The Washington herald., 1908-04-25


New York, April 2L-The car was Ital-
ian, but It's driver was American.
Together, one driven, the other driv-
ing, they came pelting down the Briar-
cliff Hill and flashed past the stand just
before noon to-day. winners of the Briar-
cliff trophy, with twenty-one competitors
left behind in the breathless fight-some
near, some far, but all of them behind.
Louis Suang was the triumphant driver.
and the car that bore him so swiftly and
safely through all the hazards OF the
perilOus course was one of the three
5o-horsepower Isotta machines that COM
peteG for the trophy. Without an acct
dent Of any kind, the Isotta purred off a
mile until it had flown away the whole
26o Of them in exactly 5:l4I3la.
The Isotta started fourth. but was the
first to catch the eyes of the Judges at
the end Of the first round. and there
after. below and snort and fly as they
might, none Of its rivals could catch IT,
The Italian driver, Cedrino, in his 60
horsepower Fiat. made a gallant effort in
the aclosing hours Of the struggle. and
in the desperation Of his endeavors drove
his car for the two fastest rounds made
by any of the twenty-five machines
throughout the race. but Strang was too
far ahead, and Cedrino had 10 be con-
tent with a time record OF 5.I:5 20
Hearty Cheers for American,
Both the third car and its driver were
American, and when Guy Vaughn drove
his Stearns across the line, he got a
heartier welcome from the crowd than
even the winner had received. His time
was hours, . minutes. % 2-5 seconds;
there being about the same distance be-
tween him and Cedrino as separated the
Italian and the winner. Lyle, with an
other American ear. the 50-horsepower
Apperson, was fourth, with a record of
. hours. 80 minutes. and Is 20 seconds;
Paul Cartori, in his Bianchi car, got
fifth position, with hours. So minutes, I
and As 2-5 seconds. When fve cars had
finished all the other cars were stopped
OF the twenty-five cars that rolled up
TO the starting line. shivering and belch- !
ing smoke and flame in the gray light
of dawn, only four failed to keep going. /
Still a fifth turned turtle. but its plucky
driver and mechanician repaired the dam |
ages and plugged along again. quite as
If nothing had happened. All told, the |
fact that the story Of the race contains |
no tales OF death or serious injury ap- /
pears. I'm one or two cases. at least. 10 be /
more the result OF good luck than of man |
agement. for there were several extremely |
tight ITS, and II Louis Strang IS lucky /
to have won the raee why, then. surely /
William Watson and Dan Murphy are /
still more plucky TO have emerged from /
the struggle with their lives.
Beats sixty Miles an Hour.
And here is by way of proving 1t:
If you were driving a car in the race.
you had 10 turn a corner like the corner /
n T square before you could get fairly 1
out for the run to the |
Judges stand that finished the thirty-two
niles Of the course. This turn was at
Eastview. and, as you approached it. you
ust came booming along down hill from
he east to beat four of a kind, It was
30 easy that fl didn't look dangerous
Until you had tried t. Watson was under
hat illusion the first time he made the
-ound. He came over the brow of the
lill by the lonely little white farm house.
ust climbing along in his Simplex a bit
better than sixty miles an hour. A quar-
er of a mile from the T square arrange
nent the car began to hit the high places
most uncomfoTtably. Watson saw trouble
IS soon as the spectators and threw on
lis emergency brake as the T square
nshed toward him with the speed of
light.
It was too late. Under the throttling
'rake, the car began to skid. 1t reached
he turn with speed only trifie reduced.
\ second later the Mortified spectators
aw the machine turn over in the air
But even as it Topped Watson reached
onward and threw the switch to stop
he motor. Cotter the mechanictan. was
urled to the roadside. 1t looked as If
Watson must certainly be crushed under
he car, but he, too, just fell clear Of 1t.
Car Lands in Ditch.
As for the car. it landed in the ditch
ottomside up. but. thanks to Watson's
resence of mind. with the voice of the
ngine hushed. Watson and Catter did
ot lie still and motionless. Far from IT.
<ese4A VI AiifAAA AtAi a suit 6IOk. " dISOn
roke one of his toes. but he didn't dis
over it until later. And as for being stU.
7ell, the Simplex wasn't much more hurt
han Watson. Its steering gear, however.
7as so badly twisted that it took nearly
wo hours to get it into shape, which set
ed the Simplex hash, though Watson
ept on racing. He didn't come down that
emptlng hill at any sixty miles an hour
gain, though
Murphy and his Maja car missed the
tone wall that stands just across the
itch at the same T square corner by
omething less than yard.
Machine Takes Ditch.
The car took the ditch. Murphy and
-irich, his mechanic, shot over the ditch
nd just missed the wall They weren't
urt. But they were jarred-though not
nough TO hamper Murphys vocabulary.
-e sat on the wall and communed au-
ibly with himself for a long time. The
1T front wheel OF the car was smashed
} fragments.
Without exaggeration, one may say that
ne rustling of the wings &: death was
card at Eastview corner on these two e
ccasions, but, although those were the
lost serious of the days accidents. there
ere at other times and places plenty
those thrills which so many thousand
eop!e had come so far and put up with
, much discomfort to experience and.
resumably. enjoy.
II was. all the same, the view generally s
sid among the auto sharps that the