PARRY THOMAS DEAD

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3609, 5 March 1927, Page 3

PARRY THOMAS DEAD

KILLED IN ATTEMPT TO «:ORD. arch 3. 3 world’s , was kilbreak the o-dav on ales. i\ Thomas y into the , against , owing to iza, in an clmmm ] >bell. Hrg geni/'■gigs, and as aI) un! mile way had attained a speed of 170 miles per hour, when Iho driving chain of a back wheel snapped, and fouled the cogs, wrapping itself roung the wheels. At terrific speed Hie ear skidded violently, and pieces of mechanism were hurled a hundred yards away. Then the car somersaulted twice, and 1 again skidded, almost broadside on. The rear wheel bounded like a rocket towards the sea. The chain unwound and broke through the the mudguard with staggering force, striking Thomas in the neck, tearing off his scalp from fo forehead, virtually decapitating him. Death must have been instantaneous. The car came to a stop more than half a mile from the scene of the turned on its side, a crumpled heap, and burst into violent flames. Pieces of the body and portions of the mechanism and windscreen were pounded into an inextricable tangle. Thomas was lying entangled in the wreckage, and before he could be extricated his legs had to be broken. It was a heartrending scene when one of Thomas’smechanise rushed towards the starting-point, crying like a child, and shouting, “Oh, my God he’s dead; Parry Thomas is dead.” Parry Thomas’s last epic appearance was at Brooklands on October 7th, when he raced round at two miles a minute hour after hour, in successful endeavour to restore records won by France. After six hours he left the car, considerably fatigued, having broken three records —500 miles by five seconds, 1500 kilomeres by six seconds, and three hours’ record by a slight margin. Thomas was obviously a sick man when he went to his death. “Do you have a mascot?” was asked just before he stepped into the cqr. “No I do not put trust in false god's.” At. that moment a mechanic arrived with a black cat, presented by a lady motorist. It was tied to the car.