Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-07

stuffed with men or near wealth. iumpereo
pompously past the stand like tree fun
of elephants. Meanwhile the stand and
along the offng were picking out W. h.
Vanderbits by the gross, now from among
the be-ribboned officials that SCurrled up
and down the track.
Breaking of the Dawn.
The track now was beginning to stretch
away in a brownish line and quite clear OF
autos and pedestrians. The dawn was
breaking A tense feeling that seemed to
quiet the crowd prevailed; every seat in
the grand stand seemed to be occupied
Telegraph saunders could be heard clicking
over in the direction of the press stand.
Suddenly from far up the course to the
eastward-as far as the mist that still hung
over the fields you'd permit one to see
came trailing Il low car with red hood, III
q cloud of vapOr. with jets of flame from
the exhaust sticking out from the left side
of the hood. 1t skinned obstreperouSiy
toward the starting point. 1t was the drVer
of the German McrCCdes-No. ) on the score
Garland was occupied by Janatzy and his
mechanic. The crowd caught its breath for
a moment and there was applause as
Janatzy brought his car to stop about 100
yards behind the tape and to the right of
the course.
The driver of the German leaped out
and his mechanic began to manicure his
red Pet. Following this car closely came
car No. .. This was Heath and his French
Panhard, and he took his place near ia
natzy.
Mr.. Vanderbilt Appears.
few moments later down the course
dipped No. T. another Mercedes, with Luyt-
gen driving. and a moment later a gray
car came up in front of the grandstand with
a referee sign on the hood and William X.
Vanderbilt jr donator of the cup. seated
in the car with the driver. Mr.. Vanderbilt
bowed to the applause that greeted MIN.
Mr.. Vanderbilt nodded to a pretty young
woman in a box next to that occupied Dy
the CUP commission This was his wife.
who wore a black straw hat. black ven
thrown back over the hat and taior-
fashioned gown of black and white stripes.
Shepard. driving his French Hotchkiss.
varied things a minute later by looming
from the east instead of the west. passing
the grandstand and wheeling around SUD-
denly in Embarrassing way to take MS
place down below the east end of the grand
stand And then came lie Blon, No l. with
his American Thomas car to bring up snort
at the tape opposite the center of the stand
where all might see.
The popular French driver OF an Amerl-
can car got a send-of from the STANDS
People may talk about the eHcitability OF
the French. but there WAS none of it evident
in the quiet way this tall man, after allSht-
ing from his car. walked over and leaned
against the stand.
The Start Delayed.
Six g clock the official starting time. RAD
now arrived and stretching uD the course
toward the west were all the cars that were
TO compete according to program, with the
exception of Foxhall keene. who lad with
drawn.
Back along the stretch We're seventeen
cars in ALL representing the manufacturers
of France America Italy and Germany.
They were numbered consecutiveiy from one
to nineteen in big white letters except that
superstition had entered to the extent ol
causing the numberers to omit the number
IL Also there was number II entered
which had been assigned to Mr. keene.
The start was delayed when o'clock ar
rived because OF dlscusSlou pet".eh
Jenatzy who since weighing in the day pc
fore had added long leather mud guards 10
his car There was much gestculatlch anu
chattering before the mud guard question
was adjusted. and then the STANDS ule~
another breath Starter wagner ana
chairman j Demont Thompson Of the A: a.
racing board stood beside lie Blon'
watches in hand. Shortly before thiS i
Blon's mechanic had cranked the pig
Thomas car and then jumped beside the
As the starter counted off the seconds
backward. ten. nine. eight anu So Ui,
the furnace began to be shaken down win
q roar and simultaneously from Inc sioe
of the hood blue-red blasts of flame began
to stab out for almost foot to the accom-
nsniment of a mise like the Furth I July.
1ebln Steered Steadlly aneau.
The Start.
"Gor said the starter. with the slap on
the drivers back which he gave each IN
turn as the starting signal.
With a Jump the red-Thomas car lit out
eastward and the race was on.
Never did a race horse light out like that
red racer OF metal.
Without a moments delay Heath had
!, ar1I1.l r1 n
Refere. Wagner went through the back
ward counting. At the word go Heath
was humping and bouncing forward at
IRENE ndOuS pace. 80
Car after car drew up to the line without
a hitch and each jumped forward at one
minute intervals, except Gasnos car utal).
No L. which did not get the WORD 10 go
until two minutes had elapsed since the
starting of its predecessor, this because
there was no No. II starting. owing
to tie absence of FoXhall keene.
10 QtalJ. the last on the program. the grand
stand thousands sat back and began to
breathe again All they knew now was
that some place around Nassau county
seventeen gnomes were chasing one another
fiendishly. with no thought for life and
limb with seeming no care for death.
There a buzz along the stands for
few minutes, and gradually the chatter
the stretch toward the west to await the
flashing by of the first man to make the
circuit with skin whole tires unpunctured
and cylinders banging.
Keeping Track Of the Race
All the time Announcer Prunty was busy
with his megaphone. telling the stand what
was happening along the circuit. On
great map over the grand stand another
young man pinned tickets at points along
the route to show the position of the vari-
Gus ears. Soon the numbered tickets Were
tapping each other In spots, and the black
board became thing upon which to devote
brain power if one wanted To follow the
race.
The announcer told of this car working
badly at one point and of another having
been stopped for new tires some-place else.
NO CTraCy) stops to put on new
skds," droned the megaphone. and, later,
mo. lost time at Willets road" Thus was
the beginning of the miSfortunes to Tracy.
the idol recorded over the telephone. and
then sung out by the announcer Every
thing worth recording was announced. so
the blackboard watchers were able to Iol-
low the racers mentally at each point of
Importance.
Up the course in the direction from which
the racers had come 20 take their positions
for The start one could see by the growing
light black mass standing on a little