New-York tribune., 1904-10-09
HOW THE RICE WAS RUN.
Heath and Clement Finish One-TsCo
Tires Trouble Uany.

George Heath. ar American. who has
gained considerable fame as a winner Of
automobile road races abroad, was the
victor of the Vanderbilt Cup race. held
on Long Island yesterday. he was in a Pam
hard car OF 90 horsepower. and finished one
minute and twenty-eight seconds ahead OF Al
bert Clement, son of the French automobile
manufacturer. who drove one Of his fathers 50
horsepower CIement-BayaTd cars After Glenn
ent finished. he returned to the judges stand
and declared that he had been unjustly dealt
with at one of the controls
In voIubIe and excited French he argued his
case with William X. Vanderbilt. tr.. donor Of
the cup. Clement was wild looking object. his
face caked with the oil soaked dust of the course
as he gesticulated and stammered out his COM
plaint. He said that he was delayed by not
being allowed TO take on gasOlene in the control.
and had to do so on the outside. 1t was finally
decided to settle the question at meeting Of Ine
racing committee OF the American Automobile
Association. TO be held at Garden City later In
the evening.
The authorities bad insisted. Clement declared
that he take on the gasolene and make his re-
pairs outside the control. This. Clement told
Mr. Vanderbilt was partly the result Of his
speaking English. His chances in the very
close race had suffered. he believed. because OF
the time he had lost in this way.
Mr.. Vanderbilt explained the rules to the ex-
cited Frenchman and said that he thought he
had been treated no differently from any OEier
driver Later. Clement rather abandoned this
contention. and set up another about Heath's
car being over weight. This caused a rather
elaborate dispute between Clement. Heath and
Mr. Riker. Of the committee on weights. FL
naIly. Heath's counted as under the
maximum weight-22O4 pounds. Its actual
weight was not revealed.
Every one Of the eighteen starters was at
the grandstand at Westbury at a. m. when
the race was started. with the exception OF Pau.
SartOri. with the 9O-hOrsepOwer Fiat machine
Of Alfred g. Vanderbilt. After the race was
more than two hours under way Sartori arrived
with his ponderous machine and passed the
starting line flying at seventy mile an hour
gait The officials telephOned to Hampstead and
informed Sartori that he would have to take a
standing start the same the other cOmpet.-
tors, and when SartOri came dashing around
the course TO the starting line again the Offi-
cials held UP their hands to Sartori TO stop. He
failed to do so. however. and was disqualified
ACCIDENT DELAYS HEATH
The race was the first OF its kind held In this
country. In it were cars Of the latest make
and highest horsepower Of four different nations,
driven by men with years OF experience Heath
had started ten minutes ahead of Clement and
in the early rounds had gained big lead. AT
the sixth zap of $50 miles he was first, 10 min
utes in front Of Clement. and in the following
round Heath increased his lead 20 10 minutes
and II seconds. Then one Of his tires was
punctured. and Clement passed him at Queens.
The accident almost made him second at the
finish Clement then went to the front and az
the 30 mile mark was leading by is minutes.
Just soon his tire was mende6 Heath
started Off at the tremendous speed Of ninety
miles hour cut down Clements lead at the
2IO miles to minute and IS seconds. and then
started in on the final spurt. He crossed the
tape at the finish as Clement passed through
Queens, and the spectators waited with eager
anxiety for the arrival of Clement.
The police made desperate efforts to clear the
course after Clement finished. but without sue
cess. Mr.. Vanderbilt then decided to stop the
race. The other ears were far behind the two
leaders. Lyttle. driving the 24-hOrsepoVser
Pope-TOledo. the lowest powered car in the race.
vas third when the race was stopped.
Over the oiled thirty miles stretch OF road
both sides were almost solid masses or specta-
tors. The ears raced from O'Clock In the
morning until shortly after / In the afternoon.
a frlshtfulspace was set UP from the start. In
the straight course before the grandstand some
OF thsm went by so fast that they seemed like
specks blown before the wind. They were seen.
and in an Instant We're gone.
For those fond OF exciter.eut that makes the
pulse quicken and the breath stop. the race was
one of a lifetime. 1T many times few OF ths
ears would pass the grancsrand hardly twenty
five yards from each other Frank Croker whose
machine met with many mishaps in the race.
was probably one Of the most interesting figures.
He fought il out with the Croker stubbOrnness
in the sixty miles of the first two rounds. Then
his machine met tire trouble that caused him
a long delay He tied up for nearly tEree-quar-
ters OF hour in the next round with similar
difficulty but drove o. undauuted-
In the second round Croker and Clement came
by the stand so close together that they seemed
seated in one car Gabriel, second "a be sent on.
passed the Stevens Mercedes car that started
two minutes before him in the first circuit, and
made creditabe showing for $50 miles. Tires
and other difficulties then put him out.
In the first round he passed Campbell. driv-
ing Stevens's car. and made bis fastest time in
the next round. covering the thirty miles in
= minutes and IA seconds.
Gabriel escaped being hit By a Long Island
Railroad train by barely thirty feet. The tracks
cross the roadway at NIineoIa. ana signalmen
were stationed there to guard against ulshaps.