The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1906-10-21
Hon. Charles Stewart Rolls,
MOtorist and AerOnaut.
HERO OF MANY ACCIDENTS
Many Casualties, bnt no Fatalities.
Has Won Lots of Prizes, Including
cup Offered by Mrs. Howard Gould
in James Gordon Bennett Balloon
Raee-His First Visit TO America.

! LONDON. tGLs 4N.--fstlE AdtiN . R-NAtAA-A t+A'
torist is undoubtedly the Hon. Charles
/ stewart Rolls As an aeronaut he is hard
/ IL less distinguished Having toured IN
all parts Of Europe, be Is now turning his
attention TO America, and will spend the
next three or four weeks in the United
States. Il will be Mr. Rolls first trip
across the Atlantic, though on several
occasions. when ballooning. he has nearly
! been in st.
Mr.. Rolls is the third son Of Lord Liam
gattock. hence his title OF honorable. Like
many Of the younger sons Of the nobility,
he was intended for the diplomatic serv-
ice. but he showed such a strong bent for
mechanics and science and such an aver
sion to other studies. that It soon became
evident the result Of insistence on paren-
tai wishes would be to sacrifice good
engineer to make a poor diplomat. SO he
was allowed to have his own way.
After going through Eton he went up
| to Cambridge. where he specialized in
practical electricity. and graduated in en-
cheering in 1898
| Rather tail and thin he walks with
slight SLOUGH; and no one, judging from
appearances. would take him for one OF
the keenest and most intrepid motorists
Of the day. It is only when you get him
talking on his favOrite subject that his
eyes light up and you see the spirit Of the
enthusiast shining in them.
He Bagged a CITRATE.
He began his @-wheenngs' early, for
when quite a boy he used TO come down
a hill near his home In Monmouthshire
on an improvised sleigh on wheels. It is
/ his proud boast that in one Of these spins
he "bagged" a curate, butchers boy,
and a dog-eart in quick succession His
first motor experience was with steam
roller. which he drove on Sunday morn
| ings. while his father was az church
/ At fifteen years old he was notorious
at Eton for getting into scrapes through
! his passion for electricity; and after 60
/ ing up TO Cambridge he soon became
| known as 'Petrolls," and was seldom
! called anything else.
His motoring experience has been prob
ably unique. He drove car when tEe
| English regulations permitted a speed 10
greater than four miles in the country
and two n towns, and even az that
| man with a red flag was required to
walk in front OF the car TO warn Dedes-
/ trfans OF their danger. He bought his
4 first car in France in 1896; and made his
first trip from London To Cambridge 10 *
in eleven and three-fourth hours-foUr
and ons-llalf miles an hour.
! This car caused such a sensation IN
country lanes that men used to climb
trees and telegraph poles and scramble
over or through hedges TO get out OF his
| way. and one poor woman in Scotland
went 10 the length of falling on her
knees by the roadside and praying aloud
TO heaven for mercy and protection as
he passed. Still it wasn't all honey; for
he occasionally had unpleasant eXper-
| fences.
Run Over by HIS Car.
| Once. while going home on his car. and
taking a friend with him, the clutch
pedal stuck down and he stopped in front
of the car TO release il. He had left the
gear lever in the first speed. SO the mo-
/ ment the pedal flew up the car started
and actually ran over him as he lay on
the ground. He thus summarizes few
of the other things that have happened
70 him as > mOtOrist-
u have burnt my boiler out three
times on a steam car, which once had
| TO push three miles IN dress clothes.
7 was once stuck in a deep food, the
water coming up to the floor board, and
had 10 hail a punt.
.'once had to be practically dug out Of
bog.
for over three hours with my burners
out.
aThe longest distance I have had to
walk for patrol was in France, twelve
miles
Have three times had a passenger fall
off a racing car moving at fair speed,
| x-f4bo,,f ha{oc kilfad
once had a horse and cart on TOP OF
me-
I'm the Paris-vienna race ran into a
tree at seventy miles an hour.
Twice been overturned.
"Once had my head smashed in by a
starting handle
hill forwards, and two OF three times
backwards.
Strand. anG twice had my car burnt
up"
Frequent Prize Winner.
Many prizes have fallen to his share.
In 1899. he gained first in the Bordeaux
Biarritz race ard second in the Paris
Ostend. while he also won the valuable
gold cup. together with medals and va
rious other prizes. for the loo miles
trial in England
lie was nineteenth in the famous Paris
Berlin race. after his car had been seri-
ously damaged, and in the Paris-Vienna
contest he ran into a tree while travel
ing about seventy miles an hour FOrtu-
nateiy the tree collapsed, and Mr.. Rolls
was not seriously hurt. though he was
almost buried in the wayside bank
During the intervening years he has
taken part in many races and tours in
France. Germany, Austria, and Spain.
and his most recent win was in
the tourist trophy competition in the
Isle of Man last month. In this race
Mr. Rolls drove u 20-horsepower car. and
he is taking a similar one with him TO
SO his touring in the United States
In order not 10 be too restricted in his
movements, Mr. Rolls intends taking
up his quarters in one OF New YOrk's
leading hotels but he will make numeT-
Gus pleasure trips to various parts of TIE
country-and even compete in races
should any be promoted-during his
three weeks stay.
Mr. Rolls is also an ardent baliO0nst
and gained fourth prize. as well as Mrs
Howard Gould's cup. which this lady Of
fered for the Engishman Who travelled
the greatest distance IN the recent James
Gordon Bennett international race.
Flying machines" be says. ARE now
practically reality, but doubt II they
will ever be Of very great commercial
value"
Concealed in smoke.
Pitsbrfs calims that George Washington founded
that town. No wonder he kept It dark.-WashingtoE
Herald.
Can it be possible that the immortal