Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-06-30
OTTuMWA'S SAFE AND SANE
FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION
TO BE BIG DRAWING CARD.
DANGER
ELIMINATE
Tracks Has Been Banked and Viii! Be
PoIiced--TWenty-fiv Entries
Will Get Prize Fight
Returns.

OLJullNd 5 SAFE dllu Sduc L oI'A IL W
July celebration. the automobile races
at the fair grounds, promises to be the
largest drawing card of any cele-
bration ever held in the city. Secre-
tary E. H. Emery and the committee
in charge of the races have been in
touch with the people in the neigh
boring towns and cities and feel con-
fident that there will be over $4,000
PEOPLE come to the city on the natal
birthday to witness the exciting races.
Everything will be done to eliminate
danger to the drivers and the peo-
pie, and thirty police will be deputized
to police the track and prevent In
juries to on-lookers. The races Will
be the real things and the large auto
mobile companies whose local agents
have cars in the race will send eX-
perienced drivers out from the plant
to guide their cars over the half mile
race course at break-neck speed. NO
amateur drivers will be allowed to
participate in the races and this Will
eliminate one of the great dangers as
only men who have run cars at great
speed will be allowed on the track.
One of the largest motor car companies
which has an agency here has notified
it's representative that it will send one
of it's best car drivers here to steer It's
cars. This driver has national rep
utation and has participated in races
with Barney Oldfield Louis Chevrolet
and other famous auto racers or TO-DAY.
Entries Are Many.
The entries are coming IN fast and
there will be at least twenty-five con-
testants in the five big racing events
of the day, or about FIVE contestants
for each purse in the different classes
Prize money amounting to $1,000 has
been hung up in the various events
besides the $10O prize for the big auto
parade over the downtown streets
which will be one of the features OF
the day. The biggest race OF the day
will ne for the big cars and they will
travel ten miles. The distance for
the smaller cars to travel will be
five miles.
Making Preparations
In anticipation of the record break
ing crowd which will witness the
races the old grandstand has been re-
paired and put in excellent shape and
a 400 foot extension added. The
grandstand will accommodate at least
1000 people. Circus seats with can
opy tops will also be erected to seat
the large crowds. To avoid danger
the track has been banked at all
turning points so that there is no
likelihood of the cars upsetting while
making the quick turns and endanger-
Ing the lives of the drivers. The
auto races have been thoroughly ad-
vertised in the local and country news
papers and many are planning on COM
ming to Otumwa. The visit OF the
Ottumwa Interurban boosters to Keota
yesterday was productive OF much
good for the auto races. There are
between fifty and seventy-five car
owners in the little hustling Keokuk
county town and they are coming to
the races in one big delegation. Oska-
loosa. Abba Fairfield and other
neighboring towns will send large
automobile delegations and there will
be more horseIess vehicles In Ottumwa
on that day than ever before. The
parade at 10 O'Clock will be one Of the
feature events of the day. 1t will be
headed by the Fifty-fourth Regiment
band which will furnish music on the
down streets during the morning and
play at the races in the afternoon.
Officers Are Named.
Mayor Thomas ]. Phillips has been
selected as official starter and he will
discharge the revolver which will start
the drivers in the various events.
Messrs c. O. Taylor, Phillip Phillips
and B. P. Brown have been named as
Judges and Eugene Dennis and Fred G.
Stevens as timers. Robert j. Shana-
han will be announcer. One of the
novelty races of the daJ will be started
suit race Cars will be started at
at diffedent intervals and will attempt
to overtake the other cars.
| viii Get Fight Returns.
An added feature to the races will
be the returns Of the Jeffries-Johnson
mill at Reno, Nevada for the heavy
weight championship Of the world.
Secretary Emery this morning made
arrangements with the telegraph
| company for private wire to the
grounds and the audience will get the
returns of the fight while the races
are in progress.
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