The Oskaloosa herald., 1913-09-04
Joe Dawson Comes in Second at
EIgin, ILL.,, Auto Race.
vIcToR's TIME IS 4:sl:5s
italian Covers 800 Miles Without serl.
Gus Accldent--chandier Takes
Third PIace--Endieott's
Car Takes Fire.
Entrants in roday,s Auto Race.

F&CAS NpOut naCC.
Time of start-11 O'Clock. Track closed
1880 O'Clock.
Time of finish-s:l5 o'clock. f~
Distance of race-30l miles CSC laps).
Distance of each laps miles 700 feet.
Fastest time in practice-Spencer Wish
art, Mercer, 72.5 miles an hour.
Record for any race held on course-6S
miles an hour, made by Ralph De Palma
last year.
Total value of prize money-s25oo. First
prize, I,750; second prize, $500; third prize,
$3.50 Prize for fastest lap offered by
David Beecroft, $500.
Elgin, ILL.,, Aug. 30.-With one of the
contesting cars on fire on one side OF
the track and the militia unable to
keep the throng Of spectators from
swarming over the course, Ralph de
Palma finished first in the contest for
the Chicago Automobile club trophy
here.
De Palma is a hero in Elgin, where
he won two important races last year,
and his latest victory was a popular
one. He averaged S6.S miles an hour.
disrupting all previous records for cars
Of the class on the local course His
time for the distance of 301 miles was
hours 81 minutes Sc seconds.
Joe" Dawson, another favorite with
lovers of motor car racing, finished Z
minutes Sc seconds behind De Palma.
The latter drove a Mercer car, and
Dawson piloted the unknown Deltal.
Dawson averaged $50 miles an hour
and gave De Palma hard battle
through the race.
Chandler Comes in Third.
When the spectators surged on the
course, Referee Beecroft decided to
award the remaining places according
TO their standing, and Chandler took
third money, with Rickenbacher In
fourth place. ma IT,.
or the eight cars which started four
fell by the wayside. Ralph Milford, of
whom much was expected, led the race
for many laps, but retired from the
lead, and the race when his car Gus
tanned a broken crank shaft. He had
averaged about seventy-four miles an
hour in maintaining the lead.
With perfect racing weather. but
with a rough course, the eight cars and
drivers lined up at the starting line in
the following order.
Deltal, with Dawson driving; De
Palma's Mercer; Rickenbacher's Ma
son; Wisharts Mercer; Chandler's
Mason; Endicott in the Endicott Spe-
cial, being the Nyberg renamed be-
cause of the within Of the American
association; Mulford's Ma
son, and Tuttrell's Mercer closing the
entry list.
Promptly at IL o'clock Starter Fred
Wagner gave Dawson the official pat
on the shoulder and the race was on.
At thirty-seconds intervals the others
followed the daredevil Dawson.
intense Excitement at Finish.
Intense excitement prevailed in the
thirtieth lap, when both De Palma and
Dawson stopped briefly at the pits.
Spectators yelled instructions to the
drivers. Love of sport was manifested
in the desire to see which of the two
probable winners would get the de-
cision. There were but six laps to 30.
De Palma's average was sos miles to
this point.
Wishart's car was declared out Of
the race with broken pipe on the
twenty-seventh lap. This left five cars
in the following order:
De Palma, Dawson, Endicott, Chand-
Ter and Rickenbacher.
with five laps to go De Palma's car
had a cylinder missing as he passed
the stand, but the next lap the engine
was pulsing again evenly.
De Palma had nearly five minutes
leeway on Dawson, with but two laps
to go. When De Palma was given the
green flag signal, telling him that only
one more lap was necessary, the audi
ence stood up excitedly waiting to see
whether he would win or II his pro-
verbal hard luck would again over
take him, as 1t has so many times.
Finally the yellow Mercer came
over the hill and a roar Of applause
greeted him as he dashed across the
finish line. It was well earned vic
tory and beautiful contest to wit
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