Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-23
ELIMINATION
RACE WAS NOT
SATISFACTORY
Contest Had to Be Stopped
After Three Had
Finished.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

| which are to form a team in an attempt To |
hoio the cup presented for international
| competition by William K Vanderbilt tr
was held today over the cup course ON
Long Island. Altogether a more tnsatisfac
| tory result could not have well been I'M
| ag1ned. Three cars alone of the twelve thar
started were able to finish before the race
was called off. The best car of today was
the comparatively light horsepowered loco
| mobile entered by S. T. Davis, tr. and
| driven by Joseph Tracy. Tracy's car came
| home first by handsome margin-a victory
that was deserved on the compared per-
formances of the cars as they ran in to-
| days competition
| Except for one stop deliberately planned
at half the distance of 2971 miles by Tracy.
| MS car ran smoothly and free throughout
| the whole course.
| The main disappointing feature In tho
| competition was that 1t did not settle the
| hVe cars that are to make up the American
| team 10 compete against the foreigners on
October g. After lie Blon's Thomas which
| was evidently short of work for the race,
| mad come In, 1t was followed nearly an hour
| later by Elwood Haynes GO-horsepower
Haynes car, driven by II. n. Harding At
| that time Herbert ii. Lyle had covered
| nine rounds Of the course of ten in the
| Pope-Toledo, and Walter Christie, in his 30
! horsepower Christie had considerable
| lead over the Frayer-Miller entry, driven
| peted but eight rounds. 1t was at this time
| that the referee decided that the race
| should be cut short because many persons
| were crowding out on the road Just below
| the dangerous turn at Lakevile. That, OF
| course, Will make il necessary for these
three drivers either to try over again
| to be chosen in some mysterious way for
places on the American team, If, indeed, tho
| committee proposes TO enter more than
| three names. The time performances were
\ follows:
The Time Performances
| American elimination trials for Wander
bilt cry.
Ten circuits of course, 2o71 miles per
lap.
Actual! Astu.t
Start Finish. time.
Joseph Tracy, ao-hOrsepower
Hubert lie Bion. ii5-horse-
power Thomas. ........... G.05 lI.5G25 5.5I.25
II. N Harding Go-horsc-
| power Haynes. ........... GIL 1237.29 6.25.ss
power Pope Toledo mine
W. !O" Christie: 5o-horsepower "'i '''''
| Christie teght roundsl.... COS ........ G.2UA
| Frank Lawwel 1l0-house-
| power Prayer Miller eight
rounds ................. 6.07 ........ G.36.O6
| The fact of the matter is that although
| Tracy the winner in the competition
| by clean-cut superiority he had poor field
| to beat. The Thomas cars, although ham
| died by men like lie Blon and Caillos. two
| of the most skilful drivers that France
| has produced, We're plainly not tuned
/ up for the competition that many express
! sions of wonder were heard that such skill
| ed drivers should risk their regulations in
| cars like these.
! The three Prayer Miller cars, though
| rated al 110-horsepower, did not show the
| strength that might have been expected
! of that rating. They made fine effort.
! but they never were dangerously TO 10
| considered.
The Christie car was stock touring car
made over for the purpose and put in use
! only when Christies regular put
! out of business in accident in the past
week. The Haynes also was a stock car
but little altered for the purposes of to-
| days competition.
Mongini's Car Smashed.
Mongini. in a Matthewson, ccllided with
| a telegraph pole on Manhassatt hill on the
| first round and that put him out of the
race.
| Whatever the shortcomings of the compe-
| titon in quality, as far as the racing was
| concerned there was nothing lacking in
| it as spectacle, with the accompanying
pageant. 1t is safe to say that along the
| circuit there were lined up 100000 persons.
| who fought hard to get look at the racers
| as they dashed by and on many of the level
straight stretches endangered their lives
| and those of the drivers by getting out too
| close to the flying cars.
Just when they began to arrive at the
course it is impossible to fix definitely.
| There were persons on hand in waiting for
| the race four days ago; it was only that
| there were many more today. A lot of per-
sons ran down from the city and from
| nearby places got parking room and then
proceeded to go to sleep in their cars while
| awaiting the dawn and the big race. Not
| only was this true of inclosed cars with the
| limousine bodies, but also of some of the
| regulation open touring cars, where the
| occupants were free from the effects or
| night dews only by wrapping around them
| hi l-atS hn
| about said that he saw no less than 800
| such sleeping parties before the races be-
| gan.
, Multitude of Automobiles.
| 1t was impossible to estimate the number
and variety of automobiles that were
ranged alongside the course. If there were
| 200 coo persons there it seemed as If there
| were about one automobile to every twenty
persons. They represented every type, de-
sign, designers ideas and horsepower, and
| had lot of merry little elimination trials
| on the way back home as well as coming
| out.
The hotel accommodations at Garden
! City, Mineola, Westbury, Lakeville and Ros-
| lyn had been stretched to the limit and the
| farm houses in the neighborhood, such as
were open to accommodate motoring
strangers, did a land-office business.
The erand-stand crowd at an automobile
competition is not unlike the show circle
of the opera or the list in the annual horse
| show.
| Among the early arrivals w X.
| Vanderbilt, jr., donor of the trophy cup,
| who arrived before IL was light and strolled
around with an old blue cap on MS heao
and a gray sweater wrapped around MS
neck by the arms.
Mrs. Vanderbilt also was there, and she,
! with Mrs Peter Martin. sat in the box d.
| rectly over the finish line. The next box
| was that of Payne Whitney. who was in
| excellent mood and led an impromptu
| chorus in singing such epics as Give Us
1 1ars md of fhn
Church.
Machines Selected.
After the eliminating trials meeting OF
| the Judges was held and the following ma
| chimes were selected to take part in the
Vanderbilt cup races:
Car. HP I1me Entered by Driver.
Locomobile 80 ~ % q :. T Davis, jr-. Tracy:
Haynes 80. 90. e.25.3 80 John Hayes :. Harding
Pope Toledo. 10 ...... A. A. Pope. 80 ytle.
Christie 5O..... Walter Christie. Christie