Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-27
AUTO STARTS NORTH
RACE THROUGH ALASKA WILL
SOON BEGIN.

| SAN FRANCISCO. Cal. March 27.7fThe
American car will sail from San fran
cisco today en- route for Alaska The
racer which has completed the first
stage of the race from New York to
Paris under the auspices of the Paris
Matin and the New York Times stands
| ready to begin the second. stage of the
trip. the stage which is awaited In the
United States with the keenest interest.
| Most of the Alaskans here declare that
to cross the frozen northern country by
automobile is impossible. Yet the same
declaration was made relative to the abl-
| ity of the cars to cross the United States
by road if winter
| The lateness of the season initiates
| against the attempt very seriously. Yet
| tine autoists hope that they can reach
/ Fairbanks before the thaw strikes the in
! terror of the frozen country. planning that
! they will then be able to get down the
I Yukon on the ice to Nome, where the
| season is materially later than in the
! south and in the interior Of the country.
+. the American car will he shipped from
| San Francisco this morning by the steam
ship City of Pueblo. which will sail at l
o'clock for Seattle. At the latter point the
car will be transshipped to the steamer
Santa Clara. which will arrive at Valdez
| five days later. Thus. in ten days the
| American contestant will be setting out
from the latter port.
On the Arctic Trail.
| The route laid down for the racers to
follow is over the winter trail from Valdez
F., to Fairbanks. though the drivers may. in
| their discretion. meet the obstacles pre-
| sented in the most available way. From
Fairbanks they follow the Tanana river
until the branch runs into the great Yu-
kon river. According to George Schues-
| ter the mechanic who has accompanied
the American car from the start and will
be with it to the end, which all hope will
be in the French capital. first endeavor
will be to follow the course of the stream
if the latter is frozen so that the car can
| run upon II. IF this is found impossible
| the car will reach Nome in the best way
1T can, where shipment will be made
across to Siberia.
Hundreds of letters kilograms and to-
kens of friendship and good will are be-
ing received by the crew of the Thomas
car. Among other presents was PEN
nant bearing the name Lydia this be-
ing the name OF Capt. Hans Hansen 8
daughter.
Italians OF Again.
COBRE. New. March 27.-The Italian
car. in pursuit of the American car.
which is now in San Francisco. left Cobre
over the southern route at o'clock yes
terday morning, hoping to make the run
to Goldfield in two days.
The 4OO-mile stretch across Nevada is
in fairly good copdition, except for a
short stretch after the car passes Ely. at
the terminus of the Northern Nevada
railroad. Here the car leaves Geographic
communication to run across country
over the automobile road into the TonO-
pah district The American car met with
a mishap in this stretch and required
practically four days to reach Goldfield,
but Sirtori hopes to save two days on
the leader and be ready to run into Death
valley Saturday morning.
The car has shown no i'll effects of the
accident at Kelton. which cost so long a
delay. In fact. this delay gave the op-
portunity to so strengthen the machine
that 1T is capable of extraordinary runs.
in the opinion of it's Italian crew. Every
effort will. be made to make San Fran
UscO in four days, that the car may
be shipped over the Southern Pacific rail-
road to Seattle and may start out from
Seattle on equal terms with the Ameri-
cans in the race across Alaska.
Of From Ely.
ELY. New. March T-The Italian car
in the New York-to-Paris automobile race
left here at o'clock this morning. II
! will take the route TO San Francisco that
| was followed by the American car.