The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-11-27

 detail, were constantly at their side, and when both were seated at last in their slanting bucket seats they appeared more like popular conceptions of Mephsto- pheles in every day working clothes than mere human beings.
 Babel of Voices.
 Orders and instructions in French Ger man, Italian and English mingled at times with the babel of the motors.
 The cars of the foreign competitors were entered in groups and the racing machines of the different nations were painted in distinguishing colors. The five cars entered in the name of France were all of royal blue. The six Italian en- tries were gay in a solid dressing of red. The three stolid German cars were all white and looked impressively powerful and heavy The six American entrants all appeared with white bodies and red run ming gear The French cars consisted of a team of two Clement-Bayards, a sec ond team of two Renaults and an indi- vidual De Dietrich The six Italian en- trants were made up of two teams of three Flats and three Italas. The three Germans all belonged to the Benz team. The American cars were all individually entered, there being a Lozier, Simplex, a Buick, a Chadwick, a National and an Acme on the list.
 Hemery the Favorite.
 Victor Hemery, Frenchman driving the German car No. s, was the decided favorite in the betting with Navarro sec- ond and Wagner, also French, in the italian car No IA, third. Americas hopes were fixed upon Willie Haupt, a. mere boy in experience and age, but reckless driver who plloted the Chadwick. The rising fog caused postponement of the start until 930.
 Other than the 5000 gold cup to the own CT and the S4O0O purse to the driver of the winning car today, there were many other prizes at stake. For the second driver there was a purse of 5000, for the third, S100; for the fourth, $750, and for the hfth a consolation of $250.
 The exact measurement of the course used today was 25.13 miles. The It laps to the race brought the total distance up to 402.S miles. To negotiate thls route called for the taking of 16 banked turns and six fiat curves on each lap.
 Order of Start.
 The order of start was as follows:
 No. l-Clement- -Bayard. French (RigaD, started 9:30.
 No. 2-Lozier, American (Mulford), started 9;S1.
 No. s-simplex, American (seymour), started 9;32.
 No. 4Buick, American (Burman), start ed, 9:33
 No. 5-Chadwick. American tHaupD, started, 9:S4
 No. 6-Fiat Italian (Nazarro), started, 9:35
 No. 7-Acme, American (zengle), start ed, s:36.
 No. s-Benz, German Hemery), start No. 9-De Deitritch, French (DuraD, started, 9;SS.
 No. lo-Renault, French (szize), start ed, 9:3s.
 No. l1-National, American (Harding), started, $40.
 No. 12-ItaIa, Italian (Cagno), started. s:4
 No. 3-Clement-Bayard, French CHart- vast started, ZAP.
 No. 14-Fiat, Italian (Wagner), started 9:43
 No. 15-Benz, German HanrioD, started, 9:44
 No. 16-Renault, French (Strang), start ed 9:45.
 No. 17-Itala, Italian Fournier), start ed, 9:46.
 No. 1s-Benz, German (Erle), started, 9:B.
 No. 2o-Itala, Italian (Piacenza), start ed, 9:49.
 Harry Kitchener was to have driven the Lozier car, but the injuries received Tn d recent race at Philadelphia caused nm 10 relinquish his car in favor of Mul1ord, who had been acting for a time as me- chanician.
 Three Cling Together.
 The three drivers who clung together from the very start were shuftled about like so many cards. For time there was a fourth figure in the leading column until a caprice of fortune sent one pitch ing from the road. Out of the mass Of wreckage Fritz Erie, who had been drv- ing the German Benz No. 19, was taken with a broken nose and broken jaw. It was not until the last minute of the last lap that the tide of victory turned to Wagner. Navarro, the wonderful ltal- ian driver, holder of world records, and winner of countless contests, who had clung tenaciously to a narrow mar gin of lead for more than a hundred miles, hestated too long at the supply nits to change a weakening tire and lost The treacherous rubber tubing burst as he was about to enter the home stretch and the three minutes of delay sent tho Grand Prix winner of last year and ms Fiat No. from first to third position Hemery in a German Benz No. 5, took second honors. It was not until the off cial time was announced that the actual winner was known-that Wagner had hurled himself to victory by the slender margin of 56 seconds. Hemery was the first to finish the 16 laps of the race and enthusiastic thousands hailed him as a winner without heed of the six minutes grace which Wagner held, Hemery being sent away at the start at 9:52 this morn ing and Wagner not getting the word to go until 9:5s.
 Minutes Like Hours.
 The minutes of waiting after Hemery had driven the big Benz car over the finish line seemed like hours to the ad- herents of the missing car and like frac- tional seconds to the men who had all ready made the journey. It was just as the fifth of the flying minutes was tick ing itself away that blast of bugles and yae waving of red watchmen's flags set LID the roar of lear coming from the most wildly excited throng of spectators ever gathered at a racing course. Eyes were strained toward the elbow in the stretch, not a half a mile away, around which the coming car would flash into view. At last it came and it was red.
 ''Wagner, Wagner, Wagnern cried the crowd and pitching down the straight away, the red car tore for the fateful line, the big white No 14 glowing from the radiator and from the sides of the hood.
 Wagner drove remarkably steady race He stopped several times for supplies and once seemed to be in serious trouble right in front of the grandstand. Something