The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-09-23
Cd YNsg 80 YN~TvM VI H
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MILE A MINUTE
IN TRIAL RACE
Ralph MOngini Crashes Into
Telegraph Pole and Car
Is Wrecked.

New York. Sept. PA vast throng
which rushed upon the course today pre-
vented the completion Of the elimination
race to select five American racing auto
mobiles to take part in the race for the
Vanderbilt cup, after three of the cars
had completed the race. Joseph Tracy,
who won the race; Herbert Leblon sec
ond and II. N Harding. third were the
only racers who were allowed to cover the
entire course
they thus qualified their machines for
the cup races and the judges selected
machines driven by Norbort L Lyle and
Walter Christie as the other two "a repre-
sent American manufacturers IN the big
race,
Winner Greeted With Cheers
When Tracy crossed the finish line Of
the ~ miles journey after a sensational
race in which he made a circuit of the
course at rate OF a mile a minute, in
GLIDING nine turns. the great crowd Of
spectators, which greeted him with a roar
Of cheers. thronged down upon the course
and engaged in a scramble to see and con-
graduate the winner. Leblon and Hard
ing, who were on the tenth and last lap,
had to drive their cars almost into the
throng in order to get across the finish
line but the other racers. who We're far
behind, were unable to force their way
through.
Race is Stopped.
Perceivhg that the action of the crowd
would prevent q fair finish of the remain
ing two qualifiers. William X. Wander
bit, ir., the donor of the cup, and the
judges ordered the race stopped and held
a meeting TO select the other two cars to
qualify. Lyle and Christie were chosen.
| because they were IN fourth and fifth po-
sitionS when the course was blocked La
wei was pressing Christie closely for the
/ fifth position.
Tracy's time for the entire course was
5 hours y minutes and IS seconds: that
onds; Harding, hours, . minutes and 80
| seconds
Mongini Smashes Car.
! Notwithstanding that the course was
| regarded as more dangerous than that
over which the cup race was run last
year and the drivers sent their powerful
! machines over it at speed at times as
high as ninety miles an hour and around
! sharp curves, only one of the racing cars
! was reported to have been smashed. and
| from that the driver, Mongini. and his
mechanCian escaped without serious in
( jury.
Twenty miles from the starting line the
car driven by MOngini burst a tire and
turned out of the road. crashing into tel
| ephone poles, and was badly damaged.
Mongini was thrown out but landed
safely.
Many Minor Accidents.
There were numerous minor accidents 10
the machines. chiefly damage TO the tires
50 that the racers were trailed out al
LONG intervals over the course and many
had not half completed the distance wher
! the winner finished.
( Throughout the greater part Of the race
the contest for first place lay between
/ Tracy Leblon and Lyle. Lyle led the
others in elapsed time for the first two
rounds LebOu then took the lead, bu
alternated for the leadership in eacf
round with Tracy until the tenth and las
lap, when Tracy chung to his lead.
Tracy Makes Record.
Tracy scored the swiftest record for tn,
lap of the day. covering the 90. miles il
- minutes and - 80 seconds. This was il
the sixth lap.
Never was there a more orderly gather
ing of spectators than that which
tnrOnged at vantage points along thu
course to witness the running of thi;
race.
The start was scheduled for a m, but
the spectators began TO gather even be
fore midnight. Before the sun rose al
most the entire course presented al
UNIQUE spectacle. clustered about the
starting line was great party of auto
mobiles and strung along the crooked
course were many hundreds more.
Spectators Camp Along Route.
knowing that 1t would be hopeless tC
try to secure sleeping accommodations a
any Of the local villages. the spectator:
formed camps along the roadside foi
miles where they found parking places
and many even brought camping outfit!
to prepare breakfast. The camptires anC
the glaring headlights Of their car:
marked the course long before daylight.
Hundreds passed the waiting hours II
Il sleep in their cars. No circus ever invited
, ( a more motley gathering than those as
sembled in the villages along the line.
The big grand stand on the south sid
. of the course. midway between Jerich,
. and MineOla. was crowded when the cal
! for the first starter went up.
: There were twelve starters and the frs
was sent away promptly at a. m wit
! Ernest Keller driving it.