The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1908-11-17
Saw the vanderbilt Cup Presented.

Saw the Vanderbilt Cup Presented
Robert 8. Gaskill, who is an enthusiastic
automobilist, went to New York to SCI
the race for the Vanderbilt cup. Having
witnessed that part of the programme ht
felt like seeing the end of the incident
and having received an invitation to bt
present at the presentation of the cup, ht
| took spin to the metropolis for tina
purpose. The event came off on Thurs
day at the club rooms of the Automobile
Club of America, 54th street, west Of
Broadway, New York city. In relating
his trip Mr.. Gaskill said:
II should imagine that there were over
thousand members of the club and in
vited guests present. Judge Gary, presj-
dent or the big steel trust and also presi-
dent of the club made a speech of wei
come. Mr.. Thompson, chairman of the
cup committee, presented the cup to the
Locomobile Company, whose car won the
race, and it was accepted by Mr.. Davis,
president OF the company. Mr.. Thomp-
son said it was Mr. Vanderbilt's original
idea that the cup would eventually be
won by an American car and retained In
this country. He said Mr.. Vanderbilt's
object in donating the cup was to en-
courage the American manufacturers Of
automobiles. This object has been full
filled, said Mr. Thompson, and it only
remains to keep up the pace in the future
as In the past and the trophy will surely
stay in this country In accepting the
cup Mr.. Davis said he spoke not only on
behalf of the Locomobile Company but
the American manufacturers in general.
He said The competition in the future
would narrow down to the Americans
alone. The strife among our home manu-
facturers is so great, the hard pace set by
them would be so fast as to practically
eliminate the foreigners from the chase
But we must not let up in the dash for
supremacy or the gentlemen on the other
side of ocean would get back in the race
and there might then be another story to
tell. Mr.. Davis told little of the inside
his DRY of how his company came to make
their first racing car. "A western man,
said, wanted our company to build him
racing car. The company did not wish to
get into the racing business and so to
avoid doing SO they fixed price so high,
as they thought that the westerner
would back down and give the matter up.
Accordingly we wrote him that the price
would be $18, 900, $4,000 with the order,
So, 900 when the car was half done and the
remaining $1,000 when the car was de-
livered. To our surprise we received
reply by the next mail stating the price
and terms were entirely satisfactory and
inclosing his check * $4,000, and urging
us to hurry the matter along as speedily
as possible. 1t was then up to the COM
pany to build the car, which we did in a
manner that made US tritle chesty and
filed the westerner's heart with Joy.
Mr.. Robertson, who drove the winning
TO- oh
but he was toe modest to make
any remarks and, after beaming happy
smile, sat down amidst the cheers of the
audience. think, probably, they cheered
him as much for not trying TO make
speech as for the splendid manner in
which he ran the car Robertson is a
young looking fellow and appears very
boyish in his manners. Thus the cup and
its winner were disposed of. Mr.. Mac
Adoo, an ex police commissioner of New
York city, was then called on, and he was
very entertaining with few remarks
think part, at least, of what he said is of
interest to the travelling public. He said
You are nice looking lot of men Che
didn't see me when he said this) and have
the appearance of law abiding citizens.
But you deceive your appearances; you
are violaters of the law; you are criminals.
and if you had your legal dues you would
all be in jail or paying fines. The happy
manner In which he said this took with
the crowd and caused much merriment.
But he went on, nobody wants to put
you in Jail as long as you are careful,
even though you do break the law, except
some constables in the country, who are
after what they can make out of you,
and some few of the city policemen, who
think they can increase their stars by
being overly active He told us how,
when he was commissioner, he had police
men on Riverside Drive wearing white
caps, and how he was criticized because
the autoists could see the white caps and
slow down. His reply was that he would
not only keep the white caps on his men
but, at night, he would have them wear
red lights on their caps so they could be
seen in the dark. He said he believed the
most efficient work of the police vas in
violations of the law rather
than in allowing the law to be violated
and then punish the offender. His ex-
perience had taught him that the best
police service was when there were the
fewest arrests. He condemned the
practice of laying along the roadside and
peeping out for autoists and taking the
number and time and then prosecute. He
said the thing to do was to be out in sight
and prevent careless and reckless driving"
After Mr. MacAdoo came moving pic
lures of all the important auto races,
some singing aud music, and then the re-
freshment hall was opened, and after a
good time there we all went home happy,
hoping we would have the pleasure of
seeing the same cup presented to an
American car next year.
Mr.. Gaskill was asked if he took In the
herse show while in New York. "Oh,
yes," he said II went in for little
while, but did not stay long. 1t seemed
too much like a funeral for me. They
had some very fine turnouts there, but
they seemed too slow for modern times
They were all very nice in their way, but
well, out of respect for his past useful
ness, would not like to say anything
of the old horse. There
was a good crowd at the show, but the
outside the garden which
waited for those who had journied to see the
kind old animal make his sort of farewell
appearance, showed what little use the
present generation has for his services"