The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-07
WAGNER, VANDERBILT CUP
 OFFICIAL, TO REFEREE MEET
lutomobile Carnival for Birmingham February 24-25-New Orleans 24-
 Hour Event Called of and
 Entries Secured Here.
By HUGH w. ROBERTS.

While Birmingham, considering it's small z 1hd dangerous track, has seen more thrill /. ing exhibitions of automobile racing than any other southern city with the possible * Exception of Savannah and New Orleans, tt has yet to see it's most spectacular ven- ttre.
 Lewis Strang and Ralph De Palma are I <B meet in Birmingham February p and 26.
 Locally everyone knows Lewis Strang, perhaps the most daring young automo- bile driver in America today. Everyone Remembers when he, in the fall of lsO7, drove the mile at the Fair Grounds in :51 S-5 seconds, thus establishing. new worlds record for that distance The great majority of Birmingham people, too, know of Ralph De Palma. He is the daring driver, who, in 1908, established a new worlds record for the mile on tcircular track, ecllpsing the feat or Strang by 3-5 ofNa second. Today he holds the record for a mile, and it was he who drove the fastest single mile in the recent Etutomobile meet in Savannah. |1 Since De Palma robbed Strang or ms laures, the young driver, who is great favorite in Birmingham, over whom Bir- aningham, as a matter of fact, has cer- tain claims, has been very anxious to meet the victor This meeting will occur in Birmingham.
 The 24-Hour Race.
 &tIn this connection it became known Yesterday that the 24-hour race scheduled for New Orleans February A, has been called off, and the entries have been se- cured for Birmingham.
 This means that on February 25 and 26 Birmingham will have a great automobile racing carnival of it's own.
 # This carnival will occur under the au- spices of the Automobile club of Birming- ham, of which Sol Caheen Is president, M
 L. Semon of the Bijou theatre, vice pres ident and T. s. Abernathy, the we'll known local automobile dealer, is secre- tary.
 While the list of entries has not been furnished as yet, it is known that as many as five men of national reputation will figure, among the number being Strang and De Palma.
 On February 20 there will be a full
 programme of automobile racing, the star attraction, of course, being the effort to
 smash the present worlds mile record.
 Those who remember the thrilling drlVe of Strang in 1907 appreciate what this event will be when another man as daring \ as Strang is competing. After the day s S programme the 24-hour race will be begun at o'clock. The drivers, accompanied by
 mechanics, will ride throughout the night,
 through the following day and conclude
 the gruelling task at o'clock of the even ing of February 26.
 Fred J. Wagner the noted Vanderbilt cup and Savannah grand prize official,
 will referee the races. The fact that
 Wagner will appear in Birmingham means
 much within itself.
 Local Tracks History. 8 As stated above, Birmingham has had H its share of automobile attractions In H the fall of 1906 Barney Oldfeld, in the
 famous Green Dragon, appeared in Bir-
 1ningham, broke many records and estap- 451ished many that were new In the fol- Blowing year Walter Christie, then holding & the worlds record for the mile, was 4 booked for Birmingham, but an injured H arm made his appearance impossible. This
 gave young Lewis Strang an opportunity, Hand Strang made good, smashing the rec % ord held by Christie, and in one thrilling # moment leaped into fame that has en- VA dlned until today.
 H Strangs last appearance in Birmingham was last fall, when he and Emile Strick-
 er, noted French driver, attempted to break the worlds 24-hour record, which
 effort resulted in the tragic death of the latter driver. As is remembered, early fin the morning following the beginning of the race at 8 o'clock the preceding
 night, Stricker, while circlng the track at !. Aa rate of 60 miles per hour, was dashed [&anto instant death. His mechanic, as Is Remembered, Leon Barrows, a local boy, fwas seriously injured.
 24 Strang writes that he will break the < record on this, his second local attempt,
 hnd intimates that he will drive the entire H Htdistance alone. But when it is considered E{that Strang will be opposed by a man < ,equally as fast and daring as he, the peo- tple may speculate as to whether the Hyoung favorite will be able to hold the .E# winning hand