The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-11-06
Racer Had Gone Half Mile In 23 1-2 When Accident
 Happened
RACES PROVED FAILURE
 WITHOUT BIG EVENT
Strane's Disappointment Is Keen for Everything Yesterday Was Favor able To Establishment of
 New Worlds Record.

could ps-rtlaly quencn ms all-cOrSufninR thirst. was not more unkind than the fate of young Louis Strang yesterday afternoon.
 He had banked his all on making the circular mile track at the fair grounds in 50 seconds, or less. He realized that if he failed, he might never again have as good an opportunity. He had tuned up" his great ear for the trying mile against time, and the track. kept clean by swift breeze from the west, was ideal.
 And just as he saw his ambition real ized there was a snap of the machinery, Il crash of the erank-ta a blowing away of the cylinder head, and douch of oil in his face. Blinded, he managed to bring the mighty machine to halt, and after examination, he was com pelled to state to the stilled spectators that to race again was impossible.
 Louis Christie Strang who holds the automobile record on a circular mile track, drove half mile yesterday aft ternoon in 231a seconds. If he could have completed the final half as rapidly as he had covered the first he would have made the mile in r seconds. There is ab- solutely no doubt in the mind of the driver, or in the minds of the timers or in the minds of all other people who saw the race and understand the driving of machine, but that the daring autoist, had no accident occurred, would have clrcled the mile in less tlan 50 seconds
 Cause of the Accident.
 It seems to be the opinion of the driver and others understanding automobling, that the cause of the accident to the car was the fact that Strang was using 9i per cent pure gasoline. The pressure of this pure fluid was too great for even the great Christie car, and the rivets and steel were too feeble to withstand the pressure. As a result the crank-tanll burst this causing the cylinder head to fly out. Had the oil from the car not been dashed into the face of the driver the machine would have been torn to pieces and Strang probably killed.
 Walter Moore the well known alder man, and himself a driver of automo- piles, advised Strang, before the race to use S4 per cent pure gasoline, stating hls belief that 94 per cent was too pow erfui. However, Strang believed that with the purer gasoline he could be as- sured of making the great record for which he was striving and he declined 10 accept the advice of MT. Moore
 The great machine, the material of which was gathered from every corner of the earth at net expense of SS000. will be in the repair shop for several weeks Strang, believing the local track the fast est in the world, and being determined to make a mile in 50 seconds will return as soon as possible. The car will be shipped this morning to New Orleans, and Strans goes with it. He drives again this month in San Antonio to which place Manager w. II. Pickens has preceded him. His other manager. Homer George, will remain for several days in Birmingham
 Strsng's Great Half Mile.
 While the accident to Strang's ma chine, causing the entire afternoons programme to lose it's attractiyeness filled the spectators with the deepest regret this disappointment was as nothing compared to that which filled the breast of the daring driver him self.
 Christie Strang hardly spoke after the accident, so chagrined was he. He could forego the sma shing of all pre- yious records. He could forget that he had covered half a mile in the re- markable time of 231e seconds. But he could not calmly stand the disap- pointment of the people who had gathered to see his great and sensa- tonal race.
 The spectators. however seemed to comprehend the situation at once and while their regret and disappointment were indisputably great, they fully sympathized with Strang, appreciating the fact that an accident robbed him of the great honor which he sought
 There was a large audience at the fair grounds when the programme was begun. From this audience. there went .1. INI. -f. car. bearing the greatest autoist of the day, Louis Strang, leaped into the track. With a snort. and a report ever repeating and startling, and with sparks of fire. half a foot in length flashing from it's either nostril. the car of mighty power, started around the track. Faster and faster flew the ma chine. and the spectators stood en- tranced. Then in front of the grand stand, the mighty monster moving meteor like, flashed. As fast as the eye could follow, it flew by. The re- port oI the starters revolver gave notice that the long promised feat was in progress.
 In the batting of the eye, Strang was at the quarter the great machine puff ing, snorting, believing, surrounded by an almost inpenetrable cloud of dust. Within another instant. Strang was seen at the half. So remarkably fast had that distance been covered that the spectators knew he would succeed. The timers announced: At the half, time, 23% seconds.
 Then came the accident. The great car heaved from one to the other side of the course, and Strang appeared as if wrestling with some strong mon ster.
 The great machine was finally brought to Il halt near the srandstand, and the afternoons sport was over.
 The Local Events Failures.
 The local automobile races were, on the whole failures. When Strang's ma chine aburst, everyone seemed to lose heart The local car owners realized that tho spectators cared nothing for their efforts, ano they. themselves, were rendered without enthusiasm.
 In the beginning there was a. race between a Rec and an Oldsmobiley This event proved a flat fasco, for the sim ple reason that something deranged, caused the Oldsmobile to follow the course. snail-like.
 In the three-mile free -for-all event, O'Rourle, in the Stanley steamer own ed jointly by the driver and Walter moore. made a runaway. pr. Sellars in a Maxwell was second, and Barzel- ion. in Franklin, finished hird.
 In the fve-mile race for Maxwell 1i- horse power cars, Katz finished flrsi, aar. Prince second, and Bush third.