1949 Percy Jones Memorial
Three Accidents Mar Percy Jones' Feature
By Donald R. Rutherford
Three accidents, one of which nearly had fatal results, marred Sunday's power boat races at Gull lake, but provided spectacular thrills for approximately 62,000 persons who thronged to the lake for the second annual running of the Percy Jones General hospital trophy race.
The accidents began in the second heat of the featured race when Miss Great Lakes, piloted by Al Fallon of Detroit with Joe Rydzewski, also of Detroit, riding as mechanic, overturned and went to the bottom of the lake in approximately 80 feet of water.
Knocked Unconscious
Rydzewski apparently was knocked unconscious in the mishap, but he was thrown clear of the boat as it submerged and was buoyed up by his life jacket.
Picked up by one of the patrol craft stationed along the course to handle any such emergency, the mechanic was rushed across the lake to the Gull Lake Country club where a Central ambulance and a state police escort were waiting to take him into Borgess hospital at Kalamazoo.
Maj. L. A. McMahon, a Percy Jones medical officer assigned to handling emergencies at the first aid station set up at the country club, accompanied the unconscious mechanic to the hospital, administering first aid en route. Major McMahon reported that Rydzewski suffered severe shock, and for a few moments no pulse could be detected. The major gave the injured man an injection of adrenalin and administered oxygen from the ambulance's supply during the trip to the hospital.
Rydzewski was beginning to show signs of regaining consciousness as the ambulance completed the 12 mile run to the hospital in 10 minutes. Hospital attendants administered more oxygen and medication to overcome the severe shock.
Condition Critical
His condition still was critical today and hospital attendants at noon said it had taken a turn for the worse.
Although he has worked on the Miss Great Lakes as a mechanic for two years, his first ride in a race was in the second heat yesterday. "Red" Shafer, another mechanic, rode in the first heat and relinquished his seat to Rydzewski when the mechanic asked Fallon for a chance to ride.
At the racing pits at the country club fear was expressed that Fallon had strapped himself in the boat and would be carried to the bottom of tfie lake. A diver, Robert Boudeman, reached the scene of the mishap on the southeast turn near the Percy Jones annex and fished Fallon out before the boat had a chance to settle to the bottom, however. Fallon was taken to the Percy Jones annex and was rushed in a Percy Jones ambulance to Borgess hospital, where it was found he suffered a dislocation of the right shoulder.
Chuck Thompson, driver of Miss Pepsi, which had just been passed by the Miss Great Lakes before the accident happened, said that it appeared to him that the boat hit a wave and broke off the right sponson as it fell back on the water. The boat immediately rolled over and started to sink.
Diving operations are expected to be started today to raise Miss Great Lakes and two 135 Class boats, which also sunk during the races.
The two ambulances had not had time to reach the hospital at Kalamazoo before the second accident happened. This resulted in the second heat of the 135 Class boat, which immediately followed the Unlimited class heat in which Miss Great Lakes was sunk.
Seen by Spectators
The second mishap took place within a few hundred yards of the spot where the Miss Great Lakes went down and again in full view of the thousands of persons jammed along the shore line at Percy Jones annex, Ross township park and E. L. (Jack) Schafer's summer home.
The Kathy, driven by Bob (Doc) Terry of Detroit, overturned, and the Joker, driven by Jack Keating of Pontiac, following closely into the turn crashed into the Kathy, cutting the boat nearly in two.
"I started skidding into the turn like I always do when the boat flipped over." Doc Terry said. "Fortunately I went down deep enough so that the Joker went over me before it crashed into my boat."
Shoulder Bruised
Doc Terry suffered a bruised right shoulder and abrasions on his legs and received first aid from Major McMahon. Jack Keating escaped with only a ducking.
The third mishap also happened on the same turn and involved a seven litre class boat, Monda II, driven by Charles F. Schwarm of Cincinnati, in the second heat for this race. The boat "turned turtle,'' throwing the driver into the water and then righted itself. A patrol boat was able to get it into shallow water before it sank. Schwarm also escaped injury.
One other driver was injured during the races. He was Bill Muncey of Detroit, pilot of Mi-Son, a 225 Class boat. His left hand was burned severely as he tried to stem the flow of gasoline from a broken fuel bowl on his engine. Grabbing for the fuel bowl, his hand came in contact with the hot engine. He was unable to compete in later heats.
Police Do Good Job
Despite the large crowd, which was between 10,000 and 15,000 greater than last year, traffic and spectators were controled excellently through the cooperative efforts of the Michigan state police, Calhoun and Kalamazoo county sheriffs officers, Percy Jones General hospital military police and naval reservists from Battle Creek. Kalamazoo and Jackson.
State troopers and sheriff's officers were on duty at the main intersections on highways leading to the lake and they kept traffic moving in an orderly manner.
Percy Jones' military policemen drew many commendations from the crowd for the courteous maimer in which they controled spectators and also for their striking appearance. All of the MPs wore white gloves and leggings. Capt, Robert Cumback of Percy Jones directed the MPs. and reported that those on duty had volunteered for the special detail although they otherwise might have had the day off.
Navy Has Big Assignment
One of the toughest assignments in conjunction with the staging of the races was assumed by the naval reservists. This assignment involved the establishment of 16 radio stations at strategic points, both on the lake and along the shore, and manning these stations and also in providing fire fighting equipment and crews.
Lieut.-Comm. Robert Siemer of the Battle Creek naval reserve, directed the work of the naval reservists from the three cities, and he reported that approximately three weeks were spent in perfecting the necessary plans and drilling the men so everything would function without a hitch.
Among the spectators was Lieut. William H. Rogers, Jr., who last year directed the excellent work of Battle Creek's naval reservists at the races. Lieutenant Rogers, now assigned to a new jet fighter squadron at the Pensacola. Fla., naval air station, arrived in Battle Creek Saturday with his wife, Betty, and their daughter, Susan, to spend nine days with Mrs. Rogers' parents, Mr. and Mrs. H. D. Powers of 120 Greenwood avenue.
Given Reception
Jack Schafer and a number of the pilots w'ho participated in last year's event gave the lieutenant an enthusiastic reception, and during the second heats, C. O. Brown, interviewed both Lieutenant Rogers and his wife over WELL-FM.
Battle Creek's naval reservists handled the installation of the two-day radio stations with Russell Brandenburg, an electronics technician, and Richard Davis, a radio technician, supervising the work. They were assisted by two Kalamazoo reservists, Richard Baney, a radio technician, and Larry Stevens, a radio operator.
Yeoman Edward Ryan manned the main transmitter at the country club during most of the afternoon, directing the 15 stations set up along the course and receiving the times of the various boats from the judges' barge and relaying them to the press tent.
Officers in charge, in addition to Commander Siemer, were Lieut.-Comm. Oliver Claggett, associate; and Lieut. A. A. LaLonde, communications officer.
30 Take Part
Altogether 30-odd Battle Creek reservists worked as operators of radio transmitters and on patrol duty during the races. The radios operated on two crystal-controled channels with one channel reserved for emergency messages.
The Kalamazoo reservists manned the fire fighting equipment at the boat pits. The equipment supplied by the navy included two navy type marine gasoline driven pumps capable of pumping 600 gallons of water per minute.
Percy Jones officials supplied additional batteries for the radio equipment when several operators reported their batteries were becoming weak
Crowd at Annex
The greatest crowd was at the Percy Jones Annex, which the army opened to the public for the day. The crowd was even greater than last year when 3,000 former patients attended a homecoming in conjunction with the first Percy Jones trophy race. Approximately 400 patients were able to go to the annex to view the races this year.
A total of 1,500 cars were parked in the annex parking lot, and cars were parked along both sides of the highway for several miles and the occupants walked to the annex to view the races.
The adjacent Ross township park also was filled to capacity, and none the less crowded was the lakefront at Jack Schafer's home, which was on the other side of the township park. Mr. Schafer was host to several thousand grocers and their families, supplying a barbecue lunch for them.
Gar Wood Visitor
Patients confined to bed at Percy Jones received a thrill during the morning when they were visited by Gar Wood, dean of the nation's power boat racers. Mr. Wood flew to Gull lake in his Grumann Mallard twin-engine amphibian and was met by Maj. William White, hospital public information officer, who escorted him to the hospital in an army staff car led by a state police patrol car.
Mr. Wood served as official referee for the unlimited class boats In the three heats in the Percy Jones race and then took off from the lake in his plane to return to Detroit. He flew low over the race course twice while a heat in another race was under way in a salute to the crowd.
The mishap involving the Miss Great Lakes detracted from the appearance of eight Air Force jet fighters from Selfridge Field. The eight jets arrived over the lake just after the accident when the two men were being rescued, and the crowd was more intent on the accident than it was on the jet planes.
Jets Make Passes
The jets made four passes across the lake at speeds of near 600 miles per hour. The planes were in two flights of four each on the first two passes and then came across in a trail formation twice.
Six doctors from Battle Creek and Kalamazoo, in addition to Percy Jones medical officers, were at emergency stations in boats on the lake during the races.
From a spectator standpoint, this year's races over a two and one-half mile course was much more interesting than last year's races over a five mile course. The boats were in view of spectators at all times, and the turns were close to the shoreline. Last year there was not a single point from which the boats could be kept in view at all times.
Entertain Guest
Many Gull Lake residents afforded themselves the opportunity of entertaining guests for the event, and many of the lakefront homes near the course were packed with visitors. Others took guests onto the lake in boats and anchored 500 yards off the course in spots of vantage.
The crowds began to assemble about noon, and by 1:30 all roads approaching the lake irom Kalamazoo and Battle Creek were Jammed with a solid line of traffic which was kept moving by officers.
--- Battle Creek Enquirer, July 18, 1949