to 250 miles have been
shattered. Ralph Dc Palma led the
field practically all the way until he
was forced to the pits with broken
valve spring at the end of the Tooth
lap. At that time fourteen cars had
been forced to withdraw from the
race.
De PaIma's average for the $50
miles was 81 go miles an hour. This
beats his own record of S9,S miles an
hour In a Mercedes In 1918.
At 275 miles Wilcox lGA with others
in order being @. C'hevroIct, f.. cooper,
l.. Chevrolet, Guyot, Boillot, Alley,
Goux, Vail and D'Alcnc.
De Palma had considerable tire
trouble and lost % miles while MT the
pits making changes.
At 500 miles the standing in order
was: Wilcox, CASTOR Chevrolet,
Cooper, Hcarne and BoiIiot.
indianapolis Speedway. May 81
Arthur Thurman. driver of the Thur
man special was killed and NJ. Mollin-
arc. his mechanician, suffered a frac-
tured skull when their car turned over
the back stretch in the 45th lap of to-
days liberty sweepstakes race.
Thurman, who was driving his first
big track race. lived in Washington.
D. c. The car in which he met his
death is a rebuilt Duesenberg. He was
travelling at approximately 80 miles
an hour when the car turned turtle on
the treac cherous back turn and he was
instantly killed, Mollinaro's condition
is serious.
De Palma led at the first 100 miles.
Bablot was second. l. Chevrolet third.
and G. Chevrolet fourth. All previous
records of the speedway for that d.s
tance were broken, the average speed
being 9270 miles an hour.
AT 200 miles, G.. Chevrolet had to
stop at the pit and changed from first
to third position. De Palma took the
lead by the change, with Wilcox sec
ond Others in order were L. Chevro-
let E. Cooper, Lecocq and Hearn.
indianapolis Speedway, May 81
Paced by Lieut.. Col. j. c. Vincent and
Eddie Rickenbacker in a green Pack
ard car, thIrty-three drivers "hopped
Off in the Liberty sweepstakes at II
a. m. After one turn of the course
the race was on. Howdy Wilcox, in
a Peugeot, was leading with Rene
Thomas in n Ballot, Albert Guyots
Ballot and Ralph De Palma closely
punched.
At the end of the first lap Thomas
was leading with Earl Cooper, Stutz,
and De Palma closely following.
WilcoXs time for the first lap was
1866, an average of S5.lS miles an
hour. De Palma jumped to the lead
at the end of the second lap, with
Andre Boillot Peugeot, cars length
behind. At the end of the fourth lap
De Palma led; Thomas Ballot. sec
ond; L. Wagner, Ballot, third; Earl
Cooper, Stutz. fourth; L. Chevrolet
Frontenac fifth: Castor Chrevolet,
Frontenac, sixth; Boyer, Frontenac
seventh; Brown, Richard Special
elGhth; Guyot, Ballot, ninth; Eddie
Hearne. Durant, tenth. Time, S:12.75.
average, 1906.
Durant First to Pit.
Clifford Durant, in a Chevrolet. was
the first to go to the pit because of
loose hood.
At the end of ten laps C25 miIes)
4'NstpAl OleNTOletr FTOntenaC,
first; De Palma. Packard. second:
Ihomas. Ballot, third; Wilcox Peu-
geot, fourth; Cooper, Stutz, fifth:
Louis Chevrolet, Frontenac, sixth;
BoXer' Frontenac. seventh; Guyot
Ballot eighth; Mulford, Frontenac
ninth; Hearne, Durant. tenth
ora Haibe stopped his Hudson in
the tenth lap to replace a spark plug
Roscoe Scarles, Oldfield Special de-
Vteloped magnetic trouble. and stopped
temporarily A. w Brown. Richard
Special, was forced to withdraw from
the race in the fifth lap because of
broken connection rod
Ralph De Palma led at the end of
twenty laps $50 miles); Wilcox, Peu-
Eeot, second; Thomas Ballot, third:
Toft, Toft Special fourth; L. Wagner.
Ballot, fifth; Cooper. Stutz, sixth; L.
Chevrolet, Frontenac. seventh; G.
Chevrolet, Frontenac. eighth; Guyot,
Ballot. ninth; Mulford, Frontenac,
tenth. Time 32:33.45. The average
92.14
This is new record for fifty miles
on the indianapolis speedway
De Palma led at 100 miles Bablot