The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1908-11-27
WAGNER Of ITALY
WINS GRAND PRIZE
Breaks All American AutOmO-
bile Records Over 1902 Mile
Race Course.
ACCIDENT PUTS NAVARRO
OUT OF THE RUNNING
Driver Erie of Benz Car Is
Thrown, Breaking Jaw
and Nose.

SAVANNAH. Nov. ga Fiat car, sent
plunging through changing fog and sun
shine over I02 miles OF roadways by the
experienced hand of Louis Wagner. to-
day won the most spectacular. the longest
and the fastest international automobile
race ever held in this country Fate played
n game OF hide -ard ?seeE with three grim
ma aid ] ]grlmy- hooded nsures that sat behind
big steering wheels and throttles and
fought with skill and daring for an ad-
vantage of seconds at the finish of the
more than six hours Of driving. through
storms OF sand and gravel. and risk OF
life and limb, for the honor OF a trophy
cup and purse OF gold
The three drivers who chung together
from the very start werc shuifled about
like so many cards as the flying laps were
recled away For q time there was n
fourth figure In the leading column. but
when little more than a minute separated
the first from the last of the cars In the
whirling quartettc, a caprice OF fortune
sent one pitching from the road. Out OF
the mass of wreckags, Fritz Erie who
had been driving the German Benz No
10, was taken with a broken nose and
broken Jaw. SIM the struggle continued
and Il was not until the last minute OF
the last lap that the tide of victory turned
10 Wagner
Navarro. the wonderful Italian driver
holder Of worlds records. aad winner or
countless contests. who had clung tena-
more than hundred miles. hesirated long
enough at the supply pits to change
weakening tire, and lost. The treacher-
Gus rubber tubing burst as he was about
20 enter the home stretch and three min
utes OF delay that followed sent the grand
prize winner of last year and his Fiat No
from Tirst 70 third place, Hemery, in a
German Benz, No. s, favorte Of the fol-
lowers OF automobile racing, took sec
oDd hOnors. IT was not until the official
time was announced that the actual win
NOR I,uY had l.,r1 Il
himself 10 victory by the slender margin
OF hfty-s!N seconds HemcrY was the ilrst
to finish the sixteen laps OF the race, and
enthusiastic thousa nds hailed him as win
nor without needing the six minutes
grace which Wagner held Hemery being
sent away at the start n 9:G7 this morn
Ing and Wagner not getting the word to
go until 9:13.
Minutes Appear Hours.
Tho minutes of waiting after Henery
had driven the dig Benz car over the I'm
ish line seemed 10 be- hours TO the ad
herents 81 the missing car. II was just
at the NTH of the flying minutes was
ticking itself away that the blast OF
bugles and the roar Of car coming" rang
out
Wagner Wagner. Wagner:" cried the
crowd. as, pitching down the stretch, the
red car tore for the fsteful line. The
cheers suddenly changed 10 IN oppressive
hush as the DarrowncsS OF the time mar
gin was realized. and 1t was not until
gang of italian workmen IN the supply
pits that IL was definitely known who
had won.
Wagner drove a remarkable steady race
He stopped several times for supplies and
once seemed 10 bc I'm serious trouble right
in front OF the grandStand. Something
was wrong beneath the car. and down
under tho maze Of Cranks and wheels the
mochanlclan plunged. In a jLffy he was
through Wagner meantime had been
pouring gasoline into one tank with his
right hand and lubvicatlng oil into am
other with his LEFT. II was this delay that
took Wagner out Of the lead IN twelve OF
the sixteen laps OF the race and gave it
70 Navarro. whose troubles were 70 como
later The fact that a car OF his own
team won the race was little comfort 10
Navarro.
An Italian himself Navarro wanted TO
win IN an italian car. Wagner is a
Trenohman. He is also IsnovH wherever
motoring is an art. In 1906 Wagner won
tho Vanderbilt cup in French car. and
his driving then over the Long Island
course was q replica of the steady nerve
and skin which lac displayed so brilliantly
today.
In winning this first grand prize race OF
the Automobile Club Of America. over the
bent Savannah course. Wagner ser new
record FOR road racing in this country.
George Robertson. in tho Vanderbilt cup
race OF 25s miles last month. set the mark
at 64.S miles AN hour. Today. the longer
distance % lO2 miles, Wagner raised II TO
Coo. Hc averaged twenty three min
utes 90 each one OF the sixteen laps that
measured 2jl& miles. His fastest lap
was made In II so but the lap honors ~
the DAY went 10 De Palma, at the wheel
OF Fiat No. 10, who twice made the cir
cult IN 2l:5 an average OF about seventy
miles an hour.
From the moment the race got fairly
under way it developed into battle be-
tween the foreign cars. The American
racers seemed unable TO stand the pace
cut out by the heavier and more power
ful speed machines from France. Germany
and Italy.
Small Horse Power
The most stulwart OF the siN American
machines that started had "A motor rated
at sixty horse power, while the foreign
cars ranged from 1lO 10 i2O-horse power.
OF the American cars stili on the road at
the finish the Simplex. with Joe Seymour
driving had finished fourteen OF the six
teen laps. the National, with Hugh Hard
ing at the wheel. had made eleven CTR
cults Of The course. and the Lozicr. ham
died 10y Ralph Multord, had made ten.
The Acme finished six laps, the Chadwick
four, and the Buick four before vari-
Gus troubles took them ont OF the gun
ming.
;lonallty OF driver and time Of starting
No. element Bayard. French. Rigal,
No. 2-Lozier. American Mulford. o:Ol.
No. G-SimpleN. American, Seymour.
10. j-BuIck. American. Burman. 9:Os.
No. Chadwick, American, HauPt
l:0l.
No. 6--Fiat. Italian, NaEarro. 9.O5.
No. Acme. American. Zenelo, 9.06.
No. S-Bcn8, German Eemery, 800
So g-Dc Dietrich, French. SZicE, SOP
No. ll--Natlonal. American. Harding,
40.
10. i2-Italia. Italian. Cagpe, OIL
No l3-Clemcnt- Bayard French. Haut-
-ast, s;i2,
No li-Tiat, Italian, Wagner, 9:l%.
SO. l5-BeuZ German. Hanriot. 9l3.
No IG-RCnuUlt. French. Strang, 9.l5.
No. 17-Ital.a Italian. Fournter 9'l6.
No. fS-Fiat italian, De Palma. 9.lI
No. l9-Benz German. Erie. 9:lS.
No. 2O-Itala, italian. PiacenZa, 9:l9.
Harry MiChener Was 10 have drvon the
,ozlcr car. but the injuries he received
N "a recent race at Philadelphia caused
i'm To relinqulsh his ear In favor -
ord who had been acting