The Washington times., 1907-12-12
Crowds Gather Along Route
OF Parade of Automobiles
Bedraggled From Times Run
Procession Was Led by
Thomas Flyer, Pilot
of the Contest
Little Ford, Covered
With Mud, Proud Of
Achievement.

Twelve cars which made clean scores
in The Times Sealed Bonnet Contest on
Tuesday, with Gardner Orme's little
Ford runabout as a mascot. assent bIed
IN front OF The Times building yester-
day afternoon, at 3 O'clock, for a dress
parade.
The dress consisted of the honora-
bly, acquired mud-the result. of the
gruelling run OF the day before. A few
OF the cars had been washed up-the
rest were as grimy and gritty as point
winner Of the Irish-Amerlcan Athletic
Club just after the finish.
The big Thomas Flyer driven by Wal
lace Hood. which. by virtue OF being on
the spot when the regularly appointed
sky pilot broke down, assumed the
leadership in the contest. was putting
and steamIng around Ike a dog which
had just emerged from a long swim.
The wheels, the mud guards. and the
whole body were coated with a solid
armor-plate Of mud. and would have
been a delectable study for a geologist
investigating the formation Of western
Maryland soil Wallace Hood himself
was at the wheel with tSe same mud
covered coat with which he emerged
from the 11s-mile run, and his machine
piloted the parade.
Assemble Before Munsey Building.
The first car pulled up in front Of the
building yesterday at 3 o'clock and
crowd began to gather and ask 1des-
tons one Of the first that appeared
was the OidsmoblIe. battered and coated
with portions OF Montgomery county
highways. John A. Lutz, who drove
the car I'm the test and came In with
a perfect record in fourth place, was
I'm the drivers seat, and his machine
at once became the center of curiosity
until new wonders arrived. They kept
corning and the crowd grew in proper
ton until the police began to be wor-
ried. BY that time the machines had
been lined up 10 have their pictures
taken and the bIuccoats turned their
attention TO keeping the spectators on
the other side Of the street
Another center Of attraction was the
little Ford, which made the run in
the time limit, and nearly cane
through with i perfect score" Gardner
Orme was the Youngest driver in the
run and he Is justly proud Of the fact
that he covered :he route and turned
up ahead of larger and more powerful
cars in spite OF the fact that he was
obliged to make slight adjustment.
Thirteen in Line.
Promptly at o'clock the machines
pulled out for n run around town
headed by the pilot car of the day be-
fore. Washington is Injured TO auto
mobiles in general, but the spectacle OF
thirteen muddy and bedraggled cars in
line was a distinct sensation among the
natives along Pennsylvania avenue and
Seventh street, and none the less so
to horses. After the turn from Seventh
street to New York Avenue the word
was passed along 10 keep the horTIs
sounding, and tile noise OF thirteen
horns aroused further excitement along
the rest OF the route. which lay along
New York and Massachusetts avenues
to Dupont circle, and from there down
Connecticut avenue and Eighteenth
street to Pennsylvania avenue and back
to the MUnsey building.
All along the line the procession at
tracted attention. Many OF the cars
carried the flags borne in the run. but
those who did not know the answer to
the turnout could gather little from
these since they were crusted with
mud.
Drivers Reminiscent.