Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-08-17
NO LONGER A SPORT
Automobiling in France has Become
a Cult.
4 MENACE TO PUBLIC SkFEfY
"Get Out of My Way or ] VIII
Kill YOU"
MANY SERIOUS ACCIDENTS
MANY SERIOUS ACCIDENTS
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.


passed away; it is still with us in the guise
of the Automobiles of France. Its motto
! is now what it was in the days of armored
| knighthood: Get out of my way or ! will
kill you"
Things have gone far in France in order
| that words like these, pronounced in the
| chamber of deputies should have excuse
I for being uttered and find respectful hear
| ing. Automobilism, however, is no longer
a mere sport. It's dangerous scorchers can
| no longer claim to be but the pioneers Of a
| new industry in which France is to lead
the world. Automobiling has become an
| exclusive cult. Like the old aristocratic
| idea. it insidiously calls to itself all those
who are strong and domineering, who are
| prompt to force their way, who rejoice in
their strength, despising weakness and hes
itation. Indeed, these are so much the very
| qualities of a good automobile driver that
| the comparison becomes startling.
! Automobiling always will he an expensive
| recreation. The type Of the future domina-
tor of the public road, to be found rarely
yet In such mighty engines as the MOrS
| NO. 4, presented by it's constructor to the
| champion Fourier when he had won the
| Par1s-Berlin race in it, will carry 100 horse
| power potentiality for making itself respect
| ed. Mr.. T.. F. Edges giant Napier car that
attracted SO much attention on the same
! occasion Is actually registered at 90 horse
| power for racing purposes, which means it's
| utmost force is, perhaps, 50 horsepower
| However, cheap, therefore, and within the
| reach of all two-hOrSe petroleum moto-
| cycles and tricycles may become the pub
| lie road threatens to become again what it
| was in the sO-calied days Of chiyalry a
| tHtlng ground for force to triumph in.
Forces Let Loose
/ Up to the present, in the modern system,
these blind forces of machinery have been
always fixed to their place. The locomotive
| has been confined to it's tracks Now all
this is to be changed. With the automobile
| these terrific forces are to be let loose upon
| the world. They can defend themselves
| Inc police force is powerless against them
| They are dangerous, and say: Get out Of
my way or / will kill your
NJ. Gauthier Ode Clagny) is one of. the
French deputies who believes that the au-
tomob1le arfstocracy ought to be more than
regulated at the present moment before it
grows SO powerful that it cannot be
touched. During the great automobile race
from Paris to Berlin he had his scouts
! upon the road to study the practical ethics
OF these modern knights errant, gather ex-
act details of accidents and come to an
understanding of the temper Of the peas
antry with respect to these matters. In the
accidents at Reims, Vessel, Dusseldorf,
Hanover and on the road between Magde-
| burg and Berlin he found ample material
for his great Interpolation in the chamber
OF deputies. The chamber devoted half a
day to the question, because it could not
do otherwise. Member after member rose
to give notice that he wished to speak.
From all sides cries of 1T is scandalous!''
Good! Good! Go for them!f interrupted
and encouraged Gauthier De Clagny) In
his speech.
NJ. Waldeck- Rousseau, the prime minis
ter, felt called upon to answer in person. in
a speech Of almost three-quarters of an
hour. Then the friends of the automo-
billing idea, declaring they had no OBJ
lection TO legitimate regulation but pre-
tending that the question could not be
treated offhand, but must be studied,
soothed the debate into silence.
Accidents i'm the Great Race.
The Paris-Berlin race of the present sum-
mer, being the first great International
event of it's kind df Paris-Amsterdam be
excepted). called the attention of all Eu-
rope to these new dangers Of the road.
Isolated and unpicturesque accidents make
small impression on the general public;
but here was a great event, engaging the
interest Of all Europe, which exacted as
| it's toll the killing of three human beings
| the manning of half dozen others and the
destruction of considerable live stock prop
| erty. In only one case, that of Count
! Schwiner was the victim oothe automo-
| billing class. All the others were quiet Pc
deStrianS children playing in front of their
parents cottages or cOuntrymen returning
| from their daily labor.
| In the Paris-Berlin race, too the speed
| question posed itself as it had never done
| before. Automobiiing is, after all, SO new
| that the public of great cities is still won
| derfully ignorant Of this burning question.
| Paris Bordeaux Tin 1889 was won with a
| four-horse-power Panhard and Levassor
machine at an average speed of fifteen and
| one-half miles an hour. In 1896 the winner
Of Paris-Marseiles was an eight horse
power machine Of the same type, averaging
| nineteen miles an hour Paris-Amsterdam
| brought the average speed up to twenty
| five miles an hour and the horse power up
| to twelve. Then, with the tour Of France
| in 1899 and Paris-Toulouse in 1900 the
Mors and Panhard monsters Of twenty
horse power, thirty horse power, forty
| horse power. After Paris-Bordeaux OF
| 1901 eighty kilometers fifty miles) an
| Torrance Of a high-class road racing an
tomobile.
At Tremendous Speed.
What must not be overlooked is that the
speeds here mentioned are not those of rec
ord spurts, but averages maintained
| through hours and hours along the public
| roads Of France. Cool-headed men of
strength and iron nerve, like Fourier.
| Rene de Knyff, Foxhall Keene, the Ameri-
| can. and e. F. Edge, the Englishman, think
| nothing of squirting mile in so seconds
Mr.. Edge, In his Engiish-made) Napier
| car has done a flying kilometer C62 mile)
| in 81 2-5 seconds and miles in minutes
| A seconds on the Charities road to the west
| Of Paris. FOurnier's So kilometers (53
| miles) an hour In the Paris-Bordeaux race
| Of the present year was actually MAIN
| tanned by him hour after hour. It Is true
| that, because of the bad roads of Germany.
| the averages Of Paris-Bordeaux were not
| repeated in the race from Paris to Berlin,
| where the three first in-Fournier, Girardot
and De Knyn-did the / 1913 kilometers G42
| miles, in something over Is hours, at an
| average speed of IS klometers (46 miles)
! per hour. but when the fiame-spitting
| devil-engine comes laundering down upon
| him at this rate the extra kilometers mat
| ter little to the mangled pedestrian.
| 1t was by an automobile going at such
| terrific speed that the boy Ernest Brewer
| was killed in the public road outside the
| city Of Rheims by Brazier, one Of the Mors
| contingent. 1t happened within half a
! mile Of the Rheims timing station. Brazier
had been gaining steadily on a competitor,
| and as the road widened, saw that he
| could pass him. He did pass him, at full
| speed; but, dashing along, close to the side
| Of the road, as he was forced to do, he did
! not perceive this ten-year-old boy in time
| either to warn him, turn out for him or
| even slow up. The boys skull was crack
| ed, his legs were broken and he died with
| in half an hour.
1 Showed His Regret.
! OF course 1t Is needless to add that M.