Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-11-12
THE AUTOMOBILE MEET.

at the automobile meet here today
We're as follows:
Savannah challenge trophy, 16 laps
of 17.3 miles each. 276.S miles-First,
Joseph Dawson (MarmoD hours, %
minutes. 39.9S seconds second, w. A.
Roebling, Jr., (Mercer) 4 hours, 80
minutes, % seconds: third, Hughie
Hughes Of. A. L. 4 hours, 46 minutes,
11.34 seconds.
Tiedemann trophy, II laps. 1908
rles-First, BILLY" Knipper. Hancia)
3 hours, Is minutes, 2267 seconds; sec
ond, +. A. Witt, (E. NJ. F) 3 hours, &c
minutes, 34.22 seconds: third. Thomas
Costello (Maxwelt 8 hours, SO minutes,
1906 seconds: fourth E,llery Wright
{MaxwelD 3 hours. 80 minutes, 1924
seconds.
Neither death ncr injury of driver or
mechanician married the first day of
the race of the Savannah Automobile
Club held un0er the auspices of the
Automobile Club of America. The day
did not pass. however, without leav-
ing its possible toll of life, but the cas-
ualty was incidental. William Rice a
12-year-od boy. watching the races.
had his skull crushed by falling sign
post He is reported dying ut a hos
pital.
First of the racers to start was
Hughe Hughes in his F. A. L. car. At
lalf-minute intervals the other en-
trGntS for both races We're off. The first
car to round the grandstand turn was
Lou Hermann in Marmon. Starting
second ne had passed Hughes. In quick
order they came. with Dawson showing
the fastest time. Is minutes and 20
seconds for the first lap. The start he
got in that lap he never lost. MAIN
tanning his advantage to the end of the
race. Not once did he stop not even
for water or gasoline. Soon it was clear
to those who We're following the race
closely that the Savannah trophy. bar
ring chance. would fall to Dawson,
Frank Gelnaw or Roebling. Then the
ninth lap saw the elimination of Gel
nav. His steering gear went bad and
his car came to stop only after II
had been battered almost to pieces. He
and Ills mechanican escaped without a
scratch.
Gelnaw's mishap left Roebling as Daw-
sons chief competitor.
Roebling lost nearly a minute by a stop
for fuel, but was going strong until disas-
ter overlook him on the 18th and last
lap. His car skidded, dashed into a pal
metto tree and badly damaged the gear
and control Undaunted, they sent the
crippled car on, finishing in second place.
When Hughes finished third, Hermann
was somewhere on the back stretch on
the 18th lap. The race was then declar
ed finished. Another contestant, W. Fl.
Pearce, in +. A. l.. car. had broken an
axle in the ninth lap, after some sensa-
tional speeding.
At about 2.35 o'clock the winner of the
Savannah trophy finished, nearly an hour
before Knipper had finished in front of
his competitors in the Tiedemann race.
From the first lap he kept a lead and
without stopping for trouble of any kind
finished with a margin that he might
have made much wider had he desired.
Witt. in his little f. NJ. F., took sec
ond place with a good lead over the third
man, Costello. in a Maxwell. Only sec
onds separated Costello and his team
mate, Wright, also driving a Maxwell
Cone, in an f. NJ. F., Harry Knight,
driving a Cole. and Bill Endicott, also
in Cole did not last long on account of
mechanical trouble.
The time in both races was regarded
as record breaking for this course.
Knipper averaged 5sA miles an hour
and unquestionably could have done
much better.
In the Savannah trophy race with high
er power cars than in the Tiedemann
race. Dawson showed an average speed
of 6o.6S
With fair weather predicted for tomor-
row, the Grand Prize race is expected
to prove of thrilling interest.