The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1903-05-27
AUTOMOBILE RACE
HORRIBLE AFFAIR
English Writer and Artist Writes.
a Graphic Description
NO EFFORT AT PROTECTION
Horse-drawn Traffic Was stopped on
the Road, But lnbeciIes on Motors
and Bicycles careened About
Almost Anywhere.

London, May 26.-Joseph Pencil. the
artist and writer, has sent most graph
lie description of the first stage of the
Paris Madrid automobile race to the
Daily Chronicle from Chartres After de-
seribing the assembling of the crowds
and how finally, the racers were seen
coming from the top of a hill, he con-
tinued:
As the cars fell-there is no other word
for it-down the slopes and approached
the narrow bridge, jumped with bound
across and flew with scream up the
rise beyond, one could see by the witch
of the wheels. not half of which was
caused by the road. how agonizing' was
the strain on the driver, forced to make
his way through the endless. uncontrolled
crowds which Uttered the road from Paris
to Bordeaux. Much as one may esteem
the broad minded views of the French
government in encouraging the motor in
dustry, the governments neglect to pro-
tect the course was criminal, and moth
ing else.
No Attempt TO Control Crowds.
Though on the stretch of eight kllo-
meters between Charities to the first VII
lage there were from 5000 to 10000 people
and 500 to 1000 cars, no attempt was made
to control the crowds, mostly made up of
peasants and people from Paris who
knew nothing of automobiles. The horse
drawn traffic was stopped during the
race, but the fools on bicycles and the
| imbeciles on motors careened about and
drew up anywhere all over the road, and
only escaped killing themselves and the
racing men by sheer dumb luck which
is said to protect drunken men. children
and fools. Yet people wonder why acct
dents happen.
1.-The conduct of the military authori-
| ties was Incredible. From Charities to the
| narrow bridge at the foot of the hill, the
roadway was kept clear by a regiment of
| infantry and some gendarmes and pedes-
| TRANS were not permitted to cross the
| bridge, but had to pass through the
stream below making jam at both ends
| of the bridge, while ordinary motor cars
and motor cycres were allowed free pas
| sage, of which they took such advantage
| that one of the racing cars was stopped
dead in order that a person on an or
binary car might crawl over. AS for
the motor cycles in the race, they were
| simply used near Charities as pacing
wanted to take them on. Measures for
preserving the safety of the public were
either non existant or Of the most rldicu-
| lous character.
HysterieaI Scenes.
Mr.. Pencil then describes the scenes
at the headquarters al Charities and the
appearance and often hysterical demean-
or of the drivers who were out of the
| race and says:
Further up the street was another
car with huge cash in the tire of one
wheel, the other tire down and the whole
twisted and bent, in the hands of a dozen
workmen. Walking away therefrom was
| a human being with a part of cap over
one ear and part of a pair of goggles
over the other plastered with mud and oil.
in rags and tatters of what had once been
| a suit of clothes. 1t opened its mouth
and said in a voice choked with tears
and in the American language
4 do not mind breaking down again;
| but it makes me so very angry
ut was Mr.. Vanderbilt and he had been
| In q ditch"