The Savannah morning news., 1902-03-09
AT RALLY WAY SPEED
RACING AUTOMOBILES SPED
AROUND THE MILE TRACK.
LARGE CROWDS SAW THEM.
RACES ARRANGED By THE VISIT
ING AUTOMOBILIsTS.

mObiIes-The Drivers Were Mr.. A.
Z. whitney of New York and Mr..
It. A. BrysOn and DIR. j. $. Howkins.
Mr.. whitney Won and Donated
the Prize, $25, offered by Messrs.
Rainey, to Fresh Air Fund-ME.
Roy A. Rainey Beat MIR. w. t.
whitney in "A Ten-sIiIe Handicap.
Hundreds went to the Fair Grounds
/ yesterday afternoon to see the automo-
bile races. The show was free, being
/ given by the visiting automobiles
/ from the North and the East, and the
crowd testified to the interest there is
in Savannah in the swift machines and
! to appreciation of the visitors ar
rangements of the races.
The scene smacked of the State Fair.
! The grandstand had many spectators,
and many more, who had driven out
watched the autos go whizzing by.
Everybody enjoyed the races, and those
that are held next Saturday promise
to be largely attended.
BY $3.50 o'clock, the hour advertised
for the races to begin, the crowd had
gathered, and there was enough to keep
up the interest until the starters were
called out by the clang of the bell. The
automobiles were not selfish with
their machines, but delighted the hearts
of several ladies by taking them for
a ride, which ended at the track. The
arrival of the party was a feature and
kept the grandstand's occupants inter-
ested until the autos began to make
the work of race horses look slow.
With Mr.. Roy A. Rainey driving one
machine sped down the track to the
| judges stand, where the party alight-
ed. Comprising it, besides Mr.. Rainey,
were Miss Ethel Taylor, Miss Nina
! Crane, Miss Chase and Mr.. A e. Whit
ney In the next machine, besides Mr..
| w. T. Whitney, who drove 1t, were
| Mrs. ]. S. Howkins, Miss Anne Butler
and Mr. Carl Blenner. Miss Hayward
| and DIR. r. N. Brandt were the occu-
pants of an Oldsmobile. This party
found places in the judges stand, where
Mr. Rainey made the announcements
of the races.
AS an announcer Mr.. Rainey
proved himself wonder His voice
! carried well, and the people in the
| grandstand caught his every word.
He told just enough about the ma
| chimes and the conditions of the races
to permit their ready understanding,
and his occasional jokes brought good
natured applause.
One Mile Against Time.
The first event, Mr.. Rainey stated,
would be against time, Mr.. H. G.
Baxter of Brunswick, Me-, would
race his Winton car twice around the
track, once each way. He was placed
first on the programme because he
| wanted to get his machine back to the
city to load it aboard a steamship
bound for New York, as he is about
to bring his six weeks stay in Sa-
vannah to a close.
With a companion seated beside him
| Mr.. Baxter then started his heavy 40
! horse power car some 200 yards from
the wire. At railway speed and with
hum and a whir, the car went under
the wire. 1t was easy to see that no
running horse had ever passed so
rapidly over the track. It was but a
brief space before the machine was in
the stretch, and spectators craned
their necks to note it's coming. Under
the wire it sped, and 1:301s was the
time announced by Mr.. Rainey. That
| was the fastest time made, but the
| record of the machine is 1905 for a
mile. The track was little heavy, or
better time might have been made.
Back Mr. Baxter started then for the
third trip around the other way 1t
| could be judged that he was not MAX
ing quite so good time as before, as
the wind seemed to be against him
on a longer reach of the track, and
wind resistance is the principal factor
to delay a racing automobile. The time
announced after he passed under the
wire was 1882. Mr.. Bakers perform
ance was received with applause, for
he had shown great speed. He had
Travelled around the track at the rate
! of forty miles an hour
The next event was competitive. Odds
mobiles were the starters. One was
driven by Mr.. Whitney, who is regard
| ed in New York as the most expert
operator of an Oldsmobile in that city;
another was driven by Mr.. T. A. Bry-
son, and the third was driven by DR..
j. S. Howkins. Each sat alone in the
carriage, for the weight was to be as
light as possible, and the least wind
resistance was to be offered.
Mr.. Rainey announced that there
was to be no "jockeying, but that
every driver had to do his best, fairly
and honestly, to earn the $25 that had
been offered as a prize for the winner.
Then he started the three machines
up the track, telling the drivers to
| DAlllS lllSllh dP. bpSChACls anu tiAe'Ns -
they didn't get a good start, he would
tap the bell to call them back.
Down the track the OldsmobileS
came, but the pace was slow. Mr.
| Rainey gave the bell a tap, and back
| the machines came. 1--WE want to see
how fast you can go; not how Slow"
Mr.. Rainey announced.
Next time there was better start,
| and off the drivers went for their
five-mile race. Mr.. Whitney got the
| lead, but Mr.. Bryson soon passed,
keeping the lead until the last lap
but Mr.. Whitney was always well up
with him. DR.. Howkins was hope
lessly beaten before the first mile was
passed Each driver was greeted with
| applause as he passed under the wire
| after the first mile. and DIR. Howkins
came in for a lions share. He kept
bravely at the task, but the experts
said that he seemed to be too careful
about turning on his gasoline. A
youngster in the judges stand remark
! ed that "Dr. HoNSxins is tryin' to save
OIL"
The crowd in the judges stand
wanted Mr.. Whitney to win. He had
said that, if he won the prize. it would
| go to the Fresh Air Fund of Froebel
/ Circle of Kings Daughters, one of the
young ladies having prompted him to
this disposition of it. 1t was amid
cheers. therefore, on the last lap that
Mr.. Whitney closed up the gap of so
yards that had separated him from
Mr.. Bryson, passed him and came I'M