Los Angeles herald., 1908-10-25

NEW YORK. Oct. 14.-Witu pioDh
bly 100000 people surrounding the
course on Long island, the Vanderbilt
cup race when the first car got away
this morning, promised to be at least
in point OF numbers witnessing II the
greatest motoring event ever run on In
America.
Early in the evening the great crowd
began to move from Broadway aho
Fifth avenue toward Long Island ana
long before midnight motor cars OF
all sizes. makes and ages had COM
pIeteiy blocked Thirty-fourth street,
and while ferryboats were run as close
together as possible they could not be-
gin to handle the waiting line OF We
hicles, each snorting away In It's er-
fort to be the first to reach the Long
Island shore.
AS the night went on the number OF
cars increased. and the roads leading
from Long Island City to the course
were jammed with the speeding cars
bearing additions to the crowd.
AT the same time special railroad
trains were run as close together as
safety could allow, each car loaded
to the doors with those who possessed
more enthusiasm than motor cars.
Early in the evening The first seri-
Gus accident occurred with Patrick
Ball, in attempting to cross the street
in front of his home in Long Island
City, lodged the on-coming line or au-
tomobiles only to step In front OF a
trolley car which instantly ground MIN
to death under it's wheels.
Those who went early to the course
in the hope of obtaining little sleep
before the beginning of the race were
disappointed, for every hotel and every
farm house anywhere near the track
was so crowded with people as to make
sleep impossible.
Everywhere there was the din or
honking horns and the yells and laugh
ter of the crowds that moved ghostlike
through the blackness Of the starless
night, Illuminated only by the brilliant
flashes of thousands OF headlights
Everywhere there were pedestrians
lodging across roads and around cor
ners, appearing suddenly for an in
stant brilliant in the glare of head
light, and then as suddenly disappear
ing into the darkness. IT was such
scene as can only be witnessed on the
night before Vanderbilt cup race a
scene that cannot be described, a scene
that cannot be imagined, scene that,
once witnessed, lives forever in the
memory.
The pessimistic predictions of the
weather man calling for showers for
today seemingly had no effect on the
crowd. for when the cold. dull morning
broke every vantage place around the
23-mile course was crowded and still
the line of motor cars came down the
roads and still the special trains dis
charged their hundreds.
James Florida, with his Locomobile,
crossed the starting line at $3.50 a. m.
and started the Vanderbilt cup auto
mobile race in the presence of a crowd
which. counting the people all along
the course, was estimated at approxi-
Inately 100000 persons. No. 2, Knox
n 4. = - 50
lowed one minute later; then came
Stricken with a German Mercedes, and
they were followed a minute apart
until all we're off except the French
Renault, No. II, which did not get off
until 7:14.
At the end Of the sixth lap, with the
race for the Vanderbilt cup little more
than half finished. Haupt. No. 4, in his
Chadwick; Robertson, No. 16, in Lo-
comobile, and Herbert Lyttie in No. G.
IZotta, were making desperate fight
for leadership. Haupt had the honor at
that point, but as he flashed across
the line Robertson was tearing along
only thirteen seconds behind him, push :
ing his big car to the limit of it's
speed. He went past the grandstand
like a whirlwlnd, finishing his sixth lap
at an average speed Of almost seventy
miles an hour.
Forty seconds after Robertson came
Herbert Lyttle. He was pushing his
machine to its utmost in an effort TO
overcome the slight advantage Haupt
and Robertson had over him.
A drizzling rain which began just as
dawn was breaking turned a magnifl-
cent road surface into one that made
each of the numerous sharp turns an
extra hazardous task. Yet the cars
kept right down 70 work, making up on
the long back and home stretches what
they lost at the angles. Seventeen
coughing. swapping cars lined up and
sixteen went of with a succession of
pistol shot explosions at $3.50 a. m. The
left at the post" car was the Renault
with Strang at the wheel. Something
would not start, so Strang, with a