Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-10-10
ONE DEAD.
Fatality in the Great
Automobile Race.
Slipping Tire Said to be Acct.
dents Cause.
Heath Leads in Great Cross Country
Run.

New York oct. 9.-Four- wheeled
vehicles of all sorts of incongruuus
shapes. rushing along the road at a
speed of from so to 80 miles an hour
| the air resembling with the "honk
| 'onk IF horns. the changing Of bells
and the shouts Of guards. signal flags
waving and Iluttering. and an occa-
Slollai cheer from thousands or
throatS. was the atmosphere in Min.
cola, Hampstead, Garden City ana
"thAr Long Island suburbs Of Greater
New York. saturday. during the 800
mile automobile race for the W. II.
'aidrrbllt. il, cup. one death. one
man in the hospital seriously hurt.
many lives placed in jeopardy during
seven or eight hours of the day ana
many thousands of dollars extended. I :
the result After weeks of pl.eparat io,,
ana in the face of objections moral,
-eSdl and political. probably the big
Gest race of the kind in the country
was run.
me story Of the race itself is one
Oh lntense excitement and nerve ten
sion.
After running for seven hours, some
times IT Il speed # 60 miles IL 80 mil, s
IN hour. George Heath. an American
Crlvlng 90-horSe power vehicle OF
foreign make and representing the
Automobile Club OF France. finish !,
hrst in the 800 miles. with Albert
Clement. representing the same club
ana driving an S0-hOrSe power ma.
cnlne, also of foreign make. one min
ute and % seconds behind him. When
the two men flashed by the judges the
crowd in the grand stand rose in 3,
body and cheer after cheer relieved the
tension of nerves that had held the
crowd FOR SO many hours But the
award was not certain; for Clemen,
LODGED a protest with the racing boaro
on tae Automobile Association OF
America, under whose control the race
was held. and the decision given bun
I; few minutes before was withdrawn
until the board had made an investig.,-
tion into tie claims SGT forth by Glenn
ent. These wcre of Il technical nature
Like all previous races of the kind
there was d chapter of accidents. The
victims were among the PARTICIPANTS
in the contest. Fortunately none were
hurt. The man killed WAS Carl Mcusel
a chauffeur, who was driving the car
OF George ArentS of New York. The
accident was caused by the tires slim
ping and il occurred about s O'Clock.
Nv" hours after the start The car was
travelling at a tremendous speed and
was approaching Il curve. when it sud
denly swcrved and turned completely
ever Meusel was caught beneath the
while
one side. Both men We're taken to the
hospital. where il was found that
Meusel had one arm broken and his
skull fractured and that he had numer-
Gus cuts and bruises. one ear was torn
OF. one ankle sprained and he was in
ternally injured. He died half an hour
later. Arcnts escaped with a few cuts
ana bruises. Arents' car was demol- !
ished.
The race was started at 6 o'clock. !
The course was over a 30-mils triangle
with turns that were sharp and dam
gernus. AT two places the railroad |
crossed the highway at grade and
these places We're guarded by signal
men. Twice at these crossings, Ga
briel, a French motorst. narrowly
missed being struck by train. in one
instance running but tw feet ahead of
a locomotive. There We're 10 starters,
but the Vanderbilt car No. TO- was out
Of order when it came to start, and it
was more than two hours later that it
was ready.
A flying start was made in violation
of the rules. but the car kept on. 1t
WAS officially barred, however.
There WAS a continuous bursting of
tires ut one point in the course that
aroused suspicion and investigation
showed that a quantity of sharp nails
ana broken glass had been thrown on
the roadway. To this was due the re-
tircm"nt of d number of machines
early in tn" race. But eight cars re-
named in the race at the fifth round
If the triangle. or when the race was
1alf over
Heath covered the last lap Of 30 miles
II rate of - miles an hour. His
average speed during the 20 laps was %
niles an hour
Gr0ptfpuad IN papa - =