SEGRAVE KILLED

Taranaki Daily News, 16 June 1930, Page 9

SEGRAVE KILLED

SPEED BOAT OVERTURNS GRIM COST OF NEW RECORD TWO DEAD; OTHER INJURED ' WINDERMERE SENSATION •By Telegraph—Press Assn. —Copyright. London, June 13. The speed-boat Miss England 11. was attempting a world's record on Lake Windermere when something cause! the boat to overturn. The Rolls-Royce expert, Mr. Halliwell, is missing, and the mechanic, Mr. Willcocks, was severely injured. Sir Henry Segrave was rescued suffering from two broken arms, fractured leg and ribs. One of the ribs penetrated a lung and he died a few hours later.

. He had established a record of 98.75 miles per hour before the -crash. The boat’s bows were crippled under th? speed. There was a great rent in the hull and the craft sank later.

Thousands lining the shores witnessed the tragedy. The Miss England 11. had covered the measured mile, turned, and travelled a further two miles at almost maximuni speed. The boat seemed to swerve violently and plunge under the water. Spectators screamed, women fainted, and dozens of speed boats rushed to his assistance.

Mr. Willcocks was the first rescued, with blood streaming from his face. A man dived fully clothed and brought up Sir Henry. The search for Mr. Halliwell <was fruitless.

Sir Henry took Miss England 11. -on to the lake at 2 p.m., and the speed-boat started on the first trial.- Fitted to the craft was a bronze propellor brought from London to replace one broken yes terday. Within a few seconds the boat was travelling at a terrific speed; and after covering a measured mile up the ■]ake ! it turned, and there was another terrific burst’ of speed. As the mile down the lake was covered for the third time, the boat turned and travelled at almost maximum speed. The roar of the giant engines echoed from one shore to another. Then the boat seemed to accelerate, and suddenly the great mass of machinery enclosed in its slim .white shell 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. Mr. Willcocks was, badly injured over, the eyes and his thigh was broken, and Sir Henry was picked up unconscious. Within a few seconds both were taken ashore and sent to hospital. Sir Henry was saved by a Mr. King who was in one of the motor boats first on the scene. The body of Mr. Halliwell has not yet been recovered. There was no one else in the boat. CAUSE OF DISASTER NOT KNOWN. Several theories are being advanced regarding the cause of the disaster. One eye-witness says "the step" on the bottom of the boat 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 time-keepers announced officially that Miss England 11. had beaten the world’s speed record during the first two runs with a mean speed .of 08.76 miles per hour, against the previous best of 93.4 miles set up by the United States expert, Mr. Gar Wood. The speed on the first ran was 06.41 miles per hour, and on the second run 101.11 miles. Figures of the new re.cord will be forwarded to the International Marine Yachting Union for official recognition as a new world record. ■ Sir Henry before his death had thus achieved the double distinction of creat- ... ing world records for speed on both land and water. At Daytoiia Beach (Florida), on March 11, : 1929, in his racing car Golden Arrow, he set 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 in the previous year by Mr. Ray Keech, tne United States driver. It was for this magnificent achievement that he was knighted. Sir Henry’s triumph was even then marred by tragedy, for two days after his brilliant success, Mr. Lee Bible, a United States driver, wae killed there in attempting to eclipse these figures. Sir Henry, who was 34 years of age, was educated at Eton and Sandhurst. He . served in the Great War with the Second Warwickshire Regiment and Royal An Torce, was three times wounded and was mentioned in despatches in 1917. He was private secretary to the Chief of Air Staff, and in the following year went on the British Aviation Mission to — Washington. . . • The newspapers unitedly mourn theloss of Sir Henry and Mr. Halliwell. While paying a 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 brake and making the vessel unmanageable.