The Indianapolis News du lieu suivant : Indianapolis, Indiana • 14

SPORTS THE INDIANAPOLIS NEWS SPORTS MONDAY EVENING, MAY 22, 1939. 1 (T ft ednesday uaiii.yiit. ti- ir at iT Positions A Speeaway Seymour's Racer Goes Up in Smoke Ray C. Thompson, News Sports Editor, Writes 30 to Long Career Sixteen Drivers Reserve Places in Week-En Trials With Snyder in Pole Role By W. F.

FOX, Jr. Johnny A v. Sixteen race drivers have made their reservations in the starting line for the twenty-seventh annual 500-mile race to be -run at the Indianapolis box office for the remaining1 of thirty-three will be reopened Wednesday afternoon from Motor Speedway May 30. The seventeen positions in the field and Sunday. The public is cor is 50 cents if you don't know wuiiva vu How I hey Qualified First Row smoked only by men ho wore caps and men who wore paps wrr like prospective burglars to him.

In the presence of women )m smoked cigars. He never carried a pipe-One morning he opened a letter from a friend who had mentioned on a previous occasion that he would like to have a rtory about in the papr. A sizable check dropped out of th letter. You should have seen and heard him. Gradually his anger boiled down to disappointment in his friend.

Finally he was persuaded to read the letter. The check, however, was to pay ths expenses of six men and several horses from a distant city to Indianapolis. He bad a keen sense of humor. The last time he covered ths Kentucky Derby his lad mentioned that even the lamp posts in Louisville were bending over to gtv people bum Maybe some on el.e said it first, but we think hn started calling the Dei by tow Looneyville. In his later years didn't bother about things lik the Derby and the world srie.i because he wanted his own airplane and couldn't afford it.

Modesty Was The National Geographic was for years his favorite source of unusual information, and he literally devoured it. He would sit and talk for hours with any of his friends, but a five-minute telephone conversation drove him to distraction. His telephone was unlisted. He was always losinz scissors. To his knowledge he had only one pair in hi3 desk Friday.

Saturday, the day he died, was his day off. Sunday there were four pairs of scissors hi his de.k. Unlike most newspaper men he bought his own scissors. His modesty was outstanding. He actually hated to see his by-line in the paper, and it was never there of his own choosing.

He always sought the background, even in his countless charitable acts. His time belonged to his job. his money to any one who asked for it. He could sing "Sweet Adeline" with the best of 'cm. And nerve many's the time he had a minor operation during his lunch hour and came back to work on time.

That was the Ray Thompson we of the fports department of The News admired and respected. That's why there, is deep sorrow around that department Pre vie the 500Mile Race Time Lap. Each Lap.M.r.11. Snvder, (1) 1:09.49 130.077 Thome 2 1:08.83 130.757 Engineering (3 1:09.38 129.720 Special (4) 1:09.23 130.001 Total 4:36.63 130.138 Meyer. (1) 1:09.21 130.039 lio-we (2) 1:09.06 130.321 Seal Fast (3) 1:09.31 129.831 Special (4) 1:09.20 130.058 Total 4:36.78 130.067 Shaw, (l) 1:0,9.75 129.032 Boyle (2) 1:09.89 128.774 Special (3) 1:09.85 128.848 (4) 1:03.63 129.255 Total 4:39.12 128.977 Second Row Time Lap.

Each Lap.M.r.11. Horn, (l) 1:10.50 127.660 Boyle (2) 1:10.59 127.497 Special (3) 1:10.45 127.750 (4) 1:10.32 127.986 Total 4:41.86 127.723 C. Miller, (l) 1:11.42 126.015 Boyle (2) 1:11.09 126.600 Special (3) 1:11.20 126.404 (4) 1:11.29 126.215 Total 4:45.00 126.316 Bailey, (1) 1:11.38 126.086 Miller (2) 1:11.57 125.751 Rear Engine (3) 1:11.59 125.716 Special (4) 1:11.12 125.733 Total, 4:43.12 125.821 Third Row Time Lap. Each Lap.M.P.II. Ca nt Ion, (1) 1:11.47 125.927 Automotive (2) 1:11,85 125.261 Service (3) 1:11.90 125.174 Special (4) 1:11.48 125.909 Total 4:46.70 125.567 Rose- (1) 1:12.27 124.533 Wheeler (2) 1:11.89 125.191 Special (3) 1:11.77 125.401 (4) 1:12.31 124.464 Total 124.896 Ardinger, (1) 1:11.20 126.404 Miller- (2) 1:12.85 123.542 Hartz (3) 1:13.21 122.934 Special (4) 1:12.77 123.667 Total .4:50,03 124.125 Jy VOX, Jr.

'THE ELEVATOR man at the Rink apartments didn't make his customary 5:50 trip to the sixth floor this morning. The income of the Indianapolis Street Railway was off one token. The Thompson restaurant at rilinois and Washington streets served one less breakfast than usual. And there was genuine sorrow around the sports department of The News. All this, and a great deal more, because Ray C.

Thompson, sports editor of The News, is dead. To those with whom he was associated he bequeathed, by example, a rich heritage of honesty, loyalty and generosity. He conducted The News sport pages largely for the benefit of those who were conducting the events becau.se he sincerely believed that readers would benefit by attending them. After the events were over, a line or two of news would suffice. He didn't care much for apple sauce except as apple sauce.

He wasn't one of those win and show fellows. With Ray it was "on the nose" or not at all. He hewed to the line for nearly seventy years. He Disliked Passes. He disliked passes.

He gave them out on a "first come, first served" basis, but he knew when you. were coming too often. The reason he didn't like them was that handing them out interrupted his work. If you caught him in a leisure moment, he didn't mind. Never at home in anything but a silk shirt he belonged to the generation that dressed up on Sunday and took a walk.

How he hated Sunday double-headers! That is, if he actually hated anything but dishonesty and dictators. He didn't simply belong to the old school, he was the old schoolmaster. He wanted a little bit about everything on his pages and not too much about anything. He was pretty sure you couldn't print too much about the 500-mile race. It seems almost providential that he spent his last night out in a Speedway atmosphere.

It's a safe bet that his thoughts traveled back over the thirty-one years that he covered Speedway activ ities. He didn't care much about automobiles as a means of transportation. Once he took a vacation and drove to Florida in a car. That was a long time ago. It took him exactly two weeks to make the trip to Florida and he got on a train for home the day he arrived in Florida, his vacation entirely a matter of blowouts and engine trouble.

He laughed about this as regularly as any one ever mentioned going outside the city limits in a motor car. He smoked pipes and his can of tobacco at. the office was just another "open house" party. He thought cigarettes should be SPORTS LEADERS MOURN DEATH OF JOSEPH F. CARR COLUMBUS.

May 22 fA.P.) Leaders in the sports world informed the family of Joseph F. Carr in messages of condolence to day that they planned to attend funeral services here Wednesday for the man who devoted most of his life to organized athletics. Carr's unexpected death Saturday of a heart ailment at the age of fifty-eight ended a career devoted to sports since shortly after the turn of the century and which carried him to the presidency of the National Football League and made him promotional director of the Na tional Association of Professional Baseball Leagues. I ii -jLJLJ- mt) 4 -By Pete DePaolo learn if the going was safe or not, then notify the starter accordingly. Now that sixteen cars have qualified, there are sixteen drivers who are enjoying a sort of letdown, as they reach quite a nervous tension prior to the time they have officially qualified.

Now they will relax until the day of the race. It's marvelous to watch some of the boys on how they react after having qualified. The more experienced driver just considers it as one step closer to race day. The fellow who generally has trouble qualifying- can be seen walking about with the expression on his face of having conquered some beast. Another chap who is on the way up toward fame and fortune, who considers himself lucky to even be in this race, goes around modestly with a grin as if to say "Just keep your eye on me, folks." And then, of course, we always have one or two of those fellows who knew they would be right up in there all the time.

They walk around as though the M. G. M. studios in Hollywood had assigned the role of Rhett Butler to them in "Gone With the Wind." College Sport Briefs By the Associated Press CINCINNATI Ernie Crosby. Baltimore, wins national A.

A. U. walk title by one-tenth second margin over John M. Deni, Pittsburgh. NEW YORK Canadian brother team of Torchy and Doug Prden wins six-day bike race at Madison Square Garden.

SAN FRANCISCO Joe Platak, Chicago, wins national handball singles championship for fifth straight year, beating Jack Clements, San Francisco, 12-13, 16-21, 21-12. NEW YORK Knickerbocker, unbeaten three-year-old from J. E. Widener's stable and a 40-1 outside, wins forty-sixth Metropolitan handicap at Belmont Park, beating Ileelfly and Jacola. LOUISVILLE Baylor O.

Hickman's Arabs Arrow takes Kentucky handicap as Churchill Downs meeting ends. NEW HAVEN, Conn. Cornell track team noses out Harvard, 46 3-7 points to 45 13-14 in "photo finish" to win Heptagonal track meet. SEATTLE Six meet records fall and two are tied as Southern California wins Facific Coast Conference track championship with 67 points. CHAPEL HILL, N.

Jim Davis's 4:14.2 mile outstanding performance as North Carolina track team piles up 65 i points to win Southern Conference meet. BIRMINGHAM, Ala, Louisiana State trackmen score 57 points to take Southeastern Conference title. AMES, la. Nebraska wins Big Six Conference track meet with 56 9-10 points. ST.

LOUIS Oklahoma Aggies overwhelm opposition with 70 5-6 points in Missouri Valley Conference track meet; Patience, Please The reason you can't find anything in today's News about the speed guessing contest of The News Railbirds Association is that the pile of entries is still being checked. The sports department will have some information by tomorrow, so look for the winning names in all editions of The News Tuesday. 1 to 7 and again on Saturday dially invited. The admission leuow who wiuvvs a iuuuw -Fifteen cars qualified Saturday. The weather man evidently doesn't care about having the Speedway work on Sunday for he provided an off track and Babe Stapp, driving an eight-cylinder Alfa Romeo, slipped around for ten miles between showers, the only car to be added to the starting field as 20,000 spectators waited hopefully in the stands.

Babe ran his four miles in 4 minutes and 48 seconds, exactly 125 miles an hour, the only performance to date that doesn't run into six figures. Hie show closed with Kelly Fetil-lo delivering several orations to starter Seth Klein and chief Steward Charles Merz who charged Kelly with a trial because he made one and failed. Kelly waved his hand to Klein, received the green flag and then discovered his car was skidding. So he coasted in before being timed a single lap. Kelly agreed to go on certain conditions.

These conditions involved the sending of assistant starter Ray Johnson to the north turn armed with a yellow flag. If rain bejan to fall during the trial Ray was to wave the flag and Kelly was to call the whole thing off without being charged with one of his three trials. Officials ruled that conditions had not changed after Kelly accepted the challenge and the speedway officials belong to the genus Umpire. Jimmy Snyder No. 1.

Gertie's Kid No. 2 won the pole position Saturday. Gertie's Kid was driven by Jimmy Snyder at the rate of 130.133 miles an hour, a new track record for ten miles. The Chicago flyer also erased his own tingle lap record when he whizzed around at 130.757 miles an hour. The car is one of Thorne Engineering Specials, engineered by Art Sparks.

Incidentally it carries No. 8 and is blue and, if our department of recollections serves us rightly, Joe Dawson once won this 500-mile race in a blue No. 8 and in those days sparks flew from all the cars. Jimmy's was the seventh car to take the starting flag Saturday at w-mcn lime Meyer, tne only three-time winner of the race, and the third car out, had broken the ten-mile qualifying record with a mark of 130.067 in his Bowes Seal Fast Special. Louie, incidentally, has always maintained that he is not interested in winning the pole position but they say he told his private dockers to give him no fignals unless he was doing worse than 130 miles an hour.

Cliff Bergere, who earns his daily bread by making automobiles do tricks for somersault-minded movie directors in Hollywood, was the first man to qualify this year. His speed was 123.835 miles an hour. The slowest car in the group of sixteen was George Barringer's Bill White Special that did four laps at the rate of 120.935. If what they say about most of the unqualified cars is true, and pretty near everything they've been saying out there this year has proved to be correct, Mr. Barringer's time may not be fast enough to get into the first thirty-three.

Hex Mays Trys Gertie's Kid No. 1, which Rex Mays took around the track at better than 131 miles an hour (unofficially) made one attempt to qualify Saturday, but developed an oil spray on the third lan and Rex nulled in. This car and Snyder's are twins, and they were' favored for the one-two positions. Snyder, who said the wind blew him about twelve feet on his third lap, predicted that Mays would go faster than he did if Rex would wait for the wind to die down. Rex was out again Sunday, and although the Sparks job was fairly flying, Rex was still dissatisfied with it.

He will probably be one of the Wednesday wisps. Harry Miller, noted race car builder, who was well pleased with George Baileys performance in one of the four-wheel drive rear-engine cars had his share of bad luck before the day was over. Bailey qualified at 125.821, doing one lap a little better than 126. Johnny Seymour took the mate to Batley's car out for a spin later in the afternoon and lost it in the treacherous north-Continued on Fage 3, Fart 2 I '7 i 7 A i 7 I I 1 5-. 5 1: I.

well as Wilbur shaw. The only urxset being that Rex Mays did not get in there, which was due to a faulty oil pump in his engine. Had Rex been able to complete his four laps in qualifying, it would have been Mays, Snyder and Meyers. Shaw would have been eased back into the second row on account of the surprise which Meyers served so smoothly to the customers. Yesterday Rex Mays again tried his car, but the same trouble which kept him out of Saturday's qualifying still pursued him.

His scavenger oil pump works okay until he gets over the 125-mile-an hour mark. Then it won't take the oil out of the crank case fast enough, and as a result the pump fills up and the oil goes out of the breathers, getting all over the righ rear tire" and causing the car to skid. Rex experienced a pretty bad slide in Saturday's try-out on the north turn. Joe Pctralli, the champion motorcycle racer, who is serving as head mechanic on Rex's car, told the writer he will take the engine all apart and start from scratch again to get the job in A-l shape for Rex so that he can qualify in goodshape on the next qualifying day, which will be Wednesday. Babe Stapp, driving the Italian Alfa-Romeo car which belongs to Hollywood Bill White, was forced to abandon his qualifying attempt Saturday on account of a broken drive shaft.

But he came back yesterday in good shape to be the only one to qualify for the day with an average of 125 miles an hour for the required ten miles. Watch this boy Stapp in car No. 31. It's about time for him to get some good breaks. Kelly Petillo failed to get going on his second time out to qualify yesterday.

Waiting patiently for the rain to stop long enough for him to get the necessary four laps over with, he at last had an opportunity to go just before dusk. He came down the home stretch with throttle wide open and his hand in a raised position to signal the starter, Seth Klein, that he was starting on his qualifying trial. Going down the back stretch Kelly decided that it was too wet and slick to continue for his own safety, and shut off his motor as he came into the pit section. Quite a discussion went on between Kelly and the officials that he shouldn't be charged with an official start, as the track was too wet for him to carry on. In spite of this fact Kelly lost out in accordance with rules which prevail cn this matter.

Kelly should have made one or two laps to Fourth Row Time Lap. Each Lap. M.F.H. Sidney Doll's first trip to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was an exciting- and profitable one. Sealed in the grandstand nearest the northwest turn with the camera which Is his constant companion, Doll snapped what is believed to be the only picture of the fire that seriously burned Johnny Seymour, Michigan driver, after the car had crashed into the retaining wall.

Young Doll, son of Major Frederick S. Doll, 2877 Sutherland avenue, and a Shortridge High School pupil, was showing his camera to friends when the crash occurred. He hiked up the track ahead of guards and took the picture while the car was burning. Doll said the Seymour car appeared to head directly into the northwest retaining wall and caught fire as it bounced backward. Seymour was thrown from the car, he said, and lay still on the track for a minute, leading many spectators to believe he was dead.

Soon Seymour stood up, attempted to extinguish the fire on his trouser leg and then hurtled the wall to escape a possible explosion. ACE AT BL00MINGT0N BLOOMINGTON, May 22 (Spl.) John Edge worth, president of the Victor-Oolitic Stone Company here, accounted for Bloom-ington's first hole-in-one of the golfing season here Sunday. Edge-worth fired an ace in hole No. 7 at the Cascades. Sports By the Associated Press Butler's Bulldogs annexed their third little state college sports crown over the week-end by nosing out DePauw in the annual track and field meet, but today faced an uphill battle to ada the baseball championship to their football, basketball and track victories.

Ball State's double-header victory over Hanover, while Butler was idle, put the Cards well out in front in the conference standing with nine games on the credit side against only one defeat. Central Normal moved up to second place, leaving Butler hi third. ITiree records toppled as Charles Marshall, with 14 i points, led Butler to victory in the track and field meet at Muncie. Marshall's time of 24.2 seconds in the 220 low hurdles accounted for one new mark. Ball State's Dick Stealy set a new discus mark with a heave of 130 feet 114 inches, and Meadows, a Taylor freshman, threw the javelin 130 feet 2 inches for another record.

At Bill Fay, Notre Dame junior, won the state college tennis singles championship by defeating his sophomore teammate, Johnny Joyce. Ed Lindsay and Paul Souders brought DePauw the doubles title by defeating Victor Kingdon and Gil llay-nie, of Indiana. At Terre Haute, Earlham's golfers captured both team and individual honors in the first annual Little State College golf tournament. The four-man Quaker team turned in an aggregate of 637 strokes for the thirty-six holes of medal play and Dick Wright fired two rounds of 77 for a 154 and the individual championship. Krider, of Indiana State, enlivened the proceedings by making a hole-in-one on the 125-yard tenth.

The conference baseball standing, showing records in league games and all contests: Conference Games. Ail Games. Won. Lost. Pet.

Wgn. lost Ball Stale 1 l.ooo a Cent. Normal 3 1 Butler 8 3 Ind. Central. 7 4 Karlham ft 4 Wabash ft 4 Ind.

State 2 5 3 1 7i7 8 A 7 4 -55rt 6 4 6 12 .500 4 4 5rt 4 4 .400 4 3 .333 4 8 -loo 1 Jo 1 2 0 6 Taylor 4 4 St. 2 3 DePauw 3 franklin 1 it Concordia. 1 Huntineton 1 Manchester Hanover 5 Genuine PANAMAS If $3.50 and $5 Jipni Jappi 2.8.-, Sailors SI IS. Hi HARRY LEVINSON rt a a npWO SURPRISES went on rec-- ord during the opening day of qualifying Saturday; The first was the fast clip in which Louis Meyer, the triple winner of the 500-mile race, registered with comparative ease at an average of 130.067 miles an hour to get the middle position in the front row. Heretofore Louis would qualify in a more moderate manner, sufficient enough to assure him of any position within the first few rows.

And from all the racing critics and railbirds who watched him making this terrific average, they seem to think he could have raised the speed even another couple of miles. Anybody's money would be safe in betting on Meyer that his chances of another victory seem excellent. First of all to see this young fellow who is a picture of health, always with a smile to greet you, showing every indication of confidence on his chances in the coming race; then to watch him drive into those turns at speeds around the 130-mile-an-hour mark, and the sound of his engine pouring out the horse power with seemingly little exertion, all agree at the Speedway that its the best-sounding job on the track. The second surprise, and indeed a most pleasant one to all the boys, was that of Harry Miller's car, driven by George Bailey, qualifying at the rate of 125.821 miles an hour, to get the outside position in the second row of starters. Bailey, who has driven this type of four-wheel-drive with the engine in the rear for Miller during all the experimental runs, gave proof during his qualifying trials that he has mastered the technique of driving.

The extreme enjoyment the Miller camp experienced after Bailey qualified, was somewhat overshadowed with gloom after the second Miller car, driven by Johnny Seymour, the former champion motorcycie rider, was wrecked on the northwest turn. The car, after throwing Seymour out, caught fire and was mined. Seymour, however, managed to get out of the mishap with only minor bruises and second-degree burns. It seemed too bad that Seymour should have tried to make such fast speed without first getting acquainted with the handling of this type car. He has driven front-drive cars in the past, and Miller possibly thought his experience with front-drive cars would simplify his getting accustomed to the four-wheel-drive.

However, there is still a great deal of difference in the technique required. An outstanding feature of the Miller car which Bailey qualified is that it uses the regular type of gasoline. There is no need mixing alcohol, benzol and tetra-ethyl lead with this fuel as most cars do. Harry Miller's ambition has been to build a racing car that can use regular stock gasoline, his dream so to speak. And for this reason he has been confronted with many engineering difficulties which many of the fans in the grandstands little can realize.

Much credit should be given to Harry Miller for this great achievement, a marvelous victory for him, indeed. As the writer mentioned in Saturday's column, Jimmy Snyder was a cinch for the front row, as Bergere, (1) 1:12.59 123.984 Gffenhauser (2) 1:12.75 123.711 Special (3) 1:12.67 123.848 (4) 1:12.70 123.796 Total ...4:50.71 123.835 Brisko, (1) 1:13.28 122,817 A'ational (2) 1:12.38 124.344 SPal (3) 1:12.74 123.728 Special (4) 1:13.45 122532 Total 4:51.85 123.331 Connor, (1) 1:12.60 123.967 Marks (2) 1:12.38 123.321 Special (3) 1:13.26 122.850 (4) 1: 13.35 122.699 Total 4:52.19 123.208 Fifth Row Time Lap. Each Lap. M.IM1. Hepburn, (1) 1:14.03 121.572 Hamilton (2) 1:13.47 122.499 Harris (3) 1:13.75 122.034 Special (4) 1:13.34 122.716! Total 4:54.59 122.204 Ilansen, (1) 1:13.92 121.753 Thorne (2) 1:13.93 121.737 Special (3) 1:13.92 121.753 (4).

1:11.08 121.490 Total 4:55.85 121.6S3 Barringer, (1) 1:14.59 120.660 Bill (2) 1:14.78 120.353 Unite (3) 1:14.39 120.984 Special (4) 1:13.92 121.753 Total 4:57.68 120.935 0 Three Important figure in the truck field this year. They're the three V-8 engine sixes offered in the 1939 Ford Trucks 95, 5 and 60 hp. They mean that you can meet your hauling and delivery requirements more exactly with a Ford V-8 Truck. Get the facts and arrange for an "on-the-job" test through your Ford dealer. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Ford Motor Company, buildr of ford V-8 nd Mreury Car.

Ford Truck, Commercial Car, Station Wagon tnd Trantlt Eumi. Q' 0 FORD -0 jj TRUCKS 3 Sixth Row Time Lap. Each Lap. M.1MI. Stapp, Aha Romeo Special (1.) (2) (3) (4) 1:11.60 1:11.21 1:12.33 125,698 126.387 124.430 123.523 125.000 Total 4:48.00 Co A f7 i 1 A'a SwcctncU, a QoodneU!.