The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-02-11
Head Gear Favored
 For Racing Jockeys
Large Number of Fatal Accidents at Tracks During cent Months Has Caused Prominent Sportsmen to Advocate Protection for Riders

New York, Feb. Twin the death l of Johnny Sullivan. by accident at New Orleans. is to be included in the roster of the many jockeys who have met untimely ends through rough riding and kindred causes on tracks
 the world over. Young Sullivan. a protege of James W. McCeNand, of
 Eternal fame. and a sportsman of the 1 cleanest type, was one of the most beloved lads in the profession Of race riding. and appeared destined to emulate the fine traits of his olde<
 brother in the game" Andy Schst-
 tinger, whose especial pet he waA
 While novice in the sense of the rules of the sport relative to appren- ltices both MT. McC1enand and Kim Patterson, his trainer. thought so well l Of the lads ability that 1t was he who galloped the mighty Eternaa in all of
 his ''prelirns" before ttaa great son of l Sweep who started in any Of the 1 classics. Time and again the stable
 connections put the lad up on stable
 nominations, which they supported
 with all the confidence which might
 have been centred on a finished rider. T The youngster rode his first winner
 when he brought Watersuaee& home last month, since which time he man l aged to get into the money division several times. That he was N-elI up ,uz the running is attested by the fact that he was tossed from his n1o<,Sat } into the field, being thrown forcefuffy enough to have his skull fractured. . Aside from losing his jockey, MT. Mo
 C4elland lost his horse, Rory O'More, which the lad was riding, and was killed when he broke his neck
 In these days of keen competitive l endeavor. the exaotions of which cal I for feats which have their clements :. of danger, the safeguarding Of parthc- . 1pants should be the chief concern of = promoters. The sport of horse racing, :, and particularly steeplechasing, Is one which shows the chances of injury
 and possible death to jockeys, ever ex- | istent.
 It has been suggested as a means to
 safeguard the lives of horse tocaeys.
 Of whatever class, fiat racing or
 steeplechasing. that they be compelI-
 ed to wear a headgear. Cyclists, mo-
 tor drivers and aviators have all 6ound
 the use Of the 'top piece" advan4ag-
 eous in the matter of spills, and vbf1. they have sustained injuries else where, their heads have been immune from the hurts which falls make
 them prone to.
 I- While the chances of spills in flat # racing are so few and far between = as to make the occasions as to number Ia almost negligible, it Is the unexpected ,s that always happens and makes the II safeguarding necessity. There Is d little doubt that many an accident IT which has resulted in some unfortu- h nate rider sustaining a broken collar le bone, broken neck, and similar frac- 70 lures about the upper body could n have been offset by the use of a head | piece.
 IS Time and again after a sprl from h their mounts, which have not resulted IS in injuries, jockeys otherwise unhurt, 'd have been killed when some onrush- g ing horse of the field have crushed It the riders skulls with their hoofs. g This is a phase of the horseractns l. game in which the head gear would l. be found to fill the bill to the steenth IS degree, and offset the Hooks of the
 thing which appears a mote in the
 eyes of those who go in for appear
 ances.
 Other track fatalities were the re-
 cent accidents to Frankie Robinson
 Americas premier race rider. and
 Phil Musgrave- Each of these lads
 had his skull crushed through being
 kicked by another horse in the raoe
 in which spill occurred At tnE H times of these accidents 1t was the E consensus that the lives of both these lads would have been saved had their
 heads been properly protected by
 some contrivance as is suggested. as Last Sunday at Oriental Park b K Franklin was thrown from his horse uI Sayeth, as the result of which he zus- CT tained 8 broken collar bone It $ Ut l said to have been @ certainty that ,y had he been equipped with a proper D. head cap device he must have es- l. caped such a serious hurt, as in his
 effort to save his head from injury he saved that member by taking the .o fall on his shoulder
 De One of the recent serious accidents V abroad was seen at Hurst Park, iu g. England, January 16, when E. Cul- tn len, a famous steeplechase rider, was le thrown from Hilarious during the c. running of the Novices Steeplechase
 Between the time of his fall and his lg death, which occurred the same night t. in Hurst Park Hospital. he was visit ct ed by Arthur Nightingau, the train le CT of the horse, and a man who had r. '.prepped'' three Grand National win a ners
 20 Cullen, when told that he he'd a ,h chance for life, told NighttngalI thai IS he had none, as he was suffering
 from a broken neck-which had not S- been the dfagnosis-as he had felt ie it crack This is case where it ;s g. the surest of sure things that the le riders life could have been saved 7i with the sort of equipment sug- T. gested.
 t Such a contrivance is in use iu l. Australia, where as the result of 8 i- recent accident in which 8 rider was l. kicked in the head by a horse the
 headgear saved the riders life. 4
 photograph shows that the headgear
 was cut into and twisted but was
 protection enough to offset the inn k pact Of the blow, which resulted in
 nothing more than a temporary stun Iv ming of the jockey.