The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-06-01
THREE MEET DEATH
IN Big AUTO RACE
Continued from F,r.t Paes.

in the thirty-seventh lap with a broken
| drive shaft
Tom Milton, in a Duesenbers. went
out OF the race on the forty-ninth lap
with broken connecting rod. De Palma
was still leading at 1875 miles. averag-
ing e2.62 miles an hour.
Louis wagner's Ballot went Off the
track and broke a wheel on the south
turn In the forty-fifth lap. Save for
few minor scratches. neither Wagner
! nor his mechanician was injured. They
are definitely out Of the race, however.
wilcox Gains y Lap.
"Howdy" Wilcox. In a Peugeot, gained
lap and passed De Palma when the
\ latter stopped to take on gas and water
In the nfty-seventh lap. Wilcox's lead
was short lived. however. and De Palma
again was pacing the field at the last
Of the fifty-ninth lap.
Castor Chevrolet shot into the lead
on the sixtieth lap (15o miles,, closely
followed by De Palma Wilcox, third
Cooper. fourth; L. Chevrolet. fifth
Rene Thomas, sixth. The time was
an hour. which Is another new track
record. The former record was 1914
miles an hour. It was held by Resta.
Da Palma's Packard regafned the
lead In the eightieth lap (2oo miles),
when CASTOR Chevrolet was forced to
stop for gas. Wilcox was second, Gas
ton Chevrolet. third; l.. Chevrolet.
fourth: Earl Cooper. nth: Lecocq.
sixth; Hearne. seventh Alley. eighth
Vail, ninth; Goux. tenth. The time for
/ the distance was All :34.70, or an
track record. The former record Of
! $40 miles an hour was made by Resta
in 1915.
In the sixty third lap chassagne. who
had relieved Babiot Of the Ballot team.
drove into the retaining wall The car
turned over twice and the rnechanician,
A. Romiguire. was severely injured
about the head. ...
| Arthur Kline left the race in the sew
enty-second lap when a connecting rod
In his Peugeot broke. Eddie O'Donnel
was forced to quit In the sixty-seventh
lap with q broken piston. and Clifford
Durant stopped in the ffty-sixth lap
when the steering gear Of his Chevrolet
snapped.
De Palma Loses Lead.
All track records UP to $50 miles were
shattered Ralph De Palma led the
field virtually all the way until he was
forced TO the pits with a broken valve
spring at the end of the hundredth lap
At that time fourteen cars had been
forced to withdraw from the race. De
Palma's average speed for $50 miles was
s1.66 miles per hour. It broke his owr
record OF $3.50 made in a Mercedes in
1915.
Wilcox was In second place, L. Chew.
rolet in third, Cooper In fourth and G
Chevrolet in the fifth.
At S75 miles Howdy Wilcox was lead.
ing: Hearne, second: CASTOR Chevrolet
third; Goux. fourth: Alley, nth: De
Palma. sixth: Wagner. seventh: Vail
eighth: Cooper, ninth; Hickey. tenth
The time was 10 :11.60. an average Of
s9.93 miles an hour
Wilcox was leading by two laps al
the end of 400 miles. Hearne was sec.
ond, Louis Chevrolet had relieved Gas
ton Chevrolet and was third. He lost
,, several laps when compelled TO replace
a steering knuckle. Coux was fourth
Alley fifth. p, Palma sixth. Boillo-
seventh. Wagner eighth. Cooper ninth
and Vail tenth.
The time for the distance was ar
average of 1881 miles an hour. Thi.
is slightly behind the record established
by De Palma in 1915 OF 1886. DS
Palma was again forced to stop in tn,
18th lap to tighten bearings.
LecocQ's Death.
Tho accident In which Lecocq ant
his mechanician were killed was one
OF the most dreadful in the history o.
automobile racing. Tho two men, both
OF whom came from Los Angeles. wer,
making the ninety-sixth lap Of the race
when their car caught FIRE on the curve
IN the southeast corner OF the speedway
The car turned over ana the two mer
were caught beneath IL, smothered II
flaming gasolene and burned to death
The thousands in the grand stand coulc
get some idea of the tragedy that wa,
being enacted before their eyes.
Thurman was killed earlier In tn,
race. after he had driven a little more
than 100 miles. II was Thurmans FIRST
race on a brick track. which may &C
count In measure for the accident
His car. travelling very fast, turned
, over on the north turn Of the course
His mechanician was injured. In fact
for a time the report In the stand wa,
that the mechanician, NJ. Molinare, had
been killed and Thurman injured. There
was probably moro confusion over thi,
accident than over the more serious on,
a little later.
Tho mechanician, II appeared later
sustained a fractured skull. de was re
moved to a hospital. and II Is said h,
will probably recover. Mrs. Thurman
wife OF the driver. was in the gram
stand and saw her husbands car over,
turn. When she learned that he hat
been killed she collapsed and was takeI
. I