Plane Crash at the Brickyard

This image was published in the March 6, 1910 Indianapolis Star. It depicts the aftermath of an airplane accident at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway involving Joseph Curzon who was storing his airplane at the track. This was during a period where Speedway executives were pushing their vision of the Brickyard as a multi-purpose facility. The track had been vying for the rights to host the next big international air show. While this effort failed they did design an event of their own conduted in June 1910.
 
The cutline associated with the picture read as follows:
 
"The first man-bird to rise from the Speedway aviation nest was Joseph Curzon, who yesterday made several successful flights only to suffer a wreck just before quitting time. He was only a few feet above the ground when his engine stopped and his craft shivered like a piece of paper in a wind and then crashed to the ground. Mr. Curzon escaped injury, except for a hard jolt and shock. He made several ascensions, all the time hugging the earth and covered almost every foot of the big Speedway. He had placed the Farman biplane in the large aerodrome for the night, but decided to take one more flight, as the wind had died down. He shot out of the big building like a bat from a garret and started heavenward. When a few feet from the ground his engine began to cut up and suddenly stopped. Mr. Curzon crouched on his seat and tilted the front plane and thus broke the shock of the fall to a large degree. About $300 worth of damages were suffered to the craft, as the propeller was destroyed. One piece flew for more than two squares distance from the machine. Luckily the aviator has another propellor almost finished at the Speedway aviation shops and declares he will be ready to continue his practice within ten days. The engine was not damaged, although the drop to the ground was a hard one. The planes were torn and broken, but these can be repaired in a short time. Mr. Curzon is giving himself flying lessons at the Speedway to be in practice for the several aerial contests scheduled for the local course this summer. He is the first aeroplanist to make ascensions in Indianapolis."