Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-13
ROBERTSON BREAKS
5O-M|[E RECORD
Driver and Mechanician Have
Miraculous Escape From
Death at Atlanta.

ATLANTA. Ga. November 13.-Yesier-
days automobile races reached their eli
max when George III. Robertson. driving
a sixty-horsepower Fiat, lowered the
American track record for fifty miles by
minutes and seconds. The previous
record was held by John Aiken, who made
the distance at Indianapolis in 44.2l.2
Aiken, who drove a National to second
place in yesterdays race and Stillman
who came in third in Marmon. both bet
tered the Indianapolis mark. Aiken made
the distance in 43.1l.41 and Stilman IN
43.3O.56.
Eight cars started in the contest and
Ave Of them finished despite the record
breaking pace. Lewis Strang. plotting
his 200 horsepower Fiat set terrific pace
in the. irst seventeen miles, but in the
eighteenth, as he was passing the judges
stand. the tire of the rear right wheel
exploded. This compelled his withdrawal
His time for the first ten miles was
O7.1S.32.
Strang travelled on an average of three
seconds a mile faster than Robertson
On this basis 1t is figured that had he
finished the race he would have gone
the fifty miles i'm four minutes less thar
the time made by ROBERTSON.
While on the twenty-seventh mile. witt
Lorimer to the left Of him and slightly
i'm advance and with Dingley close be
Apperson. made an attempt to escape
from a pocket. LOrimer blew a tire. run
ming against the fence and losing wheel
Harding was about six feet behind wher
he also blew tire. but managed to avoid
running into his rival. From the grand,
stand II looked as if there had been q
collision and an ambulance was promptly
rushed TO the scene, but neither driver
was injured.
more serious accident occurred dur
ing the practice hour. when a specially
designed and high powered Pope Toledo
car was wrecked. III. j. Fitzpatrick. the
driver, and r. Church, his mechanician
were thrown $50 feet from their seats
but they fell in underbrush and escaped
with slight injuries The car was a total
loss.
The blowing up of Strang's tire gave
Robertson the lead at the end of the
twentieth mile, He was followed by
Aiken, Harding, Lormer. Stillman. Ding
ley and Disbrow. After the accident to
Harding and Lorimer. Stillman occupied
third place until he finished.
Twenty-fOur-mile race. stock chassis
1871 to 40 cubic inches displacement-Wor
by Knpper. i'm Chalmers-Detroit: Matson
In same make machine. was second. Time
%. 4O.42
Twenty-mie handicap. for contestants
in New York-Atlanta tour-Stoecke, i'm q
Benz, won: Whelen, in Matheson, sec
ond. Time. 2O.36.S6.
Twelve miles stock chassis. 3OI to Az
cubic inches displacement-Aiken. in a
National, won; Dingley, Chalmers-De.
tro.t. second; Lorimer. in Chalmers-De-
troit. third. Time. 10O7.65.
Ten miles. stock chassis. 231 to 300 cubic
inches-Harroun, in Marmon. won; Mat
son, in Chalmere-D Detroit. second; Knip-
per, in Chalmers-Detroit, third. Time
9.5.1.
Won by Walthour, on a Merkle; Stubbs
on Indian, second: Moss. on Reading
Standard. third. Time. s.36.G1.
Two miles, free-for-all, best two in
three heats-Strang, in 20O-horsepower
Fiat. won by 100 yards; Christie, in a
Christie. second: Robertson, in a Fiat.
third. No time taken. 1t was decided
not to run the second lap.