Omaha daily bee., 1908-10-25

NEW AMERICAN AUTO RECORD
George Robertson Establishes it in
Vanderbilt Race.
AVERAGE OF s4.3 MILES AN HOUR
Homer Pulled Down by American
UuiIt Csr-ItsIian Machine,
Driven by Lyle, Second
Treacherous Track.


Driver and Car. start. Finish. Time
Robertson, Locornobile. s:45 1o:l5:4siz 4:0o:4Sis
IyOe Isotta .........8: i0:Y1:56ss A;p2i3osb
Distance. 25s.06 miles.
Winners average speed. d3 nlIes per
sost previous American record. e425 miles
Ter hour. made by Lyle on the same
course two weeks ago.
attendance, z50C0l.
Weather. overcast. with rain during
light and carly morning. Course. wet and
tteacherous.
MOTOR PARKWAY, l.. J., Oct. "a
George Robertson, in a 100 horsepower Lo-
comobile. American-msde machine, won
the fourth Vanderbilt automobile cup race
ON the new Motor Parkway, on Long
Island. today and ct the Same time Gre
sted a new American record for long
distance automobile contests.
Herbert Lyle, driving an italian Isotts
OF fifty horsepower, was second, less than
two minutes behind the winner. These
cars were the only ones officially to finish
the race, the great crowd of not less than
25.,0O0 persons who had filled the grand
stand and almost every point OF vantage
around the entire course erowoing on the
track after the first two cars had dashed
scross the finish line. To avoid the pos
slblllty OF serious accidents it became neces-
sary for the track officials TO declare the
race off after the second car had finished.
At the time OF the finish W. X. Van
derbilt, jr, with his 10 horsepower Ger
man Mercedes, driven by w. c. Luttgen.
was running third with a safe lead, so
that to It must be accorded third place,
although it was not permitted to finish.
Seventeen coughing, swapping cars lined
up and sixteen went off with a succession
OF pistol shot explosions at $50 a. IN. The
"lett-st-the-post' car was the Renault.
with Strang at the wheel. Something
would not start and, although three men
put their whole power to the crank, they
could not move, so Strang, with a smile
on his face, allowed his car to be pushed
aside.
start Made EARLY.
James Florida, with his Locomobile,
crossing the starting line at $50 a. m. to-
day, started the Vanderbilt cup automobile
race in the presence OF a crowd which,
c~ouSting the people all along the course,
vas estimated as approximately 100000 per-
sors.
No. .. a Knox forty-horse power. driven
10y Dennison. followed one minute later,
T. en- came Stricken with his German Mer-
codes and they we're followed a minute
apart until all were, except the French Re-
uault No. II, which did not get off until
IA.
Florida. No. l., was the first to complete
the course, his time being given officially
as % minutes 10 seconds, but the best time
on the first lap was made by Robertson,
No. is. His time was 20 minutes 81 sec
onds. His radiator was leaking badly and
lie lost nearly q minute in replenishing II
In rull view OF the grsndstand. The delay
IN setting off put strang under a handicap
- obi .-i-,..g ,pH ft cearnad a fOrlOrn hone.
but he tarew in his clutch and set out to
overtake the field.
Reports OF trouble began to arrive at the
Erdndstsnd. Foxhall Keene was reported
with his car sblaze at Locust Grove. In a
few minutes, however, he was again in'the
race and as he passed, completing the cir
cult. there was a nutter OF handkerchief
aud a. ~clapping OF hands from the grand
stand. Pstschke. in No, II, Acme, how
ever. was out FOR all time, having broken
a cam shaft after completing two rounds.
The. thiro car came to grief-Chevrolsts
Mstheson-when It cracked q cylinder at
Jericho snd was put out of the race after
Io!ng a lap ana a half. Robertson was
proving the hero of the race, Keeling off
Tie inst three rounds at an average OF
S., miles per hoIr.
CofnuIeting the third lap, No. is, Loco
mobile. driven by Robertson, led, followed
by No. l. Chadwick, driven by Stricken,
and No. 4. Isotta, driven by Lytle'
Robertson made tie third lap in 20 min
utes, Il seconds, which is the fastest so
far.
Robertson relnauished the lead on the
fourth Ian because OF lire trouble. At the
complet!ou OF lie fourth lap Hsupt, in
Mercedes No. l. wes leading, closely fol-
lowed by Lyle and Stricken.
An extremely tveacherous track MADE
the dr,yiug Of hiahpoweged motors a mat
Ter OF skin and daring and while the TIM
did not average as well as in other races
the eteVO spectstors experienced a contn'
uous series of thrills as car after can
dashed pas' over the Sh mile course.
driszNug rain which arrived as dawr
was byoaking turned a magnificent roaC
surface into one that made each Of the
numerous sharp turns an extra hazardous
i,sk. Yet The cars kept right down e
work. making up on the long back an'
lom- stretches wat they lost At the angles
While The speed did not come up TO tn
rxpeCtatious. most Of the leaders averaged
between slNty-three and sixty-nine mile
an hour. although al times more than Z
miles an hour were attained. Robertson
drove his Locomobile for three laps at al
ayerase OF 56.3 miles an hour. making IN,
1irat a. a speed of 6s3 miles an hour. 4
bad are stopped him on the fourth for tw,
minutes. but he went on again and on tn
eighth. lap had gone TO first place. TheI
zane another stop, this time for water
IA. by lively work only a minute was lost
So lap by lap went the race, the excitemen
which had subsidized a lrifie after the frs
three ~ FOUR laps revlving as the en-
ApPyoHcued until the great crowd burs
into cheers as the winner came flying dow
under the wire.
~ the end Of the ninth, the race ha
become . haiy-raising duel between Rob
crtson and Lyle. In spite OF having {
literally pillow gheir way through surgin
masses OF humanity, that only parted wild
enough TO let both hubs pass clear. nov
one. now the other hurled over the cours
al a speed of sixty-seven and sixty-eiEh
miles an hour, a record only surpassed her
by Lancia in the 1875 Vanderbilt race. Tn
end OF the tenth lap, Robertson led Ltl
by four minutes and ten seconds, an ad
,antsge that the least tire trouble woul
wipe out and the excitement was at feve
heat.
Following we're the entries for tbs Var