“ALMOST GOT ME.”
FIGHT AGAINST UNCONSCIOUSNESS. LONDON, Aug. 26. Hurtling over Lake Windermere, Edward Spurr fought unconsciousness in the cage-like cockpit of hjs £BOOO Empire Day motor boat. Half doped by the fumes of petrol and burning paint, he abandoned his third world record speed trial. Eye-witnesses saw him clutching the' windscreen immediately before the start of the measured mile, on which he hoped to do 130 miles an hour. Spurr stopped the boat at the point of unconsciousness. He said later that the cooling system seized, due to a faulty • adjustment, and fumes seared his throat and lungs. “They almost got me,” he said. “I had left the windshield partly open before the start and that probably averted serious consequences.” Spurr is considering usfhg a gas mask in future attempts as a protection against fumes. The special petrol he uses costs 22s 6d a gallon. He says it has a mustard gas effect from the awkwardly placed exhausts, which he will not modify because modification would reduce speed. The speed boat was designed by Aircraftsman Shaw (Lawrence of Arabia) before his death, in collaboration with Spurr.
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Bibliographic details
Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 234, 1 September 1938, Page 12
Word Count
187“ALMOST GOT ME.” Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 234, 1 September 1938, Page 12
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