New-York tribune., 1909-10-30
NOW FOR MAD RACE
Vanderbilt CUP IN
THE BdL1NCE.
SiFtccn Cars to Start This
Morning in H1hirI
for Record.

sixteen cars viii shoot away this morn
ms in the fifth race for the vanderhrt
Cup. the classic trophy Of American auto
mobile racing. 4 short circuit. with the
promise oi cars flashing by in a procession
almost continuous, a start made at
O'Clock when tho sun has had a chance to
chase away the mists and chill OF a Long
Island morning, instead of at dawn and
the fact that an American car. driven b,,
Yankee has good chance as any
other 10 win. are all factors in aro,Is,ne =
degree Of public interest likely to draw =
record breaking crowd
Although sixteen cars will Start for the
Vanderbilt Cup, there will be twentv-six
cars IN all on the course. because two
sveepsiake events viii be run in conjunc-
ton with the feature OF the day -Four
cars VIII start in the race for the Wheatlev
Hnls trophy and six for the Massapeoua
trophy. The race for the Vanderbilt Gun
VIII be 27S0S miles, and the cars viii have
10 complete twenty-five laps. Two divis-
icnS Of hiGh-powered cars make up the field
ror this race, with different weight limits.
one class weighing in at 400 pounds or
more, and the other at 2l00 pounds or
more.
The first cars away viii be those in the
Nassapequa Sweepstakes. which will cover
ten laps of the circuit OF 1854 miles. a total
distance OF 1864 miles These are the
smallest cars competing, but must weigh
more than 100 pounds. In the Wheatley
Hills fixture four cars Will start, weighing
~ least 1.s00 pounds. and these will be re-
Qaired 10 cover fifteen laps of the course,
or 1876 miles
All the cars weighed in yesterday after
noon. after final tuning up practice No
great speed was attempted by any of the
drivers. twenty-one in all. who were out,
rs they preferred 10 take no chances OF in
jury 10 themselves or their racers on the
very eve Of the contest. The best time re-
corded was that of Grant. in an AIco who
covered the course in II minutes g. seconds.
The weighing-in ceremony, which used to
be one Of the spectacular sights of the
night before The race. took place quietly
during the afternoon and was marked by
none Of the frantic attempts to reduce
weight TO the irreducible minimum that
some drivers have had to resort to in the
past. Unless some wholly unforeseen COM
rlicauon crops up, Fred Wagner Will send
Kuipper's Chaimers-Detroit away in the
Nsssapequa race promptly AT o'clock this
morning.
There weren't SO many persons camping
around the course last night as in past
years Almost everybody decided TO walt
until early this morning. The procession
OF automobiles across the bridges and the
ferries and out through Long Island City
began, how ever, about midnight. The Gar
den City Hotel vas fun. as usual. and
automobiles snorted and puffed around it
most Of the evening. but those who spent
the night there we're counting at II o'clock
an getting some sleep and eating breakfast
~T-nz
deal CT difference.
The Vanderbilt Cup race would not live UP
70 its best traditions If there wasn't some
sort Of a scare that thu contest would be
stopped This year the scare came along
yesterday, and had 10 DO with the failure
OF the Motor Cups Holding Company 10 file
the bond Of s1oa,co0 required by Nassau
COUNTY The bond was executed by Lloyds
of London. and came in on the Msuretania
which arrived Yesterday, and that ac-
counted for the delay.
The course this rear is generally thought
q b. the best. fsstest and safest ever
chosen for such race i'm this country.
There are few turns, and none thst COM
rare in danger with the hairpin Of the first
three races or some Of the hair raising ones
encountered 4 Savannah last year. More
than FIVE miles OF the race viii he run,
was the case a wear ago, the cement
Toadbed of the Motor Parkway, the rest
of the distance being covered on state
roads, oiled and packed into such condition
that great speed should be possible
The course is near Hampstead. and Beth
page and Hicksville are the nearest sta
lions Special trains will leave Flatbush
avenue from 40 until o'clock this morn
ing AZ intervals of half an hour for West
Tcfo
~ 10 and 30 direct 10 the grandstand.
one familiar face viii be missing this
morning when the race begins, George
Robertson being among the drivers not
entered this wear He won last years con-
fest in record king time in an Ameri-
can car. being the first man to pilot
home built machine TO victory.
The list OF famous drivers who Will start
includes. however such names as those OF
Louis Chevrolet, Hugh Harding. Bert
DinEiey, Willie Haupt, Lewis Strang, Joe
seymour, Charles Nerz, John Aitle0, Ed
ward A TIearnc. Edward n. Parker and
several others almost as well kne'Fn.
Thcye men have worldwide regulations as
fearless drivers. and there is no fear that
excitement viii be lacking.
The first race for the Vanderbilt Cup was
run ina 1868 and Was won by George Heath.
in . Panhard the speed being Hltle
more than fifty miles an hour This record
uas improved upon considerably in l9o1'
when victor Hemery Won in Darracq'
developing an average speed Of sixty-three
miles an hour The race in 1895 was also
won by a Darracq. with Louis Wagner at
tee wheel in a stirring race with l>ancia'
The famous Italian. There was 10 race III
1907
Last year thc war between the American
Automobile Association and the Autoho-
bile Club Of America hurt the hNtuie
somewhat Peace was made in time, now
ever 10 permit the running OF a splend!h
contest. which was won by George Rob
ertson in a Locomobile ia record breaking
time at an average speed of 64.31 miles an
hour.
Among those who viii be interested spec
tatcrs Of to-day's race viii be Sir Thomas
Upton, who wi be the guest OF eX-Con-
rnodore Frederick @. Bourne OF the New
York Yacht Club.
BOYS HIGH BEATEN AT SOCCER.
In high school championship associa-