Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-06-10
AUTO MOBILE SPORT.
The Tour of an English CIub aud
What IL Has shown.

| From the London Mail.
The Whitsuniide tour of the Automobile
| Club to oxford and the Midlands will be
| brought to a close today when the MEM
bers taking part In It return to london
| TeleSraphing from bennington last night,
| a Daily Mail representative who has ac-
companied the party says the tests to
which the cars have been put during the
last two days have been severe and varied
enough. The results speak eloquently for
the drivers no less than the automobiles, as
/ in spite Of rough and greasy roads, which
have caused slight breakdowns. these have
! not prevented the cars from turning up at
| the appointed rendezvous
| If anything Will help the popularity Of
automobiles in Eng and it will be tn, dis
! tlncty sporting element which attaches to
| them. People with leisure lind il amusing
| to sail heir own yachts. and to KNOW the
why and wherefore OF every block spar
and tackle; fishermen tie their own Glps:
cyclists in many cases know every integral
part of their machines, and the hunting
man is not only an authority on saddles
and bits, but Is, as a rule, no mean horse
doctor, ana can read natures signs
backwoOdsman. 1t is precisely the same
with the keen automobiles. He takes "A
pride In his particular type OF carriage and
motor and he talks affectionately ~ bis
cylinders, "piniOns,' ignition tubes" ard
'clutchers."
After a run the owners of cars which
have cost anything from II 800 downward
may be seen in suit OF oil-Siained cotton
overalls, with hands and face black as an
engine drivers, seeing carefully to each
wal part of their motors. The aid OF
hOstlers is often called in to WASH the
wheels and body of the Cur, but the engines
! are the owners care. and everything Is
! done on the principe Of doing "A thing ones
self If il is TO be done properly.
1t Is difficult, perhaps to say which 81
the types represented on the tour have
| proved most satisfactory. The "Lfu' steam
wagOnette has won golden opinions, and IS
voted the ideal vehicle for heavy passenger
| traffic, for il is fast, handy is any Of the
smaller carriages ana reliable. The Eng
fish Daimler" too. has gone exc-litutly,
as has the "Mors:" and NJ. Ducr.'s.t's
French-buit Hercules is an eight horse
power motor which takes lot Of beating
for work on the level and hillclmh.n..
Fond as any one may be Uf horses, II can
not be denied that Tor a tour such as that
undertaken by the Automobile Club a Re
liable automobile gives advantages such as
no horse ever foa!ed could. The trip
through some of the prett.est portions of
OXfordshire, Bucks and Warwickshlre
could not have been done as the aulocdrS
have done ii without immense sad OF
horses and at enormous cost
The greatest drawback at present To the
use Of automobiles is the difficulty 81 OBJ
tanning petrol, the essence of which sup
plies the motive power, in ouI-of-Jna- way
places. This will doubtless be remedlcd
within the next few years, when, without
a doubt, the automobile will have obtained
as firm hold on sporting Englishmen as
it has on our cross-channel cousins.
People have laughed at the title sport
as applied to automobiiis1n, but il is a sport,
genuine and possessing a Fascination and
excitement which hunting and yachting
would seldom surpass.