The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-20
AMONG THE AUTOMOBILISTS.
RULES ISSUED FOR TIE MOTOR
WAGON CONTEST.
Cars to Run Forty Miles On Each Of the
Four Day. lie BlOn's Skill in Turning
Corners EXtOlled by Cali Ovnlan A.
C.. A. Banquet December S-GOssip.

EOUT UAys-Lc bIDD aAhhh III ulAhA
Corners EXtOlled by Californian "A.
C. A. banquet December s-GOssiD.
Rules and re equations for the motor wagon
contest Of the automobile Club OF America
were issued yesterday. The contest Ii to be
held from November 7 to 10, and Is open 20 all
types Of motor wagons and trucks used for
commercial purposes made in the United
States or abroad. All vehicles, whether cleo
trio, steam or gasolene, shall operate In the
same class, and each vehicle must carry .
dead load Of at least so per cent. Of Its own
weight with all supplies on board in addition
to the driver and observer. Each contesting
car will cover forty miles on each Of the four
days. from the clubhouse to Fort George and
return. twenty miles and two round trips over
the ten mile journey to the Battery and return.
Each car will carry an Official observer. to be
furnished blythe club. to note the performance
of the vehicle and keep a record Of the fuel
and oil consum ption and any repairs that may
be made. On the first day Of the contest each
vehicle. fully loaded, shall cover the route pre-
scribed without stops. except those that are
involuntary. On the second day each vehicle,
fully loaded, will be required to make certain
stops to be decided upon by the committee.
On the third day each vehicle. without load,
will cover the route without any but i~nvolun-
tary stops. On the concluding day each
NEhAtAEH ~ CoA NhA SOFNA WV
route and be required to make the stops
decided upon for the second day. The awards
will be based on the cost Of operation per ton
mile of paying load. The first prize will be a
silver cup. The contest committee Is: John
A. Hill. Z. T. Birdssll and A. II. Whiting.
The banquet committee Of the Automobile
Club OF America. Colgate Hoyt. Albert R.
Shattuck and Frank X. Lawrence, have
sent out notices to members OF the organize
ton warning them not to make other en-
gagements for Saturday evening, December
s. as the A. C. A.. will hold its eighth annual
banquet that night. The date selected is the
last day Of the club automobile show at the
Grand Central Palace, and the banquet will
be held at Sherry's.
A California automobiles who witnessed
the elimination trial by which the American
team for the Vanderbilt cup race was SELECTED
has been Describing the manner in which
course. Blon was the ~prettiest driver of
the lot" says he. when he came around
sw 1STHdi ne out sw Cl the S,OG esr S@0 ne Vas ana %s lGEs[
He never underestimate or oveLestimated
his speed, but always came up to the dinlcult
negotiate the turn. The performance OF
Harding in the Haynes was the next hes,
turns he slowed down to a much lower rate OF
speed than the others Once he alnost
stopped. having made z false estimate OF his
from side TO side and slide around the corners
first one way and then another. and 1t is q
wonder they stayed on the course
Shaft driven cars involve q slight variation
of the inspection that should be given TO the
concerned. In the latter the distance rods
must be looked after In order to preserve
the alignment Of the rear s s1dS as Vel as to
whereas In the former their equivalent IL
to be found in the torsion rods. which are
iSGasiCh d hsTafT to Sna asI q he e"i body to i BStS
these and the strut rods bracing the live
axle on shaft driven cars should be inspected
for play.
in opera ton. especially In. the smaller New
England towns. has already. become a very
serious matter TO- tourists zen
IL is considerable financial burden, all the
more dreaded because Of the. injustice 80
one is likely at any time to be held up,
speed Is kept entirely within safe limits.
able fact considered, so ordinary caution Is
no longer an all sufficient guide. 1t is abb
fSS efOreSan 1%D what The sof Legal 't Iimits arc 20 n EnS all
places, and the result is an uncertainty which
robs the trip, Of the ~carefree pleasure so large
q ot EsGTSE IN derived ips eG'oY from Il Il. AH fhs the oS Ssnees
are that this sort Of thing will increase rather
than decrease. Probably nothing can be
done about 1t except by cooperation be-
tween autoists themselves to leesen its
haEqrds. The tourist Is not only up against
a time and distance system especially de-
yised for his undOinay but the petty personal
financial interests OF the local authoritie 3
In the scheme are a factor against which
good judgment In driving and even a con-
scientious Obaeryance OF the speed laws are
not always proof.
Information passed from one autoist 10
another at the time has its limitations, but
In default Of some effective general system
IL is better than nothing. IL has been suT-
gested that at first two signs might be adopted.
One, the right hand elevated, with the first
finger pointing upward. to indicate a police
trap: another, the elevation OF the open left
hand a. a warning OF a dan Ter ous curve or
bad place ~ the road ahead. The latter is
not especially an auto trap sign. but the
suggestion is good. nevertheless. Not long
ago we heard ~ advocated. with no little
enthusiasm, that signs warning tourists OF
auto traps should be erected by clubs and in
divtduaLe, exactly the came as guidebOarda.
This IL all right in theory, but with two vital
and fatal objections: First, the changes in
location and character OF these traps tone Of
the beauties" Of the systeml: second, the
fact that signs Of this kline would probably
stay up about M long ~ u would take the
person who actually put them up TO get out
Of sight. They would Interfere too much
with fhe loOI mdtlsrTy Oh auto cStohinS
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