Evening star., 1923-06-25
AUTO WRECK FATAL
TO SUMNER CURTIS
AND I. F. DAWSON
Driver of Newspaper Mems
Car Also KiIIed-DonaId
Craig Injured.
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
DENVER, Colo, June 25.-Thomas
F. Dawson, Colorado state historian
and nationally known newspaper
man, died this morning in a Denver
tim of the automobile accident in
Bear Creek canyon yesterday. Mr..
Dawson was with the group OF
newspaper men in President Hard
ing's party. which arrived here yes
terday morning. The other dead are;
Sumner Curtis. representative OF
the republican national committee
for many years a widely known news
paper correspondent.
Tommie French. statistican for
the Great Western Sugar Company OF
Denver, who was driving the car.
CrnIg's Scalp Lacerated.
Donald A. Craig. manager of the
Washington bureau of the New York
Herald, was injured. Mr. Craig sus-
tanned a badly. lacerated scalp, bruised
shoulders and suffered severe shock.
Early this morning, 1t was said at the
hospital to which he had been taken,
that he would recover unless COM
plications developed.
Mr. Dawson suffered a broken
ankle. bruised shoulders and scalp
decorations. His condition showed
physicians said, but later he died.
The newspaper men who had gone
on the trip as guests OF the Denver
Press Club had climbed Lookout
mountain and were returning through
Bear creek canyon, twenty-five miles
from Denver, when the accident oc-
Cured.
Car Is Seen to Swerve.
The motor car was rounding Look
ing Glass curve, one of the sharpest
bends in the Denver mountain park
highway system, when 1t was seen
to swerve toward the edge of the
road, crash through stone pillar
and wire cable protecting rail and
tumble down the jagged incline al
most to the waters of Bear creek,
seventy-fve feet below.
1t is believed that a broken steer
ing knuckle caused the car to be-
come unmanageable. Curtis was pin
ned beneath the car and Craig had
been thrown clear. French was found
a few feet from the wrecked auto
mobile and Dawson about fifty feet
down the incline. 1t Is believed that
Curtis was killed instantly. French
was alive when other members of the
party reached the victims of the ac-
cident, but died before he could be
brought to Denver.
Shortly before leaving his hotel yes
terday afternoon Curtis sat in his
room and talked to his wife in Wash
ington over long distance telephone.
He told her, friends said. that a
crowd Of newspaper men are going to
take us into the mountains. In an
hour or so we'll be up where they
don't know what heat is, in the heart
of the mountains"
Harding II Shocked.
President Harding was greatly
shocked when informed of the acct
dent II am unutterably distressed
that such an accident should have oc-
Cured" he said. "It lays a sorrow
upon what has been happy trip.
Only this morning Mr.. Curtis was
telling me of the Joy he was expert
encing. He was always a gentleman
and a very able newspaper man.. My
regret is beyond expression. but there
Is some consolation in the hope that
the injured men will recover"
The body of Mr.. Curtis will be taken
to Chicago by John F. Vivian, federal
prohibition director, where 1t will be
met by friends. Roy Roberts. rep
resenting the Kansas City Star on
the tour will remain in Denver to be
with Craig until Mrs. Craig arrives
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