The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1908-02-21
FOR PARIS
Six Automobiles Are Off on the
Long Journey to the French
Capital.
A RACE OF 10000 MILES
Great Crowds Assembled in New York
to See the Machines Leave
Through Alaska and Siberia
to ST Petersburg.

New York, Feb. 13.-The six auto
mobiles contesting in the New YORK
to Paris race started from Times
Square. Forty-second street and Broad
way, at 11:15 a. IN. Wednesday,
cheered by a throng of several thous-
and people. Accompanied by more
than 200 motors of all descriptions the
racing machines made their way up
Broadway and Riverside drive to the
city limits, where they turned north
on the road to Albany. From that
city the route to San Francisco, Whlch
is the objective point of the first stage
of the trip, lies across New York state
to Buffalo, thence through Cleveland
and Toledo to Chicago, to Omaha,
cheyenne, Ogden, Reno, Goldteld,
San Luis Obispo and San Francisco.
Mayor Mcclellan was to have given
the word to start, but was delayed,
and Colgate Hoyt, of the Automobile
Club of America, took his place,
All traffic in the neighborhood OF
Times Square, was stopped a half
hour before the start Automobiles
clogged the intersecting streets and
lined the route for many blocks up
Broadway. No such aggregation OF
machines has been seen in or about
New York since the last Vanderbilt
cup race was run. A band in the OIL
cial grandstand played the anthems OF
the nations as the cars lined up. Tor
the start. A pistol shot sent the con-
testants away amid the cheering OF the
people and the hoarse hooting OF hun
dreds of automobile horns.
The contesting cars are the queerest
looking machines ever devised for mo-
toring purposes. With their heavy
equipment of stores and camp utensils,
several of them were a modern repre-
sentation of the old prairie schooner.
One resembled a hook and ladder
truck with long running boards on
either side, equipped with axes, shov-
els ropes, and a dozen other articles.
| The clothing of the drivers varied
from black bear skins to pure white
fur outfit and head dress worn by a
| French team.
Three French cars, one German,
| one Italian and one American started
in the race. Three men constituted
the crews of the foreign machines, Dut
| there were only two in the American
| car. The three French cars were
| steered by G. Bourcier st. Chaffray
| M. Golard and NJ. Pons, the German
| car by Lieutenant Koeppen, OF the
Prussian army, the Italian car by An
tonic Scarfoglio, and the American
car by Montague Roberts. Each ma
chine carried the flag of its own ma
ton and that of the United States
They were plentifully decorated will
signs and placards so there could be
no mistaking their identity whereyel
seen. The buildings surrounding
Times Square were decorated VIII
flags and bunting and the start was
quite spectacular.
Estimates vary rs to the length o
time the race will require. From sil
to nine months, it is believed, will b.
consumed. All the drivers are conf
dent of reaching their destination
through the frozen fields of Alaska ant
Siberia. Steamers will transport tn
machines from San Francisco to Va
deg. Alaska, and from Nome to Eas
Cane. Siberia, across Behring Strait.