1929: Wreck
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Home movie footage taken by the Armstrong family on a vacation to Florida, including scenes from the aftermath of a deadly car racing accident at Daytona Beach.
Credits
John O. Armstrong (filmmaker); Florence Wilson Armstrong (filmmaker); John O. Armstrong (participant); Florence Wilson Armstrong (participant); Jack Armstrong (participant); Roger Armstrong (participant)
Complete catalog record
Cfa collection: Armstrong Family Collection
Notes: Begins with footage of the family attending a car race on Daytona Beach on March 13, 1929. After some shots of airplanes and the Armstrongs playing on a teeter-totter, the film cuts to footage of a mangled automobile and ambulances on the beach. The crash killed mechanic and dirt-track racer Lee Bible, who was attempting a speed record on the beach, and Pathe cameraman Charles Traub. Bible's White Triplex Special, which was equipped with three V12 Liberty airplane engines, crashed after attaining a speed of 202.7 mph. The deadly car crash on the sands of Daytona Beach was front-page news around the country; it was subject of newsreels in theaters and even songs.; The remainder of the reel includes footage of John O., Florence, Jack and Roger Armstrong swimming and diving in a Florida pool and dining at a picnic table with extended family. Concludes with a humorous scene of John O. posing with Spanish moss as a fake beard and head of hair.
Subjects: Automobile racing; Automobiles; Beaches; Family recreation; Rescue work; Disasters; Swimming; Picnics
Places: North America > United States > Florida > Daytona Beach
Cfa elements: Reversal Positives, 100 feet
Cfa records: https://collections.chicagofilmarchives.org/Detail/objects/21978
Notes: Begins with footage of the family attending a car race on Daytona Beach on March 13, 1929. After some shots of airplanes and the Armstrongs playing on a teeter-totter, the film cuts to footage of a mangled automobile and ambulances on the beach. The crash killed mechanic and dirt-track racer Lee Bible, who was attempting a speed record on the beach, and Pathe cameraman Charles Traub. Bible's White Triplex Special, which was equipped with three V12 Liberty airplane engines, crashed after attaining a speed of 202.7 mph. The deadly car crash on the sands of Daytona Beach was front-page news around the country; it was subject of newsreels in theaters and even songs.; The remainder of the reel includes footage of John O., Florence, Jack and Roger Armstrong swimming and diving in a Florida pool and dining at a picnic table with extended family. Concludes with a humorous scene of John O. posing with Spanish moss as a fake beard and head of hair.
Subjects: Automobile racing; Automobiles; Beaches; Family recreation; Rescue work; Disasters; Swimming; Picnics
Places: North America > United States > Florida > Daytona Beach
Cfa elements: Reversal Positives, 100 feet
Cfa records: https://collections.chicagofilmarchives.org/Detail/objects/21978
Sources
- Chicago Film Archives · record ↗ — title, year, creator, format, color, sound, genre, description, credits, catalog record, video
Record added 2026-11-08 21:25:24