New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-09-30
AUTO COURSE IS WORN
Big Gang of Men Will Spend All
To-day Mending Surface.
BELCHER DOES FAST LAPS
To- night Is Night Before" with
Supper Parties and Ride
to the Course.

When the practice for the Vanderbilt
Cup race, which takes place tomorrow, is
over at o'clock this morning. there will
be nothing for the drivers to do but sit
in their camps. groom their cars and fig
ure out how they may win.
The Motor Parkway will be closed to-
day and not a car allowed on it after the
practice hours. A large gang of men will
be turned out TO mend the bad places, and
some of them are very bad. and they will
work all night
The nerry-making is the might before
The cars will begin to gather uptown in
the middle of the evening, and the hotels
in the theatre district will keep open their
restaurants as late as may be necessary
to serve the parties who are planning to
go down to the race. About 2 o'clock the
automobiles Will begin to start toward the
course, and from then on till dawn the
bridges and ferries viii be crowded with
cars.
There is everyfndication that the attend
ance this year will far outnumber anything
ever seen at the Vanderbilt Cup race. Yes
terday parking spaces were at a premium,
and there remain only few seats in the
stands and boxes available.
The practice work yesterday morning
nearly put one of the favorites out Of the
race. This was Jack Fleming. Of the Pope
Hartford team His car threw tire ap-
preaching the Westbury turn. He was driv-
ing the big white car at full speed and had
begun what he believed TO be his fastest
lap yet recorded. The car slipped into a
rut on the curve and when he snapped 1t
back into the roadway the tire turned OF
For about one hundred yards the car and
the tire raced, the tire beating the car.
After following the track for some dis
tance the tire shot into the air and mar
rowly missed striking some of the women
spectators who had gathered there.
Fleming brought the car to a standstill
after several plunges which threatened to
unseat him. Then he went back. put the
tire on and finished the lap in about twenty
minutes. He was much amused when he
reported his race with the tire at the
grandstand.
The Westbury turn contains several holes
and is not in good condition. 1t will doubt
less be mended before the race starts at
dawn tomorrow morning.
The drivers felt the cool weather yes
terday and drove in sweaters and warm
clothing. A crowd of about five hundred
persons watched the practice from the
stands. About twenty-five cars were on
the course. The Buick team did not ap-
pear. Louis Chevrolet says they will not
appear again till the starter is ready to
send them off. He explains that they know
the course, and that he wishes TO save
his cars as much as possible.
Fred Belcher and his brown Knox made
the best time yesterday morning. He
turned two laps in 10 minutes "a seconds
each. The Benz trio, Hearne. Bruce
Brown and the new man, Helm. made
good time.
Starter Fred Wagner has laid down one
rule which will tend TO prevent accidents.
If the driver of a car approaches a car
in front and has the ability to pass, the
car in front must allow him to pass. The
mechanic must watch the cars coming and
judge the ability of the car behind TO pass
and so tell his own driver.
In other years 1t has been the tendency
of the drivers to keep in the middle of
the road and thus pocket a speedier car
With so many cars on the road this would
be a dangerous practice this year.
The times for the day were as follows: