The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-10-17
EVERYONE HOLDS BREATH
 AS GAR TAXES THE TURNS
Young Driver Breaks Record Made By His Uncle In eapois-Think Birmingham Track Fastest
 They Have Ever Seen.

Louis Christie Strang, the 21-year-old nephew of Walter Christie the Chicago millionaire and "motormaniac. drove the great Christie machine around the
 circular mile track at the Alabama State Fair grounds yesterday after noon in fifty-one and three quarter seconds.
 Young Strang broke the worlds record a circular mile track. held by his uncle, Walter Christie. The
 elder Chrlsties time was ifty-two sec
 onds flat this record having been es-
 tablished last September in Minneapo
 lis
 The record of Strang is not only
 ph enominal in consideration of the
 marvellous speed acquired, but also in consideration of his age, and the ad-
 ditional fact that before last week he had never driven machine on a cir
 cular track.
 Strang feels confident that if he had anoth CT chance in Birmingham he could
 stablish a record of fifty seconds. On
 account of the imperfect working of
 the motor car in his first attempts. so
 much dust was lifted that when he did attempt to lower the record, he could hardly see his hand before his face. A fraction of second was lost when the lens had become so thickly coated with dust that it was impossible for him to see the track.
 oldfeld's Records Broken. In addition to breaking the record of his uncle the dare devil Walter Christie. Christie Strang smashed be- sond redemption the records estab- lished in April, 1906, by Barney oldneld who was the first great performer 10 appear on the Alabama State Fair track.
 oldhed's record for the mile was 1:O4. In his attempt to break this record. Strang circled the track in hfty-five seconds, thus clipping nine seconds from Oldheld's record. Hardly had the dust lifted in this great drive subsided, when the great car was started in an attempt to break oldhelds three mile record. s:45 made on the Birmingham track in April | a9O6. Strang covered the course in three minutes and three seconds, this | splendid time being made when the condition of the car was far from per feet One of the cylinders refused 10 work, and the three miles were covered with three.
 It was Automobile Day at the State Fair. and hundreds of fine mach ines were on the grounds. There were sev- eral events for amateurs. Charles Denegre captured the race for the championship of the state, his time for | the three miles being 4:oo. The three and a half mile pursuit race by Franklin cars was won by Wood, driving the car of Fox Sons & Smith Co.. his time for the three miles and half being 6:29. feature of this race was the driving of Johnny Fahey In the car of C. w. Ufford. The | driver is but 12 years old. and his work | was considered excellent. He was easi- | ly the popular favorite. In the four-mile Cadillac handicap w.. T. Harrison did some excellent driving, winning the event easily In 6,I1. strang's Mile Record. There was burst of applause from the great throng of excited people when Strang appeared before going his milo for the worlds record. The great car. with a series of reverberating s3orts. with fire flashing from it's three lost,i Is, leaped into the track, and llku meteor sthrted its warming up. process. So fast flew the car with the iaring
 driver that it was followed entirely about
 L.
 ing vision blurred and uncertain. When
 the grandstand was reached again, with
 the report of d revolver the throbbng
 machine went forward in leaps and,
 bounds. flying through the dense dust like some phantom ship, or weird spectre
 fleeing from the furies.
 When the three-qusrter mark was
 reached. however. there was a notice-
 able lowering of the velocity with which
 the great car was moving, and when
 the grandstand was again reached Strang
 veered his car from the track. It was
 announced that account of some de- rangement of the 'sparker" 1t was neces-
 sary to postpone the trial mile.
 On a second trial there was another
 failure, some 15 minutes being necessary for repairs.
 Then for the third time Strang circled
 the course. and when he neared tae poinr
 of start the great car flashed by the spec
 tators. leaping, bounding. throbbing. re-
 verberating,
 The starting shot was fired with q
 thunderous report, and the machine
 bounded forth. believing and snappins as
 if in mortal pain. Strang was attempt
 ing to loNef ,he marvellous record If Q
 rille In E. secondsl
 Onward sped the machine, and in fof-
 lowing it's course the head of the spec
 tator was continually moving The quar-
 ter was reached before the starting re-
 port was hushed By the half mile flashed
 the great machine
 The timers announced the time then as 26 seconds
 To break the Christie record Strang must increase his speed. As if in re- ali1ation of this necessity the great ear was seen 10 bound forth with ,answed energy. the engines grurnbied out reporta
 resembling storrned battery, and tarcs brilliant sparks. each root long famed