The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 1

WEATHER TODAY Fair, Mild High, 78; Low, 54 Yesterday High, 75; Low, 62 TODAY'S HI TKT.E Why doesn't the Depart-ment of Internal Revenue offer us our money back if we're not satisfied? 5 "UTterc if sp'rif fic Lord is, there is Liberty" Cor. 3-17 VOL. 57. NO. 361 A- TUESDAY MORNING, MAY 31, 19G0 ME 8-2411 7 TFVTS 0Hvrea ov co-nw I CLiillil 40c per wm (dony) nn UXJ UN! A in! 11 iJiJO iik.

jJ. Ll o) A nn i Tragic Race Stand Collapse Probe End Of Record Shattering Run Wheel-To-Wheel Battle Feature Of Fastest 4500' 2 Die, 84 Hurt; Worst Mishap Called 'Needless' mmp 1 11 iiliriiiiiiriiiiMirtii iri.iimni.iiin milium in ii- mum imi hi ii unnii nimnm im nn i mini i te -v- a II. FRANK By EDWARD Investigations by State 1 1 weie unuei way iasi iiigut nuu mc uagiv viaou ui a towering, makeshift scaffold that plunged to the ground at the start of yesterday's Speedway classic, killing two persons and injuring 81 By JEP CADOU JR. Star Sports Editor Jim Rathmann of Miami sizzled his way out of the "bridesmaid" class into the role of champion yesterday by nipping 1959 victor Rodger Ward of Indianapolis by 12.67 seconds to win the 44th annual 500-Mile Race after the most exciting wheel-to-wheel duel in Speedway history. Three times runnerup in the "500" (1952-57-59) the balding 31 -year-old speed shop operator averaged a fantastic 138.767 to smash by nearly three miles an hour the old mark of 135.853 set by Ward last year.

Rathmann literally ran Ward out of tires. They had swapped the lead back and forth time after time before Rathmann finally took over for the last time by passing Ward on the main straightaway on the 197th lap. A fL (Star Color Photo by Jame C. Romsey) JIM RATHMANN RECEIVES CHAMPION'S WELCOME IN VICTORY LAISE WINNER RAN FLAT OUT ALL THE WAY Ward slowed and later explained that his right front tire was worn through to the cord. "I thought I would probably go right through the cord and crash, so I figured I'd better settle for second money," Ward said.

"That Rathmann drove a tremendous race and he's certainly a great competitor." Ward ran faster for the time he was on the track but a bad first pit stop cost him the race. He killed the engine and took 59 seconds for his first stop. Ward was in the pits for a total of one minute, 37.6 seconds. Rathmann spent only a minute and 16 second3 in the quick-service station operated by chief mechanic Takeo (Chickie) Hirashima, an old-time "500" riding mechanic. RATHMANN FINISHED the Speed Had Jim Sweating, Faced Tire Trouble, Too So did the guy at the wheel.

No one ever has done better. Police and local authorities Ifnnik tyorti rf safety inspections beyond "looking safe." The structure toppled to the ground about a minute before 1 1 a.m., just as the 33 roaring race cars went into the first pre-race lap. Situated just inside a fence that keeps spectators off the Turn to Page 10, Column 6 Eyeimtness Tells Of Fall Of Scaffold (Nick Longworth, a 30-year-old photographer for the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel, was standing beneath the scaffold that collapsed at the start of the 500-Mile Race yesterday. His camera was smashed as he ran for safety. This is his story.) By NICK LONGWORTH I had to cover a dying man with a blanket wet with beer.

It was a terrible thing. Track officials and some of us tried to help but primarily people were just interested in watching the race. There was beer and fried chicken all over the place and they just kept on with it. My brother Richard and I were on the grass directly in front of the scaffolding. I'd say it was at least five or six tiers high, a homemade job.

MY BROTHER stood up and said: "My God! Watch out!" I turned around and the whole scaffold, people and all, fell right toward me. I ran away from it. As it fell, either the scaffold or somebody falling off brushed the back of my leg. We went right back in and tried to lift up the scaffold. Underneath was a man with his wife.

He was plead-ding for someone to help him get his wife out. THERE WAS another woman with a bone sticking out of her ankle. Another man had the ashen look of death on his face. I wanted to cover him and the only thing I could find was a blanket wet with beer, and I covered him with it. 1 put my hand on his Turn to Page 10, Column 4 The overloaded "gran stand," erected on the excit ing northeast turn and jammed with about 75 avid race fans.

fell lazily forward and to the List Of Injured On Page 4 ground as screaming specta tors ran frantically to escape falling timbers and bodies. IT WAS THE worst spectator mishap in Speedway history and the first death of a fan at the track since 1938 The deaths raised to nine the number of spectators killed at the track since the famous brick oval opened in 1909. The dead were identified as: Fred H. Llnder, 33years old, 2643 North Ritter Avenue. William C.

Craig, 37, Zions-ville. Marion County Coroner Dr. Roy B. Storms termed the two deaths "needless," and laid blame for the crash directly on the Speedway management. "I have said for years that the Speedway should not permit those types of towers to be erected," Dr.

Storms said. He said Speedway officials ignored his protests. A Speedway safety supervisor, Emmett A. Stations, said that he had called the Speedway office three times to report that the stand looked unsafe. He said he received no response from the office.

MEANWHILE, the Town Board of Speedway City scheduled special meeting for tonight to investigate the accident. "There Is no excuse for this type of accident and some control must be exer cised to insure that nothing like this happens again," said John F. Fidger board president. State Attorney General Edwin K. Steers also announced that a check would be made to determine if some state safety measure could be placed over the Speedway, despite the fact that it is private property.

SPEEDWAY officials remained silent last night and announced a statement would not be made until today after a conference with their attorneys. Speedway Publicity Director Albert W. Bloemker said there Is no track rule against building such scaffolds. He admitted the fan-built stands are not subject to race in 3 hours, 36 minutes, 11.36 seconds in the blue Ken-Paul Special. The car is owned by two Texans, Kenny Rich and Paul Lacey, both of Other Stories and Picture On Pages 10 and 21.

Full Page of Pictures, Page 11 Dallas. It has an oil derrick and a Texan hat painted on its side. Mechanics said Rathmann had only one more lap of tire wear left on his right rear tire after he took a single "safety" lap. The most mammoth crowd in Speedway history, estimated at more than 200,000 persons, was treated to a fantastic speed duel in which the lead changed hands 29 times. That was another new record.

The old mark was 17 changes of the leader in 195S when Jimmy Bryan won. Only one driver was hurt. Eddie Russo, 34-year-old Kansas City (Mo.) resident, was taken to Methodist Hospital, after his Go-Kart Special hit the outside wall on the southeast turn during the 88th lap. Hospital officials, who said Russo was rushed to emergency surgery, described his condition as "extremely critical." They said he suffered a possible ruptured spleen and kidney, se- Turn to Page 21, Column .1 The Weather Joe Crow Says: When Jim Rathmann pulled Into the 500 Mile Race Victory Lane we're sure he became a Hap-pymann. Indianapolis and Indiana Fair and mild today.

Fair and warmer tomorrow. Briefly A real racing veteran, the ebullient 5 -1 Hirashima danced through the garage asking, "How about that? How about that?" Chick, who dates back to the days of the riding mechanics (he rode with the immortal Rex Mays), said, "be sure and get in a word for this crew. They did a helluva job." Winner To Get 'Page Trophy A copy of Page 1 of today's edition of the Indianapolis Star will be cast into a metal trophy and presented to 500-Mile Race winner Jim Rathmann on his triumphal return to his home town of Miami, the Metropolitan Miami News Bureau said last night. A mat of The Star's front page was sent to the news bureau which plans to have a trophy cast in the form of a coffee table. The bureau is the news agency of the Miami-Dade County consolidated Ward's And He By BOB COLLINS Somewhere beneath the grime on his face was a look of complete disbelief.

But this was such an unbelievable race it looked like Tony Hulman might have to dig down and come up with duplicate prizes. It was the greatest race in the history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. So it is fitting that Jim Rathmann won it for he is one of its greatest drivers. In an afternoon of frayed nerves and frayed tires Jim outran the fearsome Rodger Ward in a nose-to-nose duel that will be forever remembered by all who had the privilege of watching any part of it. Rathmann, second three times and a sentimental favorite with the Speedway multitude, had one logical question when he drove into Victory Lane.

"What happened to Ward?" THAT WAS NOT a ques-tion asked in jest. After all, Ward had been flitting around him like a supercharged butterfly the livelong day. Nobody took the time to answer. People who had been vibrating through those fantastic final laps were letting out the emotion. They would have cheered Khrushchev if he had pulled in with a race car at that moment.

So Jim may have been the first winner in history who had no one but himself to talk to those first few minutes. Rathmann gave his wife, Kay, a kiss, endowing her with a lovely mustache of grease. Then he settled down to enjoying being somebody big. IN THE PACE CAR for a trip around the track he asked, "Is this my car?" "Yes," said Sam Hanks. "Okay," said Jim to his wife, "get your feet off the seats of my car." Later, in the happy bedlam of his garage, Jim confided that he was getting that "Oh, no, not again" feeling as he dueled with Ward.

"He had more steam than I did," said Jim. "He passed me any time he wanted to. I could get him going into the turns but he could get me coming out and he had too much steam for me in the chutes. "I ran flat out the whole race. But no matter how hard I came off the corners he got me." "I knew he must be getting low on rubber (tires) because I knew I was.

When he started dropping back, I figured that must be the reason. I was plenty worried about the same thing myself." CHIEF MECHANIC Chick Hirashima was more emphatic. Said Chick, "Maybe two more laps. No more. Our right rear tire was almost gone." CHAMPION JIM RATHMANN Greasy, Grimy And Rich! PALL OF GLOOM DRIFTS AWAY Crowd Stunned Jovial By DON G.

CAMPBELL The boy, his small arms clutching at the air, arched almost lazily through the late-morning grayness, struck the ground, rolled and then lay still. In the bitter irony that Want Ads 25-31 Weather ...19 Werner ....14 Women occasionally mars otherwise festive sporting events, the good-natured, jovial crowd carefree in its assumed immunity from the dangers it had come to watch was, for a few terrible minutes, the victim of a drama that dwarfed the action on the race track a few feet away. STUNNED ONLY momentarily when death rode a swaying scaffold down to the muddy ground like a child's house of cards, the crowd less than a half-hour after the tragedy-had ebbed and flowed over and around the crumbled steelwork like a mass of microscopic organisms healing a hole in their ranks. Twenty feet away from the pipe-cleaner-like fingers of the collapsed scaffold, companion structures con-tined to sway slightly in the noon breeze while their undisturbed occupants lounged mated at approximately 200,000 strong surged into the infield, flowed aimlessly back and forth through underpasses and lapped around the supports of the grandstand under grim skies. Described by State Police as orderly if, in many cases, slightly hung-over, the spectators trailed plastic raincoats behind them while glancing uneasily at the rain clouds gathering, and tussling with that national emblem of the 500-Mile Race: the two-handled bottle cooler.

On West 30th Street, homeowners looking slightly weary themselves after having played involuntary hosts all night to thou sands of waiting merrymakers took positions on their house tops to watch the lines snake into tho Turn to Page 10, Column at the summit in gaily colored, striped lawn chairs, nuzzled their heads further into transistor radios, and rolled empty beer bottles gently off the edge to hurtle downward and bury themselves neck -deep In the putty-soft earth. Within a stone's throw of the accident a quartet of bare-chested young men had quietly gone back to their game of penny poker, a couple on higher, drier ground had spread their picnic dinner out on a checkered tablecloth and even as one last ambulance, its siren sputtering softly, returned to the collapsed scaffold for a final check a couple in a car bearing Wisconsin license plates returned to the more immediate task of chewing each other's ears. SPANKED into life at 5 a.m. yesterday, when the Speedway gates opened for business, the crowd esti- I.SIIi: TODAY'S STAR RUSS TO HIT SPY PLANE BASES-Soviet Marshal gives order for rocket strikes at take-off base of any plane violating Soviet air space Page 2 TURKEY'S 'EVIL GENIUS' KILLS SELF-Police boss in deposed Menderes government leaps to death from his prison quarters Page 3 100,000 IN CITY SUFFERING-Chilean earthquake area reported in desperate need of relief 5 AMERICA HONORS WAR Rites around the world pay tribute to nation's fallen servicemen Page 12 Comics ....20 Crossword ..16 Deaths 4, 9 Editorials ...14 Food 7 Radio-TV ..15 Sports Theaters ..18 (AP Photo By Harold 8. Llttell) FANS HURLED TO GROUND AS SCAFFOLD FALLS AT SPEEDWAY Terrified Spectators Scramble As Faulty Structure Drops.