Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-26
Race Starts at g As A. M.

mechanician.
Race Starts at g As A. M.
At 9;35 it was announced that the start
would be made in spite of the fog and
drivers, and mechancians tumbled into
their seats. Cars Nos. 1 and were
brought side by side at the line.
Above the roar of rushing engines the
+. last ten seconds were counted into the
ears of the drivers. At the word "Go!
the starter Fred Wagner, gave a slap
to the chauffeurs shoulder
1t was exactly 3:45 o'clock when the
blue Clement. No. I. sprang away from
the tape. With the release of his foot
pressure on the grooming clutch Victor
| Rigal brought 120 horsepower into life
and his car disappeared into the envel-
oping mist like the proverbial stream of
blue.
| At one-minute intervals the cars were
sent pitching into the gray murk to find
their way as best they could about the
dangerous course, made doubly hazard
| Gus by the fog. There was a rousing
cheer for each of the drivers as he sped
| away.
Four American cars followed the
French machine which was first to catch
red Italian machines, followed by an
other American. The first of the Ger
man cars started in eighth position with
Dare Devil Hemery, the favorite of the
bettors, at the wheel.
When the last of the cars had been sent
on its way a silence which seemed OPP
pressive after the noise the automobiles
had made during the long walt. fell upon
the crowd. Speculation then became rife
as to the probable speed of the first lap,
1t being generally conceded that the driv
ers would use caution in going through
the murk and not attempt even the speed
attained in practice.
! The waving red flag of the Waterman
l fl10 -fo nd ho orr
coming. There was throb of engines,
and out of the gray distance down the
| stretch came the white clad figures OF
milford and his mechanician in the
LoZier car No. ? which was almost i'm
mediately followed by the Simplex No. 3.
These had both passed the Clement No.
l on the first lap.
Soon after the first two cars had passed
on completion of their first lap the sun
began to make it's way through the mist
and the gray blanket covering the course
| began to disappear.
The cars came tearing by the grand
stand at frequent intervals thereafter the
waving red flags and the blast Of the
| bugle telling of the approach of each
| car.
| The first lap ended with De Palma Of
the Italian Fiat car No. IS leading the
race in the matter of elapsed time He
drove through the fog banks on this lap
at the rate of 81 miles an hour. Wagner.
in Fiat No. IA. was second; Hanriot. in a
Benz, was third, and Szisz, in Renault.
| was fourth.
The Chadwick made the best time of
| the American cars on the first lap and
stood seventh in the race. 1t was an
nounced that the National had stopped
| for repairs on the first lap.
| The Lozier had tire trouble on the sec
| ond lap and stopped for a spare tire and
| water when passing the stand the Sec
| ond time.
| De Palma held his lead of the race
through the second lap. which he nego-
tiated in 2l:36, the fastest up to this
was seventy miles an hour. Wagner
still held second place, Hanriot was third
| and Szisz fourth.
| The Chadwick stopped for repairs in
front Of the stand after completing the
third lap The delay was slight. how
ever. The car was soon on it's way
| again cheered by the crowd.
Hanriot Takes Lead.
| After making the first turn the cars
could be seen plunging down the White
| Bluff road. a four-mile stretch. There
! were several lively brushes down the
| stretch.
De Palma had some trouble on the third
| lap and lost the lead to Hanriot with
Szisz second. De Palma was soon report
ed on the road again and began to drive
| hard after the leader
| The standing of the six leading cars at
| the end of the third lap was as follows:
l. Benz No. ID. Renault No. TO- Benz No.
~. italia No. l., Fiat No. g. Benz No. 8
| The leading American car at the end of
| the third lap was Chadwick No. ). which
stood ninth in the race.
The six leading cars at the end of the
fourth lap were Benz No. Il. Benz No. 10
Fiat No. Is. Fiat No. IA. Renault No. 10
| and Benz No s. Chadwick No. 3. eleventh
| in the race. still led the American cars at
| the end of the fourth lap.
The Chadwick stopped again on the
| fourth lap at the supply pits for a flushing
with water and lubricating oil. The delay
amounted to about two minutes. De
| Palma got a cheer from the crowd as he
| flashed by on his third lap.
| The sun grew intensely hot along to-
ward noon. The race was close in its
early stages. and a the end of the fourth
| lap. when the race was one-fourth con-
| cluded, Henriot in the Benz No II, had
his team-mate. Erie, in the Benz No ~.
| The Buick No. broke down on the
third lap and dropped out of the race.
| No one was hurt
! At the end of the fifth lap Henriot was
still holding his slightest of leads Wag
ner had rushed into second place. Navarro
was third and SZsz was fourth There
| was difference of only thirty-f four sec
onds between the first and fourth cars,
and all of them were averaging sixty-sX
miles an hour.
Americas Hopes Dashed.
| The American cars were quick to fall
behind their foreign rivals Two of them
broke down on the third lap. and after
| the fifth none had a chance to win.
| During the running of the sixth lap
| there We're several changes among the
! four leading cars. Hanriot kept his Benz
| No. Ii. in the lead and gained a material
| advantage. Wagner in his Fiat dropped
| back from second to fourth place. Hem
| cry jumped his Benz. No. 8, from fifth to
| second place; Navarro continued third.
The Simplex completed its sixth lap
| soon after the leaders in the race had
| finished their seventh. The Simplex was
| leading the American cars by safe mar
| gin at this time
| The Chadwick car. No. >, driven by
| Haupt, was reported broken down and
out of the race at 12:4O o'clock This was
| the car to which most of the Americans
pinned their hopes of victory. The break
| down of the Chadwick left the Simplex
| National and LoZier running in the order
| named as the only American representa-
| tives left in the race.
Positions Remain Unchanged.
The positions of the four leaders re-
manned unchanged during the running of
the seventh lap. The three German cars
seemed to be running splendidly and Hen
| riot had lead of nearly two minutes
over his teammate. Hemery
| The Acme car, reported out of the race
with broken spring, finally made re-
pairs and started running again in time
| IN finish its third Ian inst ba Iaodorc