AAA Addresses 1909 IMS Fatalities

In the wake of the disaster that was the first automobile races at the new Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the American Automobile Association (AAA) had to make a public statement and at least appear to be doing something to mitigate future carnage. While much of what the article in attachment AAANews082309 from the August 23, 1909, Indianapolis News reports was never put into practice, it probably sounded good to shocked people at the time.
L.R. Speare of Boston, who was AAA president at the time, announced new policies in Indianapolis before boarding a train home. The primary concern was the distance covered in track (oval) races. The preliminary assessment was that the strain of racing on high-speed ovals for an extended period of time put unreasonable stress on drivers as well as wear and tear on the track. Plans called for a thorough analysis of the weekend during the AAA board meeting scheduled for September in Lowell, Massachusetts.
Speare stressed that going forward no driver wishing to remain in good standing with the AAA would participate in a race of 250 miles or more on a circular track. Exceptions would be allowed for race formats that required co-drivers to share the stress of the grind. Also, physicians would be required to examine a driver's fitness after stepping out of the car. The recommended maximum distance for races was 100 miles. The general belief was that driver fatigue was a major factor in accidents.
This article reports that Indianapolis Motor Speedway management agreed with the assessment. They took the position that long distance races would be conducted at their venue only after the infield road course was constructed. In a seeming contradiction, the article reports that a 24-hour contest was scheduled on the oval for September 23 and 24. The reason this was acceptable was ostensibly because plans called for frequent driver changes.
The Speedway also announced plans to reposition box seating to place it at a safer distance from the running surface. No box seating would be permitted on the outside of turns. Also, new fence barriers between the track and the spectators were being discussed.
The second attachment (DangerNews082309) takes a broader and more detailed view in a longer report. The headline shouts that the track was "too short" for long distance races. Subheads reinforce the other article's message that races exceeding 100 miles were too stressful for drivers. This attachment contains a primary article and several sidebars. It was published the same day as the content appearing in the attachment already reviewed.
The article begins with a list of the dead: Billy Bourque, Harry Holcomb, Claude Kellum, Homer Jolliff, and James West. The last two on that list were spectators. The article also lists the injured:

  • Henry Tapking, spectator, 219 North New Jersey Street. He suffered a broken nose, "crushed" arm and hand as well as a variety of miscellaneous painful injuries.
  • James Schiller, mechanician, skull fracture.
  • Joseph Bitts, Kokomo, bruised and shaken up.
  • Bruce Keene, driver, bruised and shaken up.
  • Elmer Bounds, mechanician, Jackson, Michigan, blinded by dust.
  • Ray Harroun, blinded by dust.
  • House (driver), blinded by dust.
  • Mrs. William Bald, Dayton, Ohio, wife of a mechanician, suffered a "nervous collapse."

This excerpt summarizes the overall message:
"Experts who have followed the automobile racing game are positive that while the new Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been proved to be the fastest in the country, it is unsuitable for long distance racing unless drivers are changed during the races."
The article asserts that the 300-mile Wheeler-Schebler Trophy race was the first of its length planned for a "circular" track. It notes that previously contests of such distance were on "improved" public roads. The logic here is unclear and the reader is left to speculate that perhaps the oval offered fewer lines in driving through turns, so the dirt surface was inevitably worn into ruts. Also, the track, at 2.5 miles was shorter than most of the long distance road races such as the Vanderbilt Cup with its circuits many times exceeding 20 miles. This, however, is not discussed in the article.
The article expresses the belief that track racing, with its constant high-speed turns, was more stressful to the driver than the long road courses. I'm paraphrasing, but essentially the claim is that there is less margin for error and one mistake could spell disaster. Further, the grind kicked up more dust than beach courses.
According to the article, the five fatalities were the top subject of conversation in racing circles and beyond. The article notes that some state representatives to the Indiana legislature were discussing legal censure banning further motor racing.
Interestingly, the deaths of Bourque and Holcomb on the first day of the meet triggered discussion in AAA ranks that the 300-miler should be canceled. They ended up ordering alterations to the course, most notably filling in a ditch at the exit to turn four. Bourque apparently put a wheel off at that point, slipped into the ditch and the car flipped.
A sidebar included in this attachment reports that the two spectators, James West and Homer Jolliff, were killed instantly during the Wheeler-Schebler incident on the final day. West's body actually was carried by the National car on the radiator for some distance. He was originally identified incorrectly as Benjamin Logan because he carried Logan's business card in a pocket. He had no other identification. This mistake was played out to the point of identifying Logan's family who was emotionally distraught until he arrived home - clearly alive.
Jolliff was reportedly run over by Charlie Merz' errant National car and "almost buried in the muddy creek bottom." A creek reportedly ran through grounds just beyond the fence on the spectator side. The reality is that this was a restricted area and signs notified people that it was unsafe to be there. That said, there was no physical barrier - not even a rope - to make it clear where to draw the line. Police patrolled the area but as best as I can tell no one was stationed there.
It's hugely interesting that George Bumbaugh - Carl Fisher's ballooning mentor - was an eyewitness. He was unhurt and reported that he could feel the heat of the car as it passed by so close to him. He said no one had time to react and was surprised more people were not hurt.
The experience was a blur for driver Merz as he could only recall one his tires exploding and all Hell was let loose. He reported that he had a blurred vision of a man being struck as the car sailed through the air. Merz is credited with the presence of mind to shut down his engine after the car had turned over on him. Amazingly, he escaped with only superficial bruises and scratches. He immediately asked someone to get to his parents to let them know he was okay. His father was a police officer at the track.
An interesting storyline in this tragedy is that Kellum, Merz' riding mechanic who was thrown from the National and fatally injured, had driven the first portion of the race with Johnny Aitken. Aitken's team National had retired with mechanical problems and Kellum remained in the team's pit. Meanwhile, Merz' car stalled on the backstretch with a dead battery. His original riding mechanic, Herbert Lyne, sprinted across the infield to report the problem. 
Lyne was apparently exhausted from the run and Kellum volunteered to take over his duties. The battery was replaced and Kellum's fate was sealed.
Nineteen competitors started the race - the last of the meet. The planned 300-mile contest had a high attrition rate as only seven entrants remained when officials called it off at 235 miles. Leigh Lynch, in a Jackson, was leading at the time. Behind Lynch were, in order, Ralph DePalma, Fiat; Harry Stillman, Marmon; Ray Harroun, MarmonBarney Oldfield, National; Tobin De Hymel, Stoddard-Dayton, and Herb Lytle, Apperson.
Those retiring earlier were:

The final straw for officials came after the Merz wreck when Marmon driver Bruce Keene careened off the course and into the wooden abutment of the suspension bridge over the track at the head of the front stretch. This was toward the north end of the course and close to where Bourque had his unfortunate incident. Keene later attributed the miscue to "grease" on the track.
Keene and his riding mechanic, James Schiller were hurled from the car. Keene landed safely, but Schiller fractured his skull. He was hospitalized and later recovered. Keene was shaken up enough to be disoriented as he walked to the front of the car and began turning the crank in an effort to fire the engine. This was despite the fact his left front wheel was destroyed and the radiator was ruined.
Earlier in the event, Herb Lytle and his mechanic escaped injury when their Apperson racer broke a steering linkage rendering the car uncontrollable. It swerved to the top of the turn one banking apparently on course to sail out of the facility. It suddenly reversed its path and coasted into the infield to chew up sod and come to a stop. Lytle and his mechanic were able to work on the car and make it driveable after an hour of effort.
Another brief article reports that the funerals for Jolliff and Kellum were held the day the newspaper was printed - August 23. Jolliff was reportedly interred in the village cemetery of Trafalgar, Indiana. Kellum was buried in Kokomo, near his boyhood home. National Motor Vehicle Company closed their factory and several of the top corporate officers attended the ceremony.
James West's funeral was scheduled for the next day. West was an employee of the Coffin-Fletcher Packing Company and lived at 541 West Merrill Street. He left behind his wife and stepdaughter.
The article describes the city morgue as a gruesome setting on Saturday night as the bodies of the three Speedway victims were laid beside that of Gottlieb Knittel, described as an "aged man" found near the Indianapolis Brewing Company. What is described as "a throng of people" visited the morgue to view the bodies - for the most part, friends, and family members. Coroner Blackwell managed the morgue and from other readings seems to be a man of significant influence in the Hoosier Capital. Jolliff's family contracted the services of the A.M. Ragsdale Company to prepare his body. West and Kellum were taken to the great Flanner & Buchanan mortuary - still a vital part of the Indianapolis business community today.

AAANews082309.pdf2.26 MB
DangerNews082309.pdf20.88 MB