New-York tribune., 1909-09-09
AUTO RACE A MAD DASH
ROBERTSON THE PICTOR.
Thousands Sec Thrilling Struggle
for the LO1ceH Trophy.

Lowell Mass Sept s-With the same daring
cooness and Judgment which marked MS drlN"s
when he won the Vanderbilt Cup race last ta''
George II. Robertson, of New York, drove MS S,'t %
plex car to victory to-day the Merrimac al
ley circuit Of SIS miles, and left trailing neni"u "
out of commission sixteen other aspirants TOT tue
Lowell trophy, in the second natonai s'"eN 90
automobile road race. Robertson covered tue US
tance in ) hours 50 minutes and 2-5 seconds MAIN
tanning an average speed of 542 miles an houI'
which was slightly better than the average mace
by Lewis Strang, the winner last year
More than twenty minutes after Robertson hau
Aasbed over the finish line with the setting sun
shining in his broad beaming face. Al Poole orVs
the Italian Isotta- -Fraschini car, stormeu uirue,
the wire in second place. having jumped INTO eua'
position on the last lap f. II. Parker, IN t1al
another Italian car, captured thiru MONEY, a.
Robert B,lrman IN Buick. came fourth CharlsS
BasI in a ReuauIt machine. finished NTH
Nearly one hundred thousand persons hahked
along the course saw Robertson and Herbert LS
fight it out for the lead in the first eleven laps OF
the to6 miles circuit. Then Robertson dashed 10
the fore and kept tho lead until twenty OF tne
thirty laps had been covered. when his car ne
came fuel-famished, and several minutes were 'e
qured to oil up This gave Harry Orant' III d"
Alco and Ralph De Palma, in Fiat, chance 10
cut down the distance that separated them from
the leaders but before they caught up robertson
up and away again
The car did not run so smoothly for a time. how
ever and with less than forty miles TO go. almost
ran,e living up and dashed into the lead AGAIN
Dame Fortune came to the help OF her 1aVorlte
son, and. putting ghostly spoke h'o ~ ulailI
! wheel as the Alco car was racing up the oacA-
stretch caused the machine 70 turn turtle AFTER
that Robertson drew out to an easy victory.
Sixteen cars, taken from the wareroons or eleven
manufacturers drew up in two sputterng iines th.S
forenoon and as the clocks up tue riNeF suucA
10 they dashed of and up the course at tnlrty
second intervals. Lewis Strang met with an accl-
dent on his way to the course and was delayed SO
that the leaders were nearly forty miles ahead or
him when he started. After travelling 140 miles ne
gave ,p the attempt of repeating his victory OF
last year.
The first car TO fall by the wayside was the
Buick driven by Louis Chevrolet which suf1ered a
broken frame on the third lap
Then one of the Knox cars, with Fred Belcher at
the wheel fell out through engine defects Five
IaDs later on the twelfth round, Bert ShawS Stod-
dard-Davtnu broke an axle at the "hairptn turn,
and ON the same lap Lyle, one OF the favorltes'
hauled off the course with broken crank smart
After Strang had made the fifth man TO Wl'hura"'
Hughes. in Allen Kingston. followed by SMASH
ing tree. fortunately without INJURY ei'eI 10
himself to his mechanician
After Robertson Poole. Parker. Burman and
| Basle had finished the race was stopped IN oruer
to prevent accidents to spectators. who crowded on
| the course
Az the outset Chevrolet set the pace and beIore
! hts accident Succeeded in making two rounds IN
| q minutes Il seconds. better than a mile
minute" When the Buick car fell out robertson
took up the running. with Lyle Burnnan ana
| Grant chasing him hard. Round and round they
tore with Lytle gradually overhauling the leader
until the difference between them as they nashed
past the grandstand only thirteen seconds.
! This margin was maintained for three laps until
| the eighth, when Lytle pulled out ahead ana heo
| the lead until an accident put him out
| Robertson's first stop came in the twentieth lap
| and in the seven minutes In which he was on the
course Grant pulled up until the difference between
| them was minute and l second, Realizing that
he was being oVertaken by an intrepid driver Rob
! ertson pulled out all the stops and tore on IKE
( deer before the hunting pack. On the tVenty-seY'
| enth lap he was compelled to slow down on tbs
hacksde of the track for minor engine defects. and
| Grant roared out ahead and secured a lead OF
nearly four minutes with only three laps thirty
! one miles to 90.
| II seemed impossible for. the Bostonian to lose
r,t once more the hand Of Fortune touched Robert
son and tipped Grant off into a ditch After that
the leaders claim TO victory was never challenged
| .Robertson's share of the prize was $1,000, while
| s5m went 20 Poole. $500 Parker and 500 to Bur
! man.