The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1903-07-30
FASTER THAN ANY TRAIN

The recent action taken by the
French government with regard to
rapid long distance automobile racing
is a highly commendable one. No
other sport in existence is so hazardous
and so endangers life and limb as
does a motor car race like the one run
in the early part of the summer from
Versailles to Bordeaux. distance of
342 miles. The race as first planned
was from Paris to Madrid exactly 500
miles, but on account Of the long
list of fatalities the course was
stopped at Bordeaux and the world
will probably never again witness such
a race. James Holland in the August
number Of Munsey's has an interesting
and illustrated account of the race,
describing the event as it really
was and not, perhaps, as the newspa-
pers at the time and during the excite
ment because Of the number of killed
and wounded, pictured it. From this
account the facts are taken
Three hundred and fifteen competitors
entered the race, but for various rea-
SONS only 115 started, including expert
automobilists from all parts Of Europe
and two from America. These were
W. K. Vanderbilt, Jr., and FoXhall
Keene, both destined to withdraw
from the contest before Bordeaux was
reached because of accidents to their
machines. One other American,
Harry S. Hardness, was entered for
the race but prior to the start some
thing was wrong with his machine
and he was compelled to drop out
Only one lady contested, Nine. du
Cart; she failed, however, to reach
the high rate of speed maintained by
, the other contestants, and consequent
ly secured no place at the finish.
The automobiles were started from
Versailles at intervals OF one minute,
} beginning at 3. 40 O'Clock in the morn
, ing, and taking up to twenty minutes
T of six for the last to get away. 1t is
were ON hand, scattered along the
: route, to witness the contest, but be-
5 fore the two hours occupied in start
: ing the various competitors had elaps.
: ed many became wearied Of the sight
5 and withdrew. In his account of the
. accidents encountered Holland says
Stories of the terrible places to be
encountered in crossing the mountains
No 70, fn no hn 1a11l,l ia
5 mind and long before the telegraph
= brought tidings of the first arrival at
Bordeaux, reports of disaster along the
route began to multiply on every side.
| ''One of the first wrecks on the
t road was that of the car in which
Marcel Renault was attempting to re-
5 peat his victory of last year. In try
: ing to pass another machine he was
he could recover control his car had
crashed into a tree. hurting both
driver and machine into the ditch
| Renault lived but three days, during
/ which time he suffered intense agony
) The list of accidents grew more APP
/ palling as hour after hour passed
Messrs. Vanderbilt, Keene. Fourier,
! 'e Kuytf and several other prominent
conn. editors were reported to have
droptseo out of the race. none of them
personally injured but all with ma
chimes more or less completely
| wrecked. Other mishaps were still
more serious, some of them being due
to strange bits of i'll luck. Mr.. Bar
rows car ran over dog, turned side
wi se, and struck tree, killing the
chauffeur and mortally injuring the
owner. Mr.. Porter, an Irish repre-
sentative. had somewhat similar ac-
cident, his machine being upset in
che road, where it caught fire and
, burned his companion, Mr.. Nixon, to
, death. A Frenchman, M. Tourand,
lost control of his automobile, which
, plowed into crowd of spectators and
killed three of them--a tragedy which
| drove its Mortified author temporarily
insane Such a series OF fatalities
' left no cause for surprise when it wal
r announced that by the order OF the
e French government the race was moi
4 to be continued
S With regard to the finish OF the
& race Mr.. Holland writes: Mean
a while the contest among the lead
: ers was being carried on at a pace
q that defies imagination to follow
d Between Jarrot and Louis Renault
J. the first and third to leave Versailles
"a it was neck and neck race every incl
IS of the three hundred and forty mile
Ia to Bordeaux. Renault reached Bor
n deaux first, forty minutes after mid
day, looking, as one writer describe
r him, like moving sand-hill. Rem
II ault's joy at his success was quicki
Of dampened by tidings of the shockin
he accident of his brother. Sixteen min
as utes after Renault passed the wirin
- ...I t,alf nm