The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1908-08-09

in the first day, and the little sizaire
Naudln. the One-cylinder car. with its
crew OF two, found IT impossible to
traverse the Hudson valley.
Ihe Italian car met with an accident
al Rochester which handicapped II al
the rest OF the way. Nevertheless. it
continued its game struggle, and at one
time seemed likely to wrest the lead
from the American car. The Thomas
went to the front at Erie. followed by
the De Dion, though the Zust assumed
second position In Indiana, when the De
Dion In turn had its misfortunes, and
these three raced into Chicago only a
day apart, with the Protos and Motto
Bloc following three days behind.
Though the struggles through the
snow IN New York were severe. the IN
diana conditions were fearful. On one
night the Thomas struggled for thirteen
hours to cross stretch OF eight miles,
while all of the cars in turn plowed
continuously through the banks Of snow
that ran at times TO twelve feet in
depth.
Terrible Hardships.
Leaving Chicago the courage and con-
dltlon Of the men who drove the Thorn
as car was splendidly illustrated by the
work which they did in the face Of fu-
rlous Billiards, which left the other cars
stalled along the read to Chicago, while
railroad trains ard trolley service was
tied up by snowdrifts which rendered
the roads impossible for vehicles of any
kind-men had difficulty in forcing their
way in the face Of the fierce gales-thev
refused to heed their sufferings from the
intense cold, and pressed on,
Weatherbeaten, chilled by the intense
cold Montague Roberts steered the
Ihom*s car into Omaha after hours of
heart-breaking labor. three DAYS abAad
OF the Zust and Protos. and establish
ing a record for men and nacbInArv
Which will be hard to beat, the driver
swearing that the car would he driven
70 san Francisco in spite of the desires
OF the foreign cars to ship by train
from a point to be reached by March
o IN time to embark on A steamer Ar
Seattle which sailed on March 1o-bs
claiming that race was a race. not
railroad trip, and that they would ad-
here TO the rules as laid down in Nevv
York city if they had TO continue the
trip alone.
Leaving Omaha the cars continued on
TO Cheyenne. where Roberts turned over
the machine to Linn Mathewson. who
drove it on to ogden. with George
schuster as his mechanism.
With a cavalcade Of COWBOYS yelling
Ike Comanche Indians. ana q hundred
automobiles, the Thomas car was es-
corted into Cheyenne, where they were
greeted by the entire population.
Motto Bloc Gives Up.
The second to give up the struggle
was the French Motto Bloc. Halfway
across Iowa the driver. NJ. GODDARD
found the hardships too severe for him
and shipped his car to San Francisco.
disqualifying himself from the race. and
leaving four to go on.
Leaving Cheyenne the Thomas car nj
loted by Linn Mathewson crossed the
divide into Wyoming over some of the
worst roads in the country. trying men
and machine to the utnost-the car he
ing lowered down entertainments, fording
rivers and arriving at Ogden. Utah. In
hrst-class condition, where Linn NIath-
ewsOn turned the car over to Harold
Brinker with a clean lead OF over four
days on the other cars
Leaving Ogden the Thomas continued
on TO Frisco. going through unheard OF
experiences in Death Valley and the
sandy deserts Of Nevada, arriving in
San Francisco on March "a. the forty
second day of the race. having run. 2 S32
miles, includinga s00-mile detour to the
south since leaving New York, and beat
ing the nearest Of the other contestants
into Frisco by twelve days.
Sail To Seattle.
The Thomas left for Seattle on March
q, sailing on the steamer City of Pueblo
where it embarked on the Santa Clara
for Valdez, Alaska George Sehuster
driving the car with George Miller as
mechanician. Capt Hans Hansen. the
Arctic explorer, and George NIcAdam,
correspondent Of the New York Times
all OF whom were with the car to the
finish in Paris
The steamer encountering head winds
and storms was delayed considerably.
arriving In Valdez two days behind
schedule time, ca April S.
The Thomas crew found il impossible
to continue the race through Alaska
and reshipped back to Seattle, taking
the steamer Shaw nut for Yokohama.
unable to get a steamer for Vladivostok
direct, owing TO delays in having their
passports vised by the Russian consul
at Frisco.
The French and italian cars arrived
at Seattle as the news Of the Thomas
return reached that city. The cars were
Immediately loaded on a Yokohama
steamer and shipped to Japan. while
the Thomas, en- route to the United
States. and the PTOtOs still on the road
in Idaho, were left behind. Lieuten-
ant koeppen would have been unable
TO catch the Thomas, even allowing no
time to the American for the Alaskan
trip. had he continued on the road. He
was almost 1000 miles behind. and
twenty-three days when the Thomas
arrived at San Francisco, so IN order
10 start with the others across Siberia.
he shipped his car by railroad 10 Sc
attic.
German Penalized Thirty DAYS.
This action would have disoualiAed
him but for technical Interpretation
of the conditions Of the race, and the
committee considered II fairer to let
the car go on. but to penaIize It thirty
days in the Thomas favor-the twenty
three days it was actually behind and