The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1928-02-23
Youthful Racing Driver in
Hospital Today, Recovering
From Shock and Minor In.
juries - Machine Smashed
Almost Beyond Repair
When II Catapults Into
Ocean

Dayton Beach, Fla, Feb. c3.-tR
Because he let his standards OF
craftsmanship outweigh his bette,
judgment, Frank Lockhart, youthful
racing driver, must temporarily
dismiss his dream Of driving q
powerful automobile at a greater
speed than has ever yet been at.
tanned.
His tiny Stutx Blackhawk special
Was smashed beyond hope OF i'm.
mediate repair when It catapulted
from the beach into the ocean here
yesterday afternoon 1t the rate OF
225 miles per hour, and Lockhart is
recovering from severe shock and
minor injuries 1t . hospital.
It was the roar Of the crowd for
action that gave fortune q chance to
frown and smile in turn on the
young indianapolis pilot. Despite a
wet beach and poor visibility
brought on BY low hanging clouds,
he responded to tho loud urging of
the throng and went out to threaten
the record Of 206.9 miles an hour
which Captain Malcolm Campbell,
Of London had established Sunday.
Lockhart's chances for q new
mark went glimmering when his
car swerved beyond control and
turned . complete somersault to
right itself in the sea. Thousands
who lined the beach, galvanized by
fear 1t the machines wild careen-
ing, today described the pilots
escape frem death a. nothing short
Of q miracle.
Nearly browns
Chisels and blow torches were
necessary to extricate Lockhart
from the pilots seat, where he had
been pinned in the crumpled ma
chine. Breakers swept high over
his head while he was in this de-
fenseless position, semi conscious,
adding drowning to his other dsng-
ers until the $4,000 speed creation
could be towed from the water onto
the drv sands above.
With today the last day Of an Of
ficial Attempt tv'-beat the record
against time It seemed that Captain
Campbells record would stand un.
less he himself should raise it with
his Napier Blue Bird special. The
huge S6-cylindered machine. owned
by J. N. White Of Philadelphia, was
definitely barred from official COM
petition yesterday because it did
not meet mechanical requirements
Of the American Automobile asso.
citation.
Lockhart had yesterday decided
conditions were too unfavorable for
an attempt against the Campbell
record and was about to withdraw
from the beach, when he reversed
his decision in consideration for the
thousands who had gathered to
watch his effort.
For several hours after the acci-
dent, Lockhart was unable to give
an account Of what happened to his
machine, but William F. Sturm,
Lockhart's representative, after
talking to the pilot late last night,
said he believed the disastrous be-
havior Of the car was caused by too
sudden application Of the brakes.
Lockhart's Version
Sturm quoted Lockhart as say
ing:
II was travelling down the beach
at . high rate when l glanced at my
tachmometer to see how many
revolutions the motor was making.
It vas doing $500 (between 220
and 230 miles per hcur) just before
the accident happened. l drove
through q bright place where the
sun was shining-then ran into rain
and could not see--and the next
thing knew I was in the ocean,"
Lockhart's chief injuries were
cuts on his left wrist and q bad cut
on the chin.
The Stutz which Lockhart drove
was built under his own supervision
on his pet theory that a scientifical.
ly built automobile. designed to
eliminate wind resistance, could at
tain greater speed with a small
motor than larger cars with larger
power plants. His car had q 16.
cylinder motor. developing 400
horsepower, and 1ockhart was the
only pilot who had ever driven it.