The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-10-08
His Margin Was One Minute 2S
Seconds at Finish.
BUT ONE MAN KILLED.
Four Were Injured But None of
These Fatally.
Average of 60 Miles an Hour
for 800 Miles.
Speed of 100 Miles an Hour At.
tained at Times.


New York Oct S.-George Heath, an
American driving an imported car and
representing the Automobile club of
France, today won the William K. Van
derbilt, jr., cup in the 800 mile road race
held on Long Island under the auspices
of the Automobile Club of America. He
won by the narrow margin of one min
ute and 2S seconds.
The contest cost one life and at least
four persons were injured, none of
them. however. fatally The fatal acci-
dent occurred to the car of George
Arents, jr., a wealthy New York man
and the man killed was Karl Menzel,
his machinist. Arents' car was No. 5,
and he was driving at a tremendous
speed when just as he approached a
sharp curve on the Hampstead road, a
front tire slipped and the great 60 horse
power machine went over. Both Arents
and Menzel were hurled with tremen-
dous force to the roadway. Both were
picked up unconscious and hurried to
a hospital where Menzel died in a
short while. Mr.. Arents' injuries are
said not to be of a serious character.
All of those injured were connected in
some way with the race, most of them
being helpers.
OF the 18 starters VINO went across the
line at O'Clock this morning, but Z
were left when the seventh lap of the
course was concluded.
Burst tires, broken parts of machinery
and other mechanical arrangements
were the cause of most of the dropping
out. Gabriel, the noted French driver
VINO was looked upon as a likely winner,
was well in the lead in the first thu ee
laps, but he was gradually overhauled
and passed and in the seventh lap when
l. 1.,-1-- -,
the race. When there were but two
rounds left of the 10 required to finish
the 80 miles it was evident that the
contest lay between Heath and Albert
Clement, who also drove an imported
car and represented the Automobile
club of France. Clement finished Sec
ond and H. H. Lyttle driving an Amer
lean machine, was third. His car was
a ninety horse power car and Clement
an eighty.
Gabriel's Narrow Escape.
Heath took the lead early in the race
and maintained it stea 1iiSr. having a
good lead over all the competitors up
to the finish of the sixth round. VI, to
that time Gabriel had held second po
sition but an accident put him tempor-
arily out of the race and Clement dr1v
ing his own machine took the position
next behind the leader. Clement made
the sixth round in 81 minutes. In the
circuit of the course Heath experience
ed considerable hard luck, taking 4S1
to cover the course. Technically this
meant loss of II points to. the leader
and left Clement lacking only 10 points
of the leading position.
At that point Clement and Heath
were well in the lead and both were
pushing their cars to the utmost.
Gabriel had a second thrilling escape
from collision with a train. This time
it was at Queens. A passenger train
had stopped at the station and unload
i4ey Iad xaI na clio
nal to go ahead. The station is only
about 100 feet from the roadway. On
receiving the signal that the track was
clear the engineer started up, and the
had reached the middle of
the race course when GabriePs car
rushed down the road. A shout went
up from the crowd gathered at the
and the signal was waved
the train. The lever was promptly re-
versed, and as the locomotive slowly
backed off the course the machine
flashed by, missing the COW catcher by
less than two feet.
Heath's bad luck pursued him. In
the seventh round his tire was punctur-
ed at Queens almost at the spot where
Gabriel got in trouble few minutes
before. Clement continued to gain and
drive his machine at its highest speed
in an effort to cut down the lead held
by Heath's disabled machine.
Nails on the Track.
An explanation of many mishaps on the
Jericho turnpike came to light when Wal
" Owens, a chauffeur, found large guam
tity of nails scattered along the course a
short distance below the grandstand.
Many pieces of broken glass were also
found on the road at this point.
Heath suffered long delay a result
Of his accident on the seventh round and
before his broken tire had been replaced
Clement had taken the lead. The eighth
round was covered by Clement in SO .05
and he flashed past the grand stand with
clear advantage of II minutes over
Heath, his nearest competitor. At that
time GabrieI'S machine was still reported
IN trouble and it was thought he was
hopeleSSly out of the race.
Up to that point the leader had aver |
a ge speed of about 50 miles hour, when |
the areas of control were deducted. This |
speed had been maintained, including |
curves and other dangerous places where |
t was necessary to reduce speed to a |
minimum. Figuring these deductions, the |
eader at times made 80 miles an hour on |
eveI and straight stretches and some ex- |
Derts say that he passed the grandstand |
at Westbury at the phenomenal speed of |
90 miles an hour.
Clement protested the decision of the |
Judges, declaring Heath the winner of |
he race The decision was withdrawn |
and the protest will be heard and the /
winner declared at a meeting of the au-
omobile association later in the day.