Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-26
billiard IN LANC|A
FIRST At SAVANNAH
italian Car, With American
Driver, the Winner Over
Is Competitors.

SAVANNAH, Ga. November 26.-As
pretty an automobile race as was ever
held in this country was won yester-
day by w. N. Hilliard, driving a 1920
i Lancia "Lampo' over the fast Savan-
nah parallelogram course of 9.S miles.
1t was the international light car race.
| conducted by the Automobile Club of
America a curtain raiser to its
!, grand prize race over the long grand
prize course today. OF seventeen en-
tered cars fifteen faced the starter,
seven completed the journey Of 30 laps
or 100 miles before the contest was
declared closed and three others We're
still running.
Hilliard, in the Lancia, who had been
the favorite for the event drove in
second place to Robert Burman. in the
Buick, up to the halfway point, when
he assumed the lead and held it to
the finish, winning by minutes II
seconds over Burman. his time being
3 hours 43 minutes SO seconds, or an
average of $3.50 miles an hour Bur-
man was second in 3 Hours 40 minutes
45 seconds. while l.. B. Lorimer, in a
Chalmers-Detroit, was third, in ) hours
80 minutes 90 seconds. E. T. Hearne's
Buick No. IL was fourth and AL Poole's
Italian ISotta fifth.
Then came whole flock of two
cylinder Maxwells, Arthur See, in No.
0, finishing sixth, and Carl Kelsey. in
No. II. finishing seventh. Costello's
Maxwell, No. II, and Munweiler's No.
Is were running in eight and ninth
positions, respectively, when the race
was called off. The only other car
running at this time was the French
S. P. O., which had been especially re-
built for the race, but which was con-
tinuosly in trouble, succeeding finally
in making only five circuits of the
course.
Good Conditions.
The race was run under sapphire skies
and in the warmth of a summer sun
which made overcoats uncomfortable.
The day grew brilliant and clear after a
morning of the heaviest. wettest fogs that
ever held the city in its embrace.
crowd of many thousands filled the two
big grandstands at the finish line, and
other thousands lined the rectangular
course on all four of its regular sides.
But the crowd remained at a respectful
distance, for 600 miitiamen, under mar
tiar law, were thrown about the racing
circuit, and they kept the pathway of the
cars absolutely free from trespass until
the race was officially declared to be at
an end.
The little cars, with their bonnets re-
moved and their muffiers open, made al
most as much noise as do cars of the
who witnessed the race from points
around the course had their appetites
whetted for the real contest that comes
today. In almost every time around
there were brushes between contestants
down the grandstand stretch, and the bat
ties of speed were fought out just as des-
perately as they will be today.
The flags of France, Germany, Italy and
the United States f1Oated from poles and
the pennants of the Automobile Club of
A Darica and the AntOmOhlla Climb nf
Savannah were seen in the decorations of
the boxes and stands.
Many Minor Mishaps.
While there were many minor mishaps
to the cars, the only serious wreck came
at the very close of the days racing.
Easter, driving Buick, No. IA, had been in
trouble early in the race and was driving
along pelmell on his fourteenth lap when
he lost the road and went crashing into
ditch. The mechanician, Frank Thomp
son, was hurled from the car and rendered
unconscious. 1t was at first thought he
had been killed, but later he regained
consciousness, and it was said last night
he would surely recover.
Car No. Il, a Chalmers, driven by w. r.
Burns, crashed into tree on the first
round and the chauffeur lost four of his
front teeth. Burns did not draw No. IL
originally, but exchanged with a more
timid driver, who was fearful lest the
fdted NUMBER should bring him Ill luck.
The race was a duel between the cars
| that finished first and second from the
| very start. Burman in his Buick held the
| lead for the entire first half of the race.
Then he stopped. to replace "a lost nut.
and Hilliard drove the Lancia into a lead
which he never relinquished.
Only once did the little red car come
| to a standstill. Then it was only for a
second to allow the mechanician to take
| on board two small cans of lubricating
OIL which later he pumped by hand into
| the throbbing motor. Burman fought val
iantly to regain his lost advantage but
| to no avail. The Lancia kept hummng
away over the ground, with engines muf-
fled, while Burman in his Buick and
Lorimer in a Chalmers kept swapping
and barking with open eXhausts at his
heels.
Once Lorimer got by Burman and held
the honor of second position during the
fourteenth. fifteenth and sixteenth of the
| twenty laps in the race. but Burman,
known as one of the most daring drivers
at the course, kept crowding his engines
| and urging his car forward until he was
again in second place billiard meantime