The Washington herald., 1910-06-05
ON THE EDGE OF A pREC1PICE.
4 Thrilling Runaway automobile
Experience I'm the Alps.

a Thrilling Runaway Automobile
Experience I'm the Alps.
Just returned to his home in Racine.
Wis, after a record-breaking motoring
trip in Europe and stay in London to
attend the funeral Of King Edward. Capt
William Mitchell Lewis. president Of the
Antchen-Lewis Motor Company. is con-
WINGED that the continent furnishes a
maximum of every form of sensation in
automobiling- from the charm of speed
ing day after day through picturesque
and thrifty hamlets. provinces, and Al
pine districts to battling with SHOWS in
the mountains or touring amid topo-
graphical settings on the Mediterranean
Sea, that almost tempt the chauffeur TO
try his hand at poetry.
at is given to few motorists In the
Alps to have such a providential escape
from a terrible death as our party had
in Province Hautes-Alps, not far from
Gap" said Mr. Lewis. But for the cool
ness Of Driver Zirbe,s and the nerve that
enabled him 70 steer the automobile into
a clay bank-the only clay bank in that
country OF sheer precipiees and roads
cut from the living rock. that he was
able to nOte-death must have been the
penalty we paid for essaying night trip
around the numerous hairpin turns on
the Cotienne Alps, where we were eager
TO take advantage of the ciearness Of the
sky 70 view Halley's comet
while creeping around the turns and
practically hanging over the edges OF
terrible pTecipices that looked bottom
less from our position, and after passing
through the appropriately named villages
OF Ia Mort and Corps, we were nearing
the Gap when the yells of soldiers of the
Seventeenth Infantry on the march start
led the echoes of the mountains as well
as the members OF our expedition. A
runaway automobile was bearing down
upon us. threatening TO overtake us at
Death Curve the fifth turn In the de-
scent of 1900 feet.
'Zirbes had TO think quickly He pres
sed on the aceelerator and the big car
responded instantly. II was case Of
putting on the brakes every moment as
we struck the curves. Petard got out on
the footboard 10 help Zirbes. and seeing
the only clay bank we had encountered,
gave the driver the order 10 ditch our
car. He obeyed. and the runaway limou-
sine dashed past us. TO be wrecked fifty
yards beyond. Our glass windshield was
dashed into bits, but Zirbes was not IN
jured. Our machanician was hurled fully
twenty feet but landed on his feet. I
crOuChed in the tonneau and escaped IN
jury. AS for Petard, he was hurled
considerable distance. landing on his head.
"The wrecked machine belonged TO NJ
Louis CampagLOn, of Paris. NJ. Campag-
non and mis- wife were In the limousine
when it was wrecked but the physicians
said neither was badly injured The
chauffeur had dislocated shoulder.
After leaving Corps the chauffeur learned
that the dfferential had been ripped and
shutting OF his engine he tried to coast
down 10 Gap. Before reaching the third
sharp turn the momentum of the big car
was too much for his brakes, and the lat
ter went out Of commission Not having
the engine 10 jockey the car he was In
danger OF dashing over any OF the
precipices.
mo one can make me think that there
is not some strange destiny shaping our
ends after that accident The corner of
one of our trucks struck the radiator OF
the limousine as il flew past our six cyl
inder car, acting as a brake just long
enough 10 enable the chauffeur to follow
Zirbes lead and ditch the machine. But
for that-well. the abyss and a searching
party for the remains