SPEED BOAT TRAGEDY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21053, 16 June 1930, Page 9

SPEED BOAT TRAGEDY.

EXPLOSION DURING TRIAL RUN. SIR HENRY SEGRAVE KILLED. THE ENGINE EXPERT MISSING. \ MECHANIC SEVERELY INJURED. (United Press Association.) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) LONDON. June 13. Miss England II was attempting to establish a world’s record when an explosion caused her to overturn. The Rolls-Royce expert (Halliwell) is missing. The mechanic (Willcocks) was severely injured. Sm Henry Segrave was rescued suffering from a broken arm. and a fractured leg, and his ribs were crushed. He died a few , hours later.

TERRIFIC SPEED ATTAINED. WORLD’S RECORD BROKEN, LONDON, June 13. • . Sir ; Henry ; Segrave, had established a record of 98.75- miles -per hour before the crash came.'. - The boat’s bows were crippled under the speed. When she reappeared oh the sufface, bottom up, there was a great rent in'heir'hull, and she sank later. - Thousands of people lining the shores witnessed the tragedy.. ■ Miss England had covered a measured mile. She turned and travelled a further two miles at almost maximum speed. The boat'seemed to swerve violently, and to plunge under the water. The spectators screamed and women fainted.. Dozens of speed, boats; rushed to help, ■ . , Willco'cks was the-first to .be rescued, with blood streaming from his face. Aman dived, fully clothed, and brought up Sir Henry Segrave. The search for Halliwell was fruitless. CAUSE OF THE TRAGEDY. SEVERAL THEORIES ADVANCED. . .... .(British Official .Wireless!) RUGBY, June 13. /The disaster .to Miss England II occurred while Sir Henry Segrave was making a trial run preparatory, to a formal attempt -on the world’s water speed record on Lake Windermere. It is learned that Sir Henry, Segrave’s injuries included two broken arms, a broken leg, and broken ribs, one of which perforated the lung. Sir Henry Segrave took Miss England 11, with her huge engines, out into the lake at 2 o’clock. Fitted to her was a bronze propeller . brought from London to' replace the one that was broken yesterday.' ! Within 1 a few • seconds' the boat was travelling at a terrific speed. Aftercovering, the measured mile up'the lake she turned, and there was another terrific burst of speed as she covered the mile down the lake. For the third time the boat turned, and travelled at almost her maximum speed. The roar of giant engines echoed from, one shore to another; then she seemed to accelerate suddenly.' She appeared to swerve violently and plunge beneath the water. A huge mass of white spray went up, and it was several seconds before the graceful, craft ~was seen again. Willcocks was badly injured over .the eyes, and his thigh, was broken. Sir Henry Segrave was picked up unconscious. Both were taken ashore and sent to hospital. Sir Henry Segrave was saved by a man named King, who was in one of the first motor boats on the scene. • The body of Halliwell has not yet been recovered. There was no one else in the boat. Several theories are being advanced regarding the cause of the disaster. One eye-witness says that “ the step ” on the bottom of, the boat suddenly seemed to burst, and the boat swerved terribly before capsizing. Another view is that the boat hit a piece of driftwood, which would have been sufficient to cause the accident. After the. disaster the timekeepers announced officially that Miss England beat the world’s record during her.first two runs with a mean speed of 08.75 miles per hour against the previous best of 93.4 miles set up by the American, Gar Wood. The speed on the first run was 96.41 miles per hour, and on the second run 101.11 miles per hour. The figures of the new record will be forwarded to the International Marine Yachting Union for official recognition as a new world record. Sir Henry Segrave, before his death, had thus achieved the double distinction of creating world records for speed on both land and water. At Daytona Beach, Florida, on March 11, 1929, in the racing car Golden Arrow, ho set up - a world’s record for land with an average speed of 231.36 miles per hour, beating by nearly 24 miles per hour the record set up the previous year by Ray Keeeh, the American driver. It was for this magnificent achievement that he was knighted. Sir Henry Segrave’s triumph way marred by tragedy, for two days after his brilliant success Lee Bible, an American driver, was killed there in attempting to eclipse Sir Henry Segrave’s figures. Sir Henry Segrave, who was 34 years of age, was educated at Eton and Sandhurst, and served in the Great War with the 2nd Warwickshire Regiment and the Royal Air Force. He Was three times wounded, and was mentioned in despatches. In 1917 he was private secretary to the Chief of the Air Staff, and in the following year went on a British aviation mission to Washington.

NEWSPAPER TRIBUTES. LOSS OF GALLANT SPORTSMEN. LONDON, June 13. The newspapers unitedly mourn the loss of-Sir Henry Segrave and Mr Halliwell, while paying tribute to : their indomitable gallantry. They state that apparently the step bolted to the bottom of the boat shifted slightly, admitting water between it and the boat’s true bottom, creating a terrific .break and making the vessel unmanageable. SYMPATHY FOR LADY SEGRAVE. MESSAGES FROM ROYALTY. LONDON, June 14. ’ (Received June 15, at 5.5 p.m.)' Sir Henry Segrave was conscious for -twp minutes before he died. Though in terriljje pain he was so much master of himself that he asked ,by how much he had beaten the record! He died of internal haemorrhage, ribs on the right side having punctured the lung. Another theory of the accident is that Miss England ran into the wash caused by her own passage on the second lap. The water was most turbulent when she came back for the third lap ! at such speed that even a- wave of ' moderate height would have been sufficient to make her -leap from the water. Then when she touched water again the blow might have ripped away her hull. It seems certain that the propeller "stood the strain; as it was seen to be intact when the boat sank, but there is' evidence of broken timebr in the bottom of the boat. - . A pathetic feature of the tragedy was the father’s dramatic dash in an aeroplane when he heard of the' accident. A few minutes after the aeroplane left London news was received that his son was dead, but the father only learnt the news when the plane reached Manchester, whence he motored to Windermere. Lady Segrave is prostrated with grief, and was unable to attend the inquest, which was opened and'adjourned. Halliwell’s body has not been recovered. It is believed to be imprisoned in the boat, the salvaging of which ?s being considered. Brecknock’s statement points out that the greater portion of the front “step” was torn away by a water-logged branch of a tree three, feet in length and three inches in diameter, which was picked up astern of Miss; England II after the disaster.- The main hull , and the machinery were not damaged. Their Majesties and the Prince of Wales sent a message of sympathy to Lady Segrave. SIR HENRY’S BROTHER, AT PRESENT IN MELBOURNE. MELBOURNE, June 15. (Received June 15, at 8 p.m.) Mr C. P. Segrave is at present on holiday in Melbourne with his wife. He is a brother to Sir Henry Segrave. Sir Henry Segrave’s famous Golden Arrow is on view at the Adelaide motor show. The news of Sir Henry’s death has caused profound regret. Sir Henry Segrave ahvajs took a keen interest in mechanics and aviation, and during the war he served in the Royal Air Force. After he had recovered from injuries he received as a result of being shot down when flying over the German lines he became secretary to the Minister of Air, and his knowledge of engines and dynamics was of great value to the de . pertinent. He held speed records in several different sports. At Daytona Beach in March of last year, in his powerful car the Golden Arrow, he broke the world’s record for motor-driven vehicles by travelling at the phenomenal speed of 231.30246 miles per hour. The honour of knighthood conferred upon him by the King was a fitting reward for the man who carried into the country of his opponents his successful attempt to exceed the existing speed record. Even America, however, could not refrain from paying her tribute to hiability as a driver at more than racing speeds, and before he returned to England Sir Henry was feted and made much of in the country of the Stars and Stripes. It was perhaps a pity that in no part of the British Isles could a track be found sufficiently straight and flat for the full “opening out” of the most powerful car the world has ever known. And yet it was not, after all, inappropriate that the mighty performance should have been done on Daytona Beach, Florida, which has been the scene of many previous speed records which now seem puny when placed side by side with Sir Henry’s figures. However great and wonderful one must consider the machine which rendered the feat possible, one’s most intense admiration must very naturally be reserved for the man who brought to what in essence was merely a scientific experiment all the superb daring and cool skill of the trained motor driver. Sir Henry was born in the United States, his "father being an Englishman. He was educated at Eton.