Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1909-09-23
FOUNDING A RACE
COURSE FOR AEROS
Auto and Aviation Park on Jersey
Meadows.
WILL COST OVER $2,00o,ooo.

Aim Is to Make the Establishment the
Center of Aerial Racing and Expert
mentatien In This country-How the
Automobile Track, Five Miles Long,
Will Be Built.
Before another year has gone by
New York city will have within fifteen
minutes of its downtown section not
alone the largest and finest automobile
race track in the country. but also a
fully equipped aviation park for the
trying out and racing of aeroplanes
and other air craft The proposed au-
tomOhile race track will be five miles
long, and its estimated cost is between
$2,5Ou,O00 and $3.0000OO. The aim will
be to make the park the center of all
aerial races and tests in this country.
y syndicate of which 7. S. Parish,
president of realty company, is the
head, which includes Arthur Alexan-
der and George Robertson, winner of
the last Vanderbilt cup race. and
Worthington NJ. Jacobus, New Jer-
sey civil engineer, has obtained an
option on 400 acres of land on the
Hackensack meadows, lying between
the Newark plank road and the Penn
sylvania railroad tracks, on which 1t
is proposed to build the park. A num-
Der of well known automobile manu-
facturers are also interested in the
project, their interests being looked
after by Messrs. Robertson and Alex
ander.
The land is at present only partly
developed; but, according to the terms
OF the option, the selling company
agrees to fill In and improve the prop
erty. Mr.. Jacobus has drawn the
plans of the track, every bit of which
will be within the view Of the spec
tators In the grand stand. The latter
will be a huge structure, capable of
seating close to 100000 persons. He
has also completed plans for conven-
fences required by the experimenters
and racers with airships. The track
itself will be built from the suCges-
ttons of Robertson and will consist of
an oval shaped two mile course for
speed racing, surrounded by a three
mile course which, with the former,
VIII be used for road racing. On the
outer track, directly opposite the grand
stand, will be n series Of hills and
curves, including n hairpin turn, on
which 1t is expected thorough test
of the cars in the races will be had.
One of the proposed hills will be 100
feet high, with a 10 to IS per cent
grade.
Coming into the straight. the course
will be slightly downward, and 1t is
expected that a speed of 100 miles an
hour will be attained by the racing
cars. Several plans for the safety of
both the spectators and the drivers
are also under consideration, the one
meeting the most favor and the most
likely to be adopted being the build
ing of the track foot or two below
the surrounding ground, the latter to
be banked with thick layers of soft
sand, so that If a car should suddenly.
because of some accident to the steer
Ing gear swerve from the track II
would quickly be brought to a stop
without injury to the driver or the
spectators who might be near by.
Plans for financing the project are
well under way. a number of well
known automobile manufacturers hav-
ing pledged large sums of money for
the purpose.
Plenty of Dogs. but Few Babies.
The canine population of France is
on the increase. although the human
birth rate has decreased. In 1891 there
were 2,S45629 dogs. in 1901 3,329.99O
while in 1908 their number exceeded
3,5O0,000, The tax on dogs brings more
than 100000 francs annually to tie
French budget, ! franc 60 centimes
being levied on each OF the 26G5.5SG
watchdogs and 6 francs % centimes
on SS4,314 animals kept merely as pets.