New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-06-16
AUTOS FINISH HARD RUN
Caked with Mud from Roads OF
Montauk Point.
MANY CARS IN TROUBLE
Two Day Round Long Island
Reliability Contest a Severe
Test on Construction.

With chassis caked in Nontauk mud
passengers striving to look like human
beings beneath coating of dust and hass
discolored almost beyond reading. about
thirty-fve automobiles checked out at
Madison Square at $50 o'clock yesterday
afternoon, having finished the ''Montauk
Light or Bust" run.
Three drivers who completed the At
lanta-New York run twelve hours before
starting on the round Long Island journey
agreed that il was the hardest two days
work they ever put in
Few cars came through with perfect
scores and which they were will not be
known until the officials have had time to
go over the reports of the observers, VINO
were members of the engineering classes
at Columbia University. It is prohab
that the officials will make some ADJUST
nent of times for entering controls ana
may formulate some emergency rules, con-
sidering the condition of the bad lands.
The run started at o'clock on Tuesday
morning About fifty cars started from
the Metropolitan tower. in Madison Square
Forty-four were contestants and the others
were official cars.
The weeks rain had made the roads per-
feet for touring. and the sun had decided
to come out, after a retirement OF some
days.
The first control was at Southampton,
where gas. oil and water were taken in
Barring some minor troubles, this leg was
clean and most enjoyable. a shore dinner
was served al Three Mile Harbor and 1t
disappeared quickly
Then came the real test Of the run-the
leg to Montauk Light and back TO South
ian a Ol
miles.
Two years ago when this run was made
the bad lands were heavy with sand and
deep in gravel but it took the long rain OF
a week ago to turn this stretch into test
that few cars have ever been called on TO
withstand.
It should be said in compliment TO every
maker represented that the ability of any
car to go to the light and back at all
under such conditions is an illuminating
indication of the thought and quality that
go into the building of American motor
cars.
In addition to the sand, about every mile
the cars were forced to plough through
mudholes-net the usual little damp spots
that appear In a fine road after rain,
but quagmires where the chassis sank to
the running boards and in some instances
STAYED there until teams could be gotten
to pull them out
Every car reported at Montauk Light,
although some were penalized for being
late. Several cars dsdained the road from
the gate of the Enclosure and ran straight
I'D the hill to the base of the light.
But it was on the way back that the
trouble came. Three cars did not get
through before dark and searching parties
were sent out for them from Amagansett.
One car did not check in any control on
Tuesday night and was not heard from all
day yesterday. 1t is supposed that the
pa ssengers pulled out too late to check in
and went back to New York from South
ampton.
There were three cars on the run that
had Just finished the long ride from At
lanta-the Matheson Silent Six, the Palmer
& Singer torpedo and the WEIGH. These
cars stood up amazingly. The Matheson
six came through without penalization.
driven by Neil Whalen. who also drove it
from Atlanta He had one stretch of
thirtv-six hours al the wheel. Only a short
sleep interviewed between that run and the
Montauk expedition. Both the WEIGH and
the Palmer & Singer torpedo made excel
lent showings.
Another veteran car that made remark
able showing was q seyen-passenger Palmer