Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-04-25
SWIFT FINISH OF CONTEST.
Eighth Lap Calls Forth Burst O.
Speed From Machines,

SpCCu .4lO1u IAdCulllCc.
New York. April 25.-His body stiff
ened, his head sunk between his shoul.
ders and his eyes never from the mar.
row oiled lane, Frank Lewis Strang
drove ]. H. Tyson's fifty horsepower
automobile of italian manufacture
around the Briarcliff thirty-two mile
course, distance of $50 miles, in 5
hours IA minutes 13 is seconds. win
ming the $1,000 silver trophy. He had
seven minutes to spare over Cedrino,
in another italian car. Guy Vaughan
drove an American car into third
place. seven minutes behind Cedrino.
Herbert Lyle in a fifty horsepower
American car was fourth and Paul
Sartori, driving a forty horsepower
Italian machine. was fifth. The time
of Vaughan was 3 hours % minutes
% 2-5 seconds. while Lytle covered the
course in ) hours 20 minutes 10 %
seconds. Sartori's time was 5 hours
81 minutes As 3-5 seconds. The judges
officially declared the race off when
Sartori crossed the finish line. Three
other machines of the twenty-five
starters were on the course when the
race was called off to prevent acct
dents to the great crowd, which num-
bered about 100000 persons.
There were several minor mishaps
during the contest, which compelled
the withdrawal of several racers, but
no one was injured.
Great Speed In Eighth Lap.
There were tremendous bursts of
speed when the contestants entered
upon the eighth and last lap. The
starter fluttered a green flag as a sig
nal for the final circuit as Strang ap-
preached the judges stand. Opening
his lever TO the highest speed clutch,
Strang sent the red car over the course
for the last time like meteor and
finished a winner by comfortable
margin. Almost abreast as they swept
by the judges stand Cedrino and
Vaughan began a spirited fight for
second honors. and it was not until
near the finish line that Cedrino dart
ed TO the fore and took the prize for
the place.
Swarming over the course. an i'm
mense throng of spectators impeded
the progress of the drivers, hazsrding
both their own lives and those of the
racers.
Little attention was paid to the state
guardsmen who patrolled the course.
The prospect Of being run down by
one Of the racing cars stopped no one
I'm the crowd from pushing into the
middle of the road for n sight Of the
cars coming
Crowd on Foot and In Autos.
While fully $1,000 persons in 10000
automobiles encircled the course and
watched the race from their elevated
positions in tonneaus and on seats. the
vast majority Of the crowd was on
foot, eager and pushing. tossing the
guardsmen around wherever the vol
unteer marShals were at their posts.
This unruliness Of the crowd made
fast running impossible in the spots
where the greatest numbers of spec
tators were gathered, and much disap-
pointment was expressed at the neces-
sarily reduced speed at which the cars
headed through the congested points
along the track.
Strang's winning time was much bet |
ter than had heen expected by those |
aware Of the unususl difficulties Of the |
courEs- His average Of forty Weight 1
miles an hour seems slow when com
pared with the mark set in the last |
race for the Vanderbilt cup. when the /
winner covered a ~ mile course at an !
average speed Of almost siXty-one and |
one-half miles an hour But the roads |
over which the race was decided are /
50 narrow with SO many dangerous /
turns and grades. that there seldom /
was stretch Of more than a minute At /
q time in which the drivers could ven 1
ture to push their machines TO their 4
full speed As the promoters Of the
affair Acknowledged II vas a contest
Of endurance and reliability under pro
longed pressure far more than a mere
test II speed and the majority of the
came out Of the ordeal
with credit.