Los Angeles herald., 1906-09-23
CROWDS PREVENT
FINISH OF RACE
TRACY WINS FIRST PRIZE IN
CONTEST
Leblon and Harding, Who Finished
Second and Third With VIM
ner, Are only ones to
Cover Course
BY Associated Press.

~
NEW YORK, Sept. PA vast throng
which rushed on the course today pre-
vented the completion of the elimina-
tion race to select five American racing
automobiles to take part in the race
for the Vanderbilt cup after three cars
had completed the race. Joseph Tracy,
who won the race, Herbert Leblon, sec
ond, and H. v. 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 Herbert b,
Lyttle and Walter Christie as the other
two to represent American manufac-
turers in the big race.
When Tracy crossed the fnlsh line OIL
the 297-mile journey, after a nsational
race in which he mad one circuit of
the course at a. rate of a mile a minute,
including nine turns, the great crowd
of spectators which greeted him with
roar of cheers thronged down upon the
course and engaged in a scramble TO
see and congratulate the winner.
Leblon and Harding, 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 were far behind were unable
to force their way through.
Perceiving that the action of the
crowd would prevent a fair finish of
the remaining two qualifierS, William
K. Vanderbilt, jr., the donor of the cup,
and the judges ordered the race stopped
and held a meeting to :-'ect the other
two cars to qualify.
Lyttle and Christie were chosen be-
cause they were in fourth and fifth
positions when the course was blocked.
Lawell was pressing Christie closely for
the fifth position.
Tracy's time for the entire course
was hours, q minutes and 40 seconds,
that Of Leblon 5 hours, 81 minutes and
25 seconds; Harding, hours, 25 minutes
and 80 seconds.
Course Dangerous
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 power
full machines over it at a 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 mechanician escaped
without serious injury.
Twenty miles from the starting line
the car driven by Mongini burst a tire,
and turning out of the road crashed
into telegraph pole and was badly
damaged. Mongini was thrown out but
landed safely.
There were numerous minor accidents
to the machines, chiefly damage to the
tires, so that the racers were trailed
out at long intervals over the course
and many had not half completed the
distance when the winner finished.
Throughout the greatest part of the
race the contest for first place lay be-
tween Tracy, Leblon and Lyttle.
Lyttle led the others in elaspsed time
for the first two rounds. Leblon then
took the lead but alternated for the
leadership in each round with Tracy
until the tenth and last lap, and Tracy
chung to his lead.
Tracy scored the swiftest record for
the lap of the day, covering the 29.71
miles in 20 minutes and 20 3-5 seconds.
This was in the sixth lap.
Never was there a more orderly gath
ering of spectators than that which
thronged at vantage points along the
course to witness the running of this
race.
The start was scheduled for a. M,
but the spectators began to gather even
before midnight. Before the sun rose
almost the entire course presented an
UNIQUE spectacle Clustered about the
starting line was a great party of
automobiles, and strung along the
crooked course were many hundred
more.
Knowing that it would be hopeless to
try to secure sleeping accommodations
at any of the local villages, the specta-
tors formed camps along the roadside
for miles, where they found parking
places, and many even brought camp
ing outfits to prepare breakfast.
The camp Eres and the glaring head
lights of their cars marked the course
long before daylight.
Hundreds pass d the waiting hours
in sleep in their cars. No circus ever
invited a more motley gathering than
those assembled in the villages along
the line.
The big grandstand on the SOUTH side
of the course midway between JoychC
and Mineola, was L.owded when the
call for the first starter went up.
There were twelve starters and the
first sent away promptly at 6 a. m.
with Ernest Keller driving it.