The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-26
AUTOS AT THRILLING SPEED,
o1DFTELD TRAVELS A NILE IN
5J rs SECONDS.
rrord wonders at the Daring OF Rec
or,,-Breaker I'm Negotiating Corners
New Figures All Along the Line at
Empire CITY TraCk--NO Accidents.

Empire alty Irack-S0 Accuchas'
A mile In a minute was made to seem COM |
,,onplace BY the performances at the auto
.,ohile races at the Empire City track yes-
s,rdsv N was the fastest meet OF any sort |
aver seen In this country, record-breaking
and rccord-malting affair from start to finish
Tho crowd thrilled and shivered and gulped |
,,,,d cosped so vehemently that the thousands
ny,ndrawn breaths seemed to cut out vacuum
IN which one grew dizzv while the auto Of Bar
~, nli,leli. the great record-brelker with |
,,ront swish and a roar like that of distant
rnpnonading, swooped along over the home
stretch skated broadwise through the turns
ybirlod along the backstretch. lung through
.ho far turn again and whiz2ed across the
,ana making him the holder of the new record
,or rho world of n mile in 55 As seconds.
New records were made all along the line
an COMPLETELY that the times made during the
asernoon form Of themselves almost COM
,Icts table Of automobile records OF every
.or, out of five events new competition
,ecords we're made in every race excepting
,,a and that was the free-for-all. which came
Inst on the programme
new set of figures from one mile to ff-
teen inclusive was made for the heavy type
If towing CIR; new figures from one to five
miles inclusive. were made Tor light cars
,rotyhinr under 200 pounds in one race.
from SIX to ten miles, inclusive. were made.
The records from ten miles to fifteen have
,ood since i9Oi when they were established
nv A C. Bostwick. In the tve-mile match
race between Oldfeld and La Roche. miles
in les, than a minute were reeled of sue
,essiyel, and there was in all almost a surfeit
Of speed for the day. The excitement tired
the spectators visibly, yet nearly all stayed
ul tie end
I'm some of the races there was q close con-
TEST for a mile or TWO that kept the crowd
ON edge but then it would string out as
some machine let out IL notch and took n lead
that made II Il sure winner. barring accident
Nv actual count there were 800 auto
mobiles parked in front Of, mt the sides and
underneath the big grand stand, The stand
its Ii contained between six and seven thou
sand persons. and hundreds more we're scat
tered about the grounds
The record breaking began with the first
event the tive-mile race for cars less than
200 pounds in weight. and noteworthy
tAing about this race is that an American
made cur of ten horse power beat French
Innda car of sixteen horsepower. II is
further remarkable that the American car
was one OF style that uses no water jacket
TO cool its cylinders. but is air cooled. and
vet on hot day it ran Ave miles. vita the
sun streaming on the engine, in minutes
81 go seconds The Franklin car was win
ner almost from the start OF the first event.
The mile trial Of Barney oldheld was put
on next because Oldneld requested it, he
said tAat ne wanted To settle lis record stand
ing here in the last while tue chairman Of
the A. A. A. Race COmnittee was referee and
all the officially recognized timers were on
hand
Uldfeld went for the record with a flying
me Gs car ca got nhdSr M
and alone, sat In it and crossed the tape every
one caught IA breath and realized that he was
moving at hitherto unseen speed. There
vas no time to think of much. to marvel at
the daring Of the man or to wonder why lie kept
10 the outside OF the track away from the
pole before there cane an exhibition OF hair
raising daring and nerve and skill that eX-
planned Keeping near the outer fence Old
violently and shot into the turn, Swimming
like a huge projeotile close to the rail.
As the front wheels turned, in response to
the drivers sudden and tremendous work at
the steering wheel which caused ms strange
contos lions. the rear wheels slid sideways
up the dirt In a. cloud that drove the spec
tators nsar the fence, hurrying away. pell-
crowd to gulp and gasp with a sound that
blended into one long moan. Faces, of men
used TO all sorts q dare ideSii sports blanShed.
as II with ague. The exhibition was Old
neld's method OF making the turn; that was
stead Of trying to hug the pole as closely as
In tn Sackstretch he did not turn up much
dust and IA he fitted through there were
Afew moments in which to estimate his speed.
TO admire and marvel at II. W hen he finished
the mile, and the time OF 55 As secor," was
announced, there was tremendous demon
stration The former record for the llacN.
nude by Oldfeld on May 80, was minute
2-5seoonds.
test all the way. For the first mile the three
ears kept close together: Then the Franklin
that won the first race drew gradually away
and ended by putii..g second victory 10 It's
credit and triumI hing over second foreign
made oar. and adding five additional new
The thres-sided race between the Mer-
Gedes that Ia sister car to IT, one Jenatzy
drove to victory in Ireland. the DecanNille
rs,s Was close for three-quarters Of a mile
Thin the Mercedes began To- draw away away
ess cup Sqe racer Kept dGoSpiSg Back Al i've
miles Crosse. with the Mercedes. was leading
by 200 Yards and had made new record OF
record OF minutes 81 seconds. made May 60
" ten miles Crosse had lead Of third OF a
mile. and after Tint the rGce was rag never in
G IN the match Itch race between OdGed and
La Roche. the former had It all his own way
In the first heat, they started from opposite
one false start Oidfeld had an unlighted
cigar in his mouth when he first started;
IN the nrat turn n screw Oh Hls rp"h 'ot
fastening jumped loose and he slowed and
stopped. The officials called i no start.
After they got away the second time, from
standst Il, he began at once to eat up the
distance that separated him from his COM
petItor and also to make new RECORDS from
standing start Oldheld led at the end
Of the first mile by two furlongs. at the sec,
ond by four furlongs; he caught ana passed
La Roche In the fourth mile and won by
lust about a mile. In the second heat he
Iie gained steadily and won by mile and
quarter, after Keeling on the second mile in
q rs seconds, the third In 81 S,5 seconds.
the fourth In 81 3-5 and the fifth in IS 4-5
seconds His time for the five miles OF 4
minutes and IS seconds Is new competi.
ton record but gainst time Oldfeld's record
for five miles with "a fying start Is minutes
"A seconds, made on July at Columbus
In tho free-for-all four machines started,
and for a couple Of miles 1t locked like a sure
valve break in the third mile. however, and
then Sinohoe took the leGd. he led until
in the sixth n lie he tore rear tire. Ind then
Page went 20 the front and stayed there till
he end. winning by more than mile. Prge
drove his car To the end, going rine miles
with hs tire tapping about like torn rag.
and Tire crowd momentarily expecting to see
MIN upset
Five Mucs.-For machines OF any motive power
klnS,n 10 rse . rwer Franklin by three quarters
~ a mile. c 4! W p. Har WIS 10 horse power Oar
Iac9 driven by l. o. Gitchcl second; F. A.
Ia Ricne's p horse power Darracg. tniIa c =. -
Rohblns's rise power Orient. fnrth; r. f. Good
mans rie p>wer n rthern. NTH. Time, .
mlnle' 81 3-i o,nda Time bv miles, minute
Is sec ,ndS. minutes 40 as seconds. minutes
seconds; minutes 70 rs secOndI = minutes % 80