The Washington herald., 1911-03-11

pected to start from this city about May
l. and will be in charge of Mr.. Parding-
years past
Two Hundred Miles n Day.
Present plans call for a run of 200
miles each day. This seems rather long.
but, as Mr.. PardnCton explained ycslcr-
day. more than 30 rcr cent OF the route is
over good roads. and the cars should
have no trouble in making the distance.
There are two innovations to the trip
this year over those OF previous seasons.
The nrst is that a hill climb Is to bc
Incorporated as part OF the contest,
while the second provides that all of the
official machines will be hired instead Of
being cars loaned by different manufaC-
turcrS, as has formerly been the case.
According to Mr.. ParI!nEtun. who has
just completed tour 81 the automobile
factories in the interest of tins run, he
las already been promised more than
forty entries. This Is 4 greater number
than has been nominated for this classic
event at any previous trGc.
Conferred with Local Officials.
Shortly after Mr.. PardnGton's arrival
in the city yesterday ne communicated
with President W. 5. Duvan and Capt.
T $. Johnston, Of the Automobile Club
Of Washington. He announced to them
the fact that this year Washington WAS
to be the starting point OF the biggest
automobile event of the year. Both Mr..
LuvaII and Mr.. Johrstul assured him
that the club stood ready to do anything
in its power to assure -! q success OF tn"
event.
The announcement of .hc start Of the
GHddcn tour. June l. or thercabouts. has
nSCcSSitated somewhat altering the plans
CT the Automobile club OF Washington
on holding Il floral parade and carnival
Immediately after Easter. Instead, II Is
more than likely that the event will be
postponed until two days before the
start of the contest. at which time all
the participants in the auto mobile classic
will he in the city. This matter will be
finally passed upon at the meeting OF
the board of governors II the club, which
Is to be held at the Grafton Hotel on
Wednesday night. There II a possibility
that the hill climb Will also be post
poncd until that time.
The Glidden trophy will. as usual, be
the sweepstakes prize of the run. Ia
offered in different divisions. and it is
more than likely that the Automobile
Club of Washington Will offer on" Of tho
division prizes. Neither Mr. Duvall nor
Mr.. Johnston was in position to dcn-
nitely promise this yesterday. but at the
meeting OF the board Of governors Of
the club "Wednesday night. the matter
will be considered, and more than Likely
favorahIy acted upon.
GIidden Tour II n Classic.
Every one who is at all interested in
automobiles has heard Of the Glidden
tour 1t was the first automobile en-
durance run ever held in this country
that could he really called an endurance
run. Charles Glidden. prominent
Eastern motorist. several years ago do
mated trophy to be competed for an
nualIy under a set of rules drawn up
by the three AS" His idea was to
demonstrate the possibilities of the auto
mobile to the public.
At it's inception the run was some
thing less than 100 miles, and over
Eastern roads. which. taken as a whole.
offered but slight obstacles to the motor
car. Year by year the route was length
ened and conducted over roads that were
rOuEher and rOughcr, until last year the
contest started from Cincinnati Ohio.
and ended in Chicago. going by way
of Dallas, Tex, distance of 2.SJ2 miles.
Much Of the trip of year ago led
through a country where the automobile
was an entire novelty and where in
places roads were an unknown quantity.
Both men and cars were subjected to
all kinds of hardShips. Good hotels were
to be found only now and then, and
it is said that in some places along the
route II was almost impossible to obtain
palatable food.
At the conclusion of the trip there was
storm of protest from nearly all of
the PARTICIPANTS They claimed that the
object of the tour and the furtherancc
of the motor car had been overlooked,
and that it was a waste of time to in
troduce automobiles to class of people
who did not realize their possibilities and
who were not interested in good roads.
For some time after the conclusion of the
run it was feared. and by many pre-
dicted, that the automobile classic was a
thing of the past.
Over Forty Entries Secured.
Some months ago. however, Mr.. Pard-
ington started on a tour to the various
automobile factories, with the idea in
mind of obtaining their views on holding
another tour this year. but under condi-
tions different from those under which
the previous ones were conducted. He
proposed first that the run be held
through a settled community, where the
different entrants could secure publicity
for their cars, and, secondly. that it
should be managed along strictly busi-
ness lines. The fact that he has secured
more than forty entries, is the best evil
dence Of the results he accomplished.
The route as laid out this year leads
through what is considered by all as one
CT the prettiest II not the most beauti-
full sections of this country-the New
England States. Crossing into Canada