The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-05-26
limbs Of the public and of the competitors

in the coming contest.
II is pointed out that the course in France
and Spain il 300 miles long. and 1t Is I'M
possible to line it with soldiers or police
whereas The one in Ireland, Of nnety-three
miles, will be guarded by 1000 police and
club stewards, who will insist on the public
keeping to the fields with the walls, hedges
and bitches between them and the road.
The most important fact is that in tho
Irish course there are no grade crossings
and the competing cars number only twelve,
AZ against 200 in the Paris-Madrid race
This, of course, minimizes the risk of col
lisions. Furthermore, the competitors, IN
stead of running one minute apart, are 10
leave at intervals of two and possibly three
minutes
Prominent automobiles in the city,
members Of the Automobile Club OF America
and others. were not free in expressing
opinions on the IRA gedes of the race Most
of them said they preferred to wait nn'''
fuller details were at hand and some de-
clined absolutely to say anything for pub
LEGATION. 1t was learned. however, that
most automobilists here expected disaster
in the race and the reason for this was tho
great number Of starters and tho shor'
interval between their times of starting
More accidents Through COLLISION "'i"
looked for than have l"an reported,
c. G.. Wrdgway, who IL generally rated
as an expert in a motor car and who held
the motor tricycle. championship OF Eng,
land until recently, said From what
have read most Of the accidents were due
to the recklessncss of the chauffeurs who
got hurt The men who had accidents
were not the men entered for the inter-
national cup race, nor men OF the same
class. No good operator would turn out
for dog when going at top speed.
THE slightest swerve al such times IL
dangerous in tho extreme and il you turn
and then hit the dog, you are certain to
lose control OF the steering lever. Ire
! only way to do is to keep straight ahead
and go over the dog. 1t sounds cold
blooded but in such case IT Is dog
life or mans and the dog commits suicide
by being In front of the car. ! have run
over dogs going at forty and fifty miles
an hour without an upset Just held her
steady and sat tight, Turning to one side
for railroad tracks also is ridiculous: we
have not very full reports yet. Tut slis-
pect the car that was overturned on the
tracks went wrong because of it's front
spring clip being broken or wrenched loose
| and citing tie spring and axle fly loose
There were too many inexperienced men
in the race.
"This will make the French club and others
! over there charv about promoting races
and may deter the officials from granting
permission for road contests, but 1t VIII
| not affect the International race. That
ia for a much shorter distance over a =
| comparatively small course and II VIII
have more police on IL than tn re were on
| the whole road between Paris and Madrid.
| 1t will be much better regulated, there
| will he only twelve men in 1t and most OF
them are men of tried experience
| ~ box I'm nl,f n
r. B. Galleher. chairman OF the technical
| Committee OF the American Automobile
| Association. a member OF the Automobile
Club and himself an expert operator. IN
| club on "the danger element in automo-
billing aaid that the danger was not so
much in the speed as in the man, that the
personal equation was everything. Mr.
tialleher when asked what he had to say
relative to the speed and the personal
ut is a case Of the ext rene The personal
equation Of the men undoubtedly was high.
but there Is such thing as getting up TO
a speed where the personal equation falls
below the requirements, and this is case
where the mentality Of the men was not
equal TO the exigencies Of the speed at,
| tanned. At the same time, II the personal
equation had been higher there would have
been fewer accidents. There were men
with experienc" hurt, but there were too
/
going at high speed Forty or fifty mile,
an hour is comparatively easy for good
/ operators. but when you get up to seventy
or eighty miles an hour ii is more than the
personality Of most men can handle with
safety. They went too fast, there were
too many in the race. and the intervals be-
tween the machines we're too small. One
! or two minutes is not much time TO allow
between cars when they are to go at tor
speed, They should have had five or ten
minutes"
"The general effect? 1t is severe blow.
think there will not he so much general
racinG-that IL, events open to all--in France
now, but more like that for the cup. with q
small number Of starters placed in the event
after elimination contests
| what you say raises the question az tC
whether the mentality of any man is equa
to calm control of a car on the road al
eighty or ninety miles an hour.
@Well, I think it is doubtful whether any
one is equal to il, There may he some
! II is hard to say"
Barney Oldfeld of Cleveland. who has a
track record of lOl is for mile, and il here
to race with c. G. Wridgway on Saturday
threw an interesting light. on, the matter
how Tob1b 10 IT i hat aust the e
He said that in going mile on the Empire
City track in l,07 he overlook on the second
lap the dust he had raised the first time
around
| PeTCy Owen, one OF tne tnree americans
entered for the international cup race
declined positively to ray anything for
publication. President Shnttuck of the
Automobile Club is now abroad and is
believed to have been spectator OF the
race
member Of the club. who asked not
to be quoted, said: Il expected worse
list of casualties than have occurred.
There were too many men in the race who
were more daring than competent. But
look at il in another way: There were 2it
starters, according to the report read
there were Cocoon persons along the road
at the starting time, before daylight Tho
route led through number of villages
towns and cities. 1t is probable that the
racers ran through a total population OF a
million people, and most of them were out
along the road. Viewing it this way, and
considering percentage. the list of dead
and injured is not very large. Try some.
thing Of the sort with locomotives, steam.
boats, or even horses, and there would be a
bigger casualty list"