New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-12-01
New York Man Captures Sa-
vannah Auto Classic for Sec
ond Time, Making Record.
HEARNE. IN BENZ, SECOND
De Palma's Mercedes Third IN
Thrilling Contest, Open I'm
til Last Lap-Mulford's
Showing a Feature.

IBy Telegraph 10 The Tribune
Savannah. Ga. Nov. 3o-David l.. Bruce
brown. the wealthy young New York BOY
Who scored a sensational victory IN me
Grand Prize race a year ago, came back
I'm rousing fashion in the same contest TO-
day. winning the International classic from
a field that included the greatest road driN-
ers Of Europe and America, and setting up
q new worlds record Of AS miles an
hour
year ago he drove Benz car and won
from Hemery by less than two seconds
To-day he was at the wheel OF tlat ana
took the honors from Eddie Hearnes Benz
by few seconds over three minutes. me
car that finished second this afternoon was
the identical machine with which Bruce
Drown won a wear ago. Third honors tel
TO Ralph De Palmas Mercedes. which
finished only a minute and half behind
Hearne's Benz.
Bruce Browns elapsed time to-day for
the f136 miles was 23l minutes % 1900
seconds Hearne's was 1888 100, and
Ralph De Palma's 1870 $500.
No mishaps involving life or limb marred
the running of what probably will be the
last OF these classic races at Savannah.
n was a great day. q great race and
great crowd MaSsed thousands IN the
grsndstands and al all points along the line
watched the struggle with interest. that in
tensiAed as lap after lap was reeled OF
With the leader having so narrow margin
ss 10 have practically nothing IN reserve
In the five and half hours that separated
the start and finish there was never
moment that any driver having hope OF
victory could afford 10 waste even min
ute
No wonder. under the circumstances, that
. the Geld monster speed machines, pulsing
with the power Of from fifty 20 two hun
bred horses forced the winner 70 fly over
the circuit AT speed that eclipsed any
thing ever before accomplished in road
race. Even seconds were precious 10 the
men striving for the glory Of winning the
greatest automobile test Of the year, and
probably Of many years.
Rested on Endurance Solely.
Imagine the tenseness Of a struggle that
found the leader and trailer Of three cars
IT the end Of 325 miles separated by only
rhirty-one seconds the distance having
Ieen covered in 96S minutes That was the
situation at the end of the nineteenth lap
to-day and the same thought was in every
hody's mind, that the first car TO stop for
3 tire change would be forced 10 take up
an almost hopeless stern chase
Then came the dramatic solution, the
stoprage Of all three cars at their pits at
the same time and for the same amount
Of work so that they Numbered away with
the honors almost as they had stood
Never in the history OF road racing had
such thing occurred. II seemed that the
crowd was going insane as the drivers and
their mechanics worked feverishlv to be
through and away, so as TO have the ad-
vantage OF clear road
strictly on the returns II must % ad-
United that Europe had all the better Of
the argument with America in the Grand
Prize race. Nevertheless, America was
factor. and a wonderfully important one.
Ralph. Milford. in the same Lozier with
which he triumphed in the Vanderbilt Cup
race on Monday, was contender for
twenty-five out Of the twenty four laps.
So strong q contender was he that. al
though never IN the lead he was at one
time only eleven seconds from it, and for
10 miles was never more than three
minutes back Of the car showing the way
II Is safe 10 say that there is no other
driver who could have kept the Lozer up
in the thick Of tho fight against the foreign
speed marvelS. The Benz. Fiat and Mer-
Cedes fiers had speed 10 burn as compared
with Mulfords machine. Every time the
Erandstand crowd saw brush between the
Detroit car and one Of the invaders it was
plain that the former car acked the speed
possessed by ITS rivals. Yet there was
milford in the van, Il II, second or third,
taking advantage Of every angle that
would be 10 his gain saving his tires so
that they lasted 10 the limit, and generally
'babying' his car and making it perform
in a manner no one had ever thought pos
sible.
Muford Did tho Impossible.
II was the opinion Of the wiseacres that
no car could 60 through the Vanderbilt
cup race and three days later come back
with any chance Of winning. milford not
only won the Vanderbilt. but in the Grand
Prize he actually bettered HIS time at the
same distance by fifteen seconds making
a record for durability and consistency. A
broken driving dog, one Of two projections
on the ends OF the axle, 20 which the
wheels are attached. placed him out Of the
running while he was in second place, with
less than thirty miles to go.
As surprising as any feature of the race
contest Of Wagner and Hemery, the IA
nous foreigners, who divided favoritism
for the Gold Cup True 10 their reputation
OF being either at the front or nowhere,
they started with the avowed intention Of
standing the other fellows on their
heads" Although their early laps were
not the fastest. Wagner was spinning his
wheels on the hard ground 50 fast that at
. the end Of two laps he was obliged TO stop
II his pit for tire change.
Again i'm the seventh lap Wagner needed
new tires, and after that he got up with
the leaders and forced q terrific pace He
'..sted for fourteen laps, and on his fifteenth
his Fiat limped 20 the gIandstand its
steering gear deranged. the radiator guard
and bonnet twisted through collision with
a tree lie could barely control the car
after the accident and his arms were sore
by the effort.
Made Seventy eight Miles an Hour.
Iiemery made his second lap with the
new Benz At the rate of about seventy
eight miles an hour and when ne roared
past the grandstand beginning his third 1t
was the opinion that he was a legitimate
favoritc Not for more than an hour did
he reappear. and then he had a broken
valve stem that took a long time 10 re-
place His fourth lap. including the re-
placement occupied three-quarters Of an
hour. and he was hopelessly out Of IT,
Determined not 10 continue when he had
no chance. but intensely vain OF his car, the