Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1912-09-05
MILE A Minute
WILL LOOK SLOW
CHAMPION DRIVERS WILL STAT.
TER RECORDS AT lest MICH
lGAN STATE FAIR.
PLANS FOR SAFETY MADE
Management Will Take No Chances
on Automobiles Crashing Into
the Big Crowds
at Races.

It has been said the world has gone
speed mad. Perhaps that is so for
the men with nerve are daily taking
their lives in Their hands to thrill
the public with exhibitions of speed
which ten years ago would have been
been only little more than ten years
that the automobile has been Of much
account, except as a ( cak called the
horseless carriage. Today the auto
mobile is used by the business men
In the city, by the society women
going to and from her Clubs and social
functions and by the i~----or anG &c
traveller.
But the world is not satisfied with
merely seeing the ordinary automo.
bile 9oin3 about the streets. Tee
nd knows cars are butt which W.
r,I so miles an hour and they love
{. see them 80 at that rate or as
T. faster as is possible. No big
+; is complete without automobile
rates ana to supply the demand the
m4-agement Of the West Michigan
St1 Fair has engaged for its big eX-
pol ton in Grand Rapids, Sept. 8 TO
IS, a quartet of the most famous
d. ers in America, who will burn UP
IT, track in efforts to beat the newly
lie track record of five miles in
a. nutes, 81 seconds and ten miles
N 9 minutes, S seconds. It will be
plainly seer this record is better than
a mile a minute, a re Of speed not
dreamed of a decade q.
Louis DisUrow, the hero Of the great
Indianapolis meet and Joe Dawson,
winner Of that great r,ce will be in
Grand Rapids with tive others equally
we'll known. DisbroV set the new
track record and he wiz attempt to
break it during fair week.
Cars Can't c. Slow.
The cars these spt d kings drive
are especially constructed for racing
purposes. 1t may nCt be generally
known but these cars must bo towed
to and from the fair grounds. They
cannot run under their own power
for they are geared so hish and the,i
power is 50 great that they cannot
run much under 40 miles an hour, and
this would, 81 course, le gang eroGs or
the highway and would also be a Nio-
lation of the state and city avs.
But on the track, these men who
face death every day, pull open TIC
thrctt,es and let her run as fast a.
she can go and in fact urge the cars
to their greatest possible sreed.
At the West Michigan State Fair,
there viii lie no hippodrcminC. Hand
aC.-c i..zos Lave .vrA -. ~ IoF 49,
winners in each Of the events. To
win the money the drivers must drive
their machines at tsp speed. The
cars wiz be properly handicapped, so
there can be no runaway races, and
after the pistol shot they viii get
away to their very fastest speed.
Crowds win Re Protected.
In order 10 prctoc. TIE Cro--dc IS
well as the drivers, the naEaECMent
has been forced to make some alter
atiCns in the fencing about Tie track.
Many accidents happen through Ma-
chi@Cs coins tErCuE i lie fences on
The turns especially when tire.
Burned and worn by the terrific speed
bursts or comes off eGtifGy It &c
been found that tire majority of deaths
resulting from these dashes thrcuCh
the fences GENE from the top rad.
That top "a Is genera y. h GGoIt
it and the rail catches ne uclp,es3
drivers heaG In ma. + stances
this actually decapitated the driver.
The management of { iGlr desires
to give all the people al the thrills
poss bic, hut has no desire 10 turn
the West Michigan STATE Fair grounds
into q slaughter pen. II consequence,
every precaution will be taken to pro-
tect the drivers as well as the public.
On all the turns, therefore, the top
rail will be removed from the fence,
and inside q safety zone 40 feet wide
will be established and maintained. No
persons will be permitted inside this
zone Then if car comes through
the fence there will be 40 feet of
clear space in which it may be
stopped without danger Of collision
with anything and without danger to
either the public or the driver.
These races will be the most pre-
tentious ever pulled off in Michigan.
The West Michigan State Fair has
gone to heavy expense TO get the
champions here and las put up big
purses to entice them to drive for
them with ell the speed their great
VI -