New-York tribune., 1908-07-18
THE FRENCH AUTO RACE.
Details of Third Grand Prir Contest
at Dieppe-May Be Last.

Trio third annual Grand Prix motor race OF
,be Automobile Club of France, descriptions OF
uh,ch have already reached The Tribune by
cable made Dieppe during the last week the
mecca of autonaobilists. 1t is estimated that SIX
thousand motor cars were assembled In THIS
ouaint little town. and that two hundred tnou-
sand spectators witnessed the contest mol
outstanding the enormous interest taken In the
race and the immense sums of money poured
into Dieppe by the throngs Of visitors. by the
cestly construction of stands, bridges. instala-
ton of wireless teIegraphy, preparation OF
roads and the enormous telegraph receipts at
the grandstand and at the Central Ieiegraph
Bureau. where for the two days of the Grand
prix six hundred thousand words were handed
:. for telegraph or cable, the question is al
ready asked whether or not this Will be the last
great automobile long distance race in France
Those who are opposed TO the race taking
rlace next year say that there is so much pure
lucR Involved that nothing is proved in regard
n the relative merits Of the competing cars
Endurance of tires skill of drivers, rapidity In
Hanging tires CELEBRITY in filling up with essence
or water evesight damaged by tar dust, are
ouly a few of the elements upon which depend
The success or failure of any particular car
Then again there are energetic protests because
Of humanitarian reasons At least four deaths
are recorded owing 10 the race just completed
Two OF these occurred couple Of days before
the contest. when the racing cars were practls-
ing on the open road some sixty miles from
Deppe ard the death Of Cissac and his mech
ancian Staub, took place in course of the race
Moreover, for fully three weeks beforehand, the
public roads within a radius Of a hundred AND
fifty miles around Dieppe were greatly injured
by innumerable speed trials, and the passage OF
from
has so ripped up the highways that loose stones
are torn from the roadbeds and lie scattered
about on the surface like gravel The farmers.
dairyrneu and nearly all the village comrnun-
ties have entered vigorous protests against the
motor ca monopolizing the highways to the
great inconvenience Of local traffic.
On the other hand. public interest i'm these
automobile contests seems to be increasing and
the sporting committee of the Automobile Club
has already under consideration half a dozen
Propositions for next years race. The Marquis
de Dion and several Of his colleagues of the
Sporting committee have visited the country
about Clermond-Ferrand in order TO examine
The course proposed by the Automobile CLUB OF
Anvergne as q permanent circuit 1t has also
been urged by the leading makers that the main
conditions Of the Grand Prix just completed be
retained for 1909. That is to say, every car
must have a maximum cylinder bore of 155 milli-
metres for four-cylinoer engines. or the equiva-
lent in effective piston area for cars with a num-
ter Of cylinders other than four. Every car
must have minimum weight Of 1.1o0 Kilograms,
IN running order but without water. essence.
tools tires or spare parts. The presen. colors
VIII remain the same-SSted States. red and
white; France. blue: GN(kany. white; Great
Britain green: Italy, red: Belgium, yellow The
tanned
The grands,and constructed three miles from
Dierpe by the Automobile Club cost $4,000 and
al the arrangements were admirable. Wireless
Biography worked to perfection from all parts
f the course and the immense framework forty
-eet high and three hundred feet IN length served
10 display in columns. for each lap OF the circuit
'he speed Of each car The numbers, IN large
White figures dark blue background. whlch
We're placed in position within Few SECONDS
siter the passage OF the racer. could be dls-
unetiy read with the naked eye at a distance OF
i*o hundred yards and added enormously TO the
Interest of the spectators, for they could at once
erssp the relative position and chances OF every
competitor. All these arrangements VIII DE re-
pesfeo if the Grand Prix takes place next year.
Inc committee is trying TO find a substitute tor
The dressing that on Tuesday caused acci-
cents and suffering
The following summary OF the characteristcs
" the most successful cars In Tuesdays race
1ie Useful for reference: The Mercedes cars
osat secured first and fifth places have four
cylinders east in pairs domed cylinder heads.
valves on top; the bore is l5s millimeties, the
stroke l7G miirnetres; theoretical horsepower.
.-V' centrifugal pump. honeycomb radla,or'
Agh tension magnetic of the Simms-Bosch type
i'f ignition. Lindsay spiral spring clutch TOUR
speeds, three gear shafts chain transmission,
Micnen tires
- Ssaz cars, which secured second and third