Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-10-09
THE STARTERS.


half of the 2G21G.-mile automobile road
race in Fairmount Park finished, Erwin
Bergdoll. a Philadelphia amateur driver.
was leading by good margin. He twice
lowered the record for the course and
then equaled his lowest figures Of the
day. His average time for the first half
Bergdolrs time for 13 laps was 100 min
utes seconds milford. in Lozier. was
second. his time was 102 minutes fiat.
The first half of the race was free from
accidents and few cars had to stop at the
pits.
Only two cars were withdrawn during
F tie first leo miles. Fiat, guided by Fred
Betz. an amateur driver of Philadelphia,
and Cole, driven by Charles Basle. Both
had engine trouble.
Ralph Mulford, by a great squirt on the
fourteenth lap. shot past BergdoH. and
few past the stand first, but he did not
get the lead from the flying Bergdoll,
who finished his fourteenth lap In 1U9. l..
Mulford's time was 1880.
1t was a magnificent race between these
two speed kings. On the fifteenth lap
BerSdoIi let out his big car, and he pass
ed Mulford. passing the stand few Sec
onds ahead Of the Lozier driver.
Sixteen Cars Start.
Sixteen cars got away at II o'clock for
the long grind over the 1-10-mile course.
sThe first car sent off by g. Hilton Cant
ert. the starter, was a National. guided
By Len Zengle. who won the race last
Year in a Chadwick machine in 3 hours,
- minutes and I.SS seconds.
The weather was perfect, and the police
estimated that half a million people were
grouped around the beautiful course.
Twenty seconds after Zengle shot
away, Ralph Mulford in a Lozier was
given the word, and he was followed
/. In another twenty seconds by Charles
Basle in Cole. Then the other cars
Zengle was the first around the
course in ISL seconds. He was close
ly followed by Mulford. The record
for the 8110 miles is 7.3S seconds.
Erwin Bersdoll came around in 7.34.
. new record
Breaks His Own Record.
Not content with breaking the course
figures in the first lap. Bergdoll. run
ming 90-horsepower Benz, came
around on the second lap with another
new record. Z minutes. IS seconds.
At the end of the fifth lap, or one-fifth
OF the race. Bergdoll was leading His
time was 81 minutes 10 seconds Wishart.
in Mercedes. was second, 39.19 and
Mulford, in a Lozier, third, 1890
Up to that time there was little trouble
among the cars, except that of Fred
BetZ. Fiat, which had spark trouble
As the cars spun around and around.
Bergdoll continued TO be the sensation
of the race. He passed car after car.
and on the seventh lap equaied the new
record he made on the second lap IDS
His time for 81 Lilo miles was 533J. aver
aging 6 miles an hour
rs the leaders were on their ninth
lap yellow flags were shown denoting
danger on the court, but what this
danger was. aside from the terrific speed
ano dangerous turns, was not known on
the stand.
The finish of the tenth lap found
Bergdoll, in his Benz, still showing the
way. His time for the eighty-one miles
was l6-47. He was then minutes 3S
seconds ahead of last years time for
ten laps.
Mulford. in Lozier. was second, time.
.S4S Wishart. in a Mercedes was
third, time, 1881 and Grant. the two
time Vanderbilt cup winner, was fourth,
in s1.13.
The Fifteenfh Tan