The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-11-27
Time of Cars.


 Savannah, November 26-The power of six score horses crashing and roaring in the cylinders of Fiat car, sent plunging through changing fog and sunshine over 402 miles of lilac oiled roadways by the experienced hands of Louis Wagner to- day, won the most spectacular, the long, est and the fastest international automo- bile race ever held in this country. Fate played game of hide and seek with three grim and grimy-hooded figures that sat behind big steering wheels and throttes and fought with skill and daring for an adFas s1ii a seconds at the snish ot sae more t1aI K hours of driving for the honor of a trophy cup and purse of gold.
 The gathering of the crowds today to witness the 16 flights of the racing cars around the 25-mile course had none of the picturesque features or the before-dawn pilgrimages from New York to the Van derbilt cup course on Long Island, with roadways choked with touring cars and thousands Of acetylene lanterns throwing their piercing white rays through the mists of that darkest hour which comes before the shadows of the growing day. But there were other interests to hold the attention of the onlookers and, the hour for start scheduled at o'clock, together with the accessibility of the grandstands, made the all-night vigil and early morn- ing journeys unnecessary.
 The Course Is Beautiful
 The course laid out for todays race has few equals in it's wealth of scenic beau ty. There are frequent long stretches that will permit the use of the last ounce of power in each throbbing engine, and where the drivers predicted that a max mum of more than 100 miles an hour would be attained. At other points there are difficult and sinuous serpentine path ways that will test to the fullest the cap abilities of the men at the wheels. The course has no ''hair pin turn so famous along the Vanderbilt route, but it has an appendix curve' just before the cars enter the long home stretch. where the fastest time of the race was accomp. lished.
 Four Miles Straightaway.
 Leaving the starting line on the home stretch the course leads to the left around a nearby turn and enters the four-mie straightaway of white bluff road Under a canopy of overhanging live oak trees heavily draped with Spanish moss, the cars plunge into the twilight shade of the dense and picturesque foliage From the white bluff road the course leads through the lanes of deciduous trees just finding their vari-colored tints of autumn ,~.1 1, .4a.,~. ! 4l,,4 of arrow flight speedway offered by the specially constructed Ferguson avenue This road, 50 feet In width, was cut through a virgin forest and is lined on either side by stalwart pines The ever changing scenes of the course lead next through lanes of palmetto pines by broad and silvery tidal streams, where the air is redolent of the tang of the sea- through the front yards of complacent citizens in and out among towering trees of oak, and there is at last a turn into the stretch which leads to the finish. The onrushing cars were visible for mile or more down the stretch today to the thousands gath cred in the grandstands. which were con- structed at such an angle as to give each spectator a view of the course as far as the elbow where the flying contestants flashed into view from time to time.
 Business Suspended.
 , Business in Savannah was entirely sus- pended today because of the races and the city proper was deserted long before the hour set for the start. All along the course the crowds gathered, and there were the usual compositions about the dan gerous curves, where excitement was al- ways to be found. Many country folk, most of them negroes, came from the nearby farms and plantations in covered wagons drawn by mules and made pie nic of the day, eating sugarcane, singing and dancing.
 The first signs of activity along the course were in the supply pits located just in front of the older of the two big stands, which seated 14,000 or 15.0O0 people. Mechanics and supply men were early on hand filling their allotted spaces with spare tires and countless cans of lubri- eating oil and gasoline. Soon the first of the contesting machines came rushing up to it's pit station with loud exploding en- zines ready for final grooming. Other
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