Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-11-25
WINNER OF THE FIRST
AUTO RACE IN 1895.

The Vanderbilt Cup race TINS year
marks to the day the sixtceneth annlver-
sary of the first American automobile
conne tition-the 'lhorseless carriage CON
test held in Chicago on November u,
1885. 1t was an interesting occasion, thai
first run; amusing In some ways to look
back upon from these days of tremendous
power and speed, but most remarkable
from any point of view. The winner, a
',Duryea motor-wagon,' the ancestor OF
the Stevens-Duryea of today, was ac.
claimed a wonder and awarded. $2,o0o anu
a gold medal for covering the o4-lnile
course in 10 hours and u minutes. h
second contestant at the hnish-an II;
Mueller ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS an hour and
thirty-hye minutes behind the Duryea.
Two of the four other starters never got
around the circuit at all. one breanns
down on the return trip and the other
which was called by the curious name OF
"electrobat mot even attempting the
race, but contenting itself with a lo-m'le
spin.
Even the best of C~hieago's b%oulevards
in a soggy, slushy November snowstorm
such as frightened off at the last minute
five of the eleven original entries for that
first American motor contest, Is a very
different proposition from the grand prize
course at Savannah. And the perform
ances of the pioneer Dnryea wagon and
its 'horseless" companions were really
much more marvellous than anything mod
ern races show.
The Duryea driven by j, FRANK Duryed
himself, who had perfected the design
and built the car with his own hands. was
the first practical gasoline power vehicle
developed in this country. 1t was a high
wheeled, "horse-pipe" tire, rangey-looking
open buggy with a two-cylinder gasoline
motor In the body. One of the unique
features of the engine which was COM
mented on admiringlly was the way. 1t was
operated by the explosion of a single drop
OF gasoline at a time, thereby 'eliminat-
ing the risk of fire. A special advantage
this first Duryea had-and one that was
made fundamental in the evolution of the
present highly perfected Stevens-Duryea
cars-was easy, positive control.
In spite Of Its top-heavy construction
the Duryea negotiated iee-clad hills. un-
broken snow-drifted roadways, and mar
row wheel ruts-for the running gear of
the "horseless' was several inches wider
than that of the horse-drawn vehicle then
and made speed. 1t covered the distance
from the start to the auditorium at the
breathless rate Of eight miles nm hour.
And, indeed, 1t averaged that for its actual
running throughout the 81 miles, for more
than three hours of the elapsed time from
pairs, minor and major.
The same j. Frank Duryea who perfect
ed the Duryea "wngon' ana drove IL in
this iISt race Is the man who has devol-
oped from 1t the present Stevens Durye ca
ear. From the lessons learned at Chicago
Duryea got out a new model which EN-
bodied the fundamental principles on which
the present Stevens-D uryea Is built. For
this car was SO well-designed In the be-
ginning and notifications since nave been
made with such deliberate care that the
present machine has been a steady de-
~uedopment. adding one permanent principle
TO another without having to take q step
backward. Thus Duryea was the first man
to build a practical slx%-cylinder car, and
it was he who devised the unit power
plant and its three-point support.