Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1908-02-07
FINE MOTOR COURSE.
Philadelphia to Have the Great.
est In the World.
IDEAL LOCATION SELECTED.
Track For an American hotordroms
to Be Largest, Fastest and Safest.
Car, It Is Said, Can Take II at Ninety
Miles an Hour In Perfect Safety.

Philadelphia capital and enterprise
have planned to build Immediately the
largest and fastest automobile track in
the world says the Philadelphia In.
quirer. Before ueXt summer arrives II
Is expected that the course Will be
ready and that new worlds records
galore will go down on the pages Of
motoring history.
The only track that can compare
with 1t is the Brooklands Of England,
where S. +. Edge has made marvellous
time in twenty-four hours and for
shorter periods. So safe will the course
be that car can take 1t at the rate VI
ninety miles IN hour without the
slightest danger Of an accident
Since the course will have no COM
petitors In the United States II will
become national In the interest 1t ere
ates. and thus Philadelphia will be the
center OF speeding. and all the great
cars constructed In the United States
and abroad will be sent there to com
pete.
For enterprise and daring Philadel-
phiu has long ranked ahead VI any city
from the American Automobile associ-
alton, the controlling automobile body
In the United States. that racing on
mile or half mile horse tracks would
be discountenanced the American mo-
tordrome was organized and has now
proceeded TO such stage that success
Is certain No club affiliated with the
American Automobile association with
any degree OF respect for the lives Of
competitors would attempt to hold q
race meet on a mile track now. aud
free lance promoters would not be
permitted to make the attempt. for all
who participated would be declared
outlaws. So 1t remained for enterpris-
ing capitalists to undertake the great
task and Philadelphia will have the
honor of inaugurating the first great
track the United States has ever
known and what will prove the fast,
est in the world.
A beautiful plateau just beyond Lila.
nerch on the West Chester pike has
been selected from number Of sites.
and there 213 acres of ground have
been purchased. The location is ideal.
1t is but little over half an hour from
the center Of Philadelphia. the specta.
tor taking the elevated to the termi,
nus and then the West Chester Trac.
ton company cars to the track. The
latter company Is already making
plans to lay spur directly to the
course, which Is but short distance
from the company's main line. So
short is the travelling distance aud SO
low the rate of fare that thousands
and thousands of people will take in
the great battles Of motor cars that
are planned.
THE course will be between two
and three miles in length and will be
100 feet wide at the narrowest part"
said President Louis BergdOl the other
day, while the turns. which will be a
quarter of mile long, will be 125
feet wide, with an elevation Of 80 per
cent, which will make the greatest
speed absolutely safe.
Engineers are already at work on
laying out the track, and as soon Us
their plans are completed contracts
will be let for the building Of the
course. 1t Is planned to have the track
made of concrete and cinders. the sur.
face being just rough enough to pre-.
vent skidding. Such composition
gives the tires every chance to take
firm hold, and with the splendid
grades wonderful time should be the
result"
Mr.. Bergdol added that one Of the
great features Of such track was the
absence Of dust, which has caused u
great many fatal accidents In automo.
bile races. Have you noted" he said
that there has not been a single nc.
cident at the Brooklyn course2 And
there will not be II drivers use any de.
gree Of caution. An accident on our
course would be almost impossible"
Immense grand stands and field seats