The New York herald., 1922-06-18
MURPHY DRIVES TO
NEW SPEED RECORD
Averages 102 2-10 Miles an
Hour in Winning 225 Mile
Automobile Race.
Special Dispatch to THE New YORK HERALD.

Special Dispatch 10 THE New YORK HERALD.
UNIoNrowN, Pa. June 17.-Driving
at a terrific pace, dazzling the spectators
and rival drivers alike. Jimmy Murphy.
winner Of the French Grand Prix in
1921 and the recent Memorial Day race
at the Indianapolis Speedway, piloted his
Murphy Special to victory in the seventh
annual universal trophy race Of 225 miles
to-day. Ralph Mulford. in Frontenac
Special. was second Jerry Wunderlich,
in Deusenberg. third: Red Fetterman
OF Pittsburgh. also with a Deusenberg.
fourth, and Ora F. Haibe. In Frontenac
Special. fifth.
Murphy shattered the track record by
averaging 102 2-10 miles an hour. His
time for the 220 laps, 225 miles. was
two hours twelve minutes and thirteen
hundredths seconds. The previous rec
ord average was 99.S miles III hour,
made by Fetterman on September S..
1921.
Tommy Milton, leading the field and
with chance to make it his third VIC
tory and thus win possession Of the
$4,000 trophy. suffered an accident on
his seventy-third lap that eliminated him.
Spinning down the stretch at 1O3 miles
an hour. fully lap ahead of Harry
Hartz. Mlton's right rear wheel sud-
denly collapsed and shot across the track
and into the grand stand.
Burned There in 1920.
The car swerved. threatened to turn
turtle. then righted itself and shot
through the infield guard rail- back
wards. Neither Milton nor his mechanic.
George Steele was scratched. 1t was
Milton's second accident on tho Union
town track, his car having burned at
the Identical spot Of to-day's accident
two years ago, Milton going to O hos
pital for nine weeks as the result
Fetterman and Wunderlich, the Due
senberg drivers, were the only two who
did not leave the track. both finishing
without stopping at the pit during the
race. 1t was spectacular race at
times. but the greatest contest at all
times was for second place. Murphy
was almost master of the first position
from the start Though ale was twice
forced to the pits by tire trouble. on tho
trip in Milton leaped to the lead and
was holding his advantage easily de-
spite the terrific pace cut out by Muf-
ply in an effort to regain his lost
ground, when the accident occurred.
Harry Hartz. plotting a Deusenberg,
also took the lead for a time. but en-
gine trouble forced him to abandon the
race at the 165th lap. Milton and MUIR
ply got away almost even. with Murphy
on the pole. and they battled pretty
race at a clip about hundred miles
an hour for forty-seven laps, when Muir
ply was forced to the pit for his first
tire change
Murphy Loses a Lap.
Tommy quickly jumped to the front
with Hartz right at his rear wheel. ano
they battlcd through many miles with
neither gaining an advantage unui
Milton's spill. Murphy. who lost lap
while in the pit, burned up the board
as he raced to make up his disad-
vantage. He gained slightly. but never
was able to come close to the two
leaders and Hartz. by virtue of Mitons
withdrawal, was leading by half a lap
when the halfway point of 100 laps
was reached. The pace setting proved
unusually severe for Hartz and at ono
stage his car wabbled slightly, seeming
about to go into the guard rail, but he
righted 1t and continued the grueling
grind.
At the Hath lap, however, he had
burned out a tire and Murphy, jumping
into the lead while the change was
being made, was never headed until
the finish though he took forty seconds
in the pit at the 150th lap for his second
tire change. He was then leading by
nearly three laps and, though there
was a great spurt by Hartz,- Mulford.
who was in third place, and Fetterman.
who held fourth. but half a lap was all
that could be gained, the change being
made in exactly twenty seconds.
Toward the finish. with only five of
the original fourteen starters left-the
others were forced out by one thing
or another-the race became some
what monotonous, and 1t was only
when Murphy. urged by the crowd. put
on burst of speed in an effort to pass
some luckless rival that interest was
revived.