The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-09
FEATS OF DARING DRIVERS,
GABRIEL MOST WATCHED OF
THE AUTO RACERS.
Frenchman Shows That His Reputation
Is observation-disclosures Takes q Merry
Chance by Shooting His Big Merce-
des Out the Grass by the Road

Chance by Shooting His Big Merce.
DIES Out the Grass by the Road.
The most watched driver in the race, in
its early stages, at least, was the French
man, Fernand Gabriel, who piloted De
Dietrich car His reputation as a fearless
handler Of a racing car had preceded him to
this country Gabriel lived up to his repu-
tation yesterday, although not many saw
him take chances.
He started in with rush, and soon came
to the sharp turn at Bethpage. about which
much has been said and where many had
prophesied a fatal accident would occur.
The turn didn't scare Gabriel a bit. He
slackened pace, but went around at such a
lively clip that he went far out and mar
rowly missed hagpole.
At Queens ia another sharp turn. and
there Gabriel gave another exhibition Of
recklessness. Watchers say that he struck
the curve while going at least thirty miles
an hour. They thought it impossible for
him to go around safely at the rate he
was travelling, and there was a rush to get
out of the way.
But Gabriel made the turn all right,
although two wheels were of the road
while he did it, and, with grin, he put on
fCll speed as he struck the straight road.
Then for more than two hours he did
nothing more startling than to run his car
at a rate of rs miles an hour en- straight
stretches of read until he left the startin e
line for the fifth time.
Ahead was s. B. Stevens's Mercedes,
which had started two minutes before the
Frenchman and was now almost a fun
circlit behind. Both raced along the
Bethedge turnpike as fast as their NOISY
motors would carry them, and little by
little Gabriel cut down Stevens's lead. The
two cars were abreast when they were a
quart r Of mile from the sharp Bethedge
& IN; but there the road is narrow. and
Gabriel. who was on the outside did not
dare TO pass. Both kept up full speed
until they were close to the curve. and
then Gabriel saw that the other car would
probably swing wide and shut him off
At the lost minute he damned his brake on
hard.
Stevens stee-ed for the outer edge Of the
turn, and Gabriel, throwing his auto around
at right angle within few feet, missed
the pack of the other machine by not more
than six inches, ran along on the inner side
Of the turn on the grass and emerged on
the straight road in the lead 1t was as
pretty and as nervy piece of driving
perhaps as occurred during the race.
IL was "ncn machines passed az 1ull
speed that the most skill was shown, al
though there was absolutely no dust to
bother the drivers. Before the race was
very old Wilhelm Werner had to stop at the
side of the road about three miles east of
HenlJste to make repairs. His motor
was slow in getting started when he was
able to resume, and before he had attained
much speed along came A, Clement, Jr.,
who was running full tilt
The road was merry narrow, and Clement
did some quick thinking. Then he took a
chance and turned to the side, running
along the grass. His machine was going
perhaps a mile minute.
The grass was uneven, and OF course
the driver had no way of knowing where
gully, rut or ditch might be, but Clement
never varied his speed and in moment
he jumped his machine back to the read
in front of the Werner auto.
). B. Stevens also showed plenty OF dart
ing While he was running at top speed
one of the tires on his front wheels dropped
off. The tire rolled away from the ma
chine and Stevens continued on without
slack ening speed, in spite Of the fact that
one Of his wheels was running on the wooden
rim. He swerved near Meadow Brook
in one of the few sandy places on the course,
but no harm was done and the driver
reached the Hampstead control. where
he got a new tire, almost as quickly as
though he had been running a machine
in perfect order.
All the way the wooden rim pounded
the road at every rough spot, threatening
at any moment to collapse.