New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-10-01
De PALMA WILL
Drive CAR IN
AST0R CUP RACE
Committee Decides to Give
Last Chance to Qualify
on Morning of Struggle.

Sheepshead Pay Motor Speedway to-
morrow. This was announced BY TIE
committee yesterday afternoon. Be-
cause of the late arrival Of several
of the entrants, the officials Of the
American Automobile As oc'9tiou nave
decided to hold a series Of supple
mentary trials tomorrow morning be-
tween : and $3.50 o'clock.
BY this arrangement, not only De
Palma, but Grover Bergdoll, who will
be at the wheel OF an Erwin Special;
Tom Alley, in his Ogren, and Jean Por-
porato, in an +. r. p, will have the
opportunity TO qualify.
Whatever befalls the other entrants,
De Palma is assured 10 the race. ~
he is unable 20 get his Mercedes into
racing condition, he will start a Stutz
car, in which Howdy Wilcox finished
among the leaders in the Chicago
Derby Harry Hardness will be repre-
scented in the race by one or two cars.
car, while Hughie Hughes will take
the track at the wheel Of a Baby
Peugeot, providing the Baby, which
has been in a rather capricious mood
Of late, can be coaxed into behaving
itself
Tom Orr, who was 10 have driven a
Duesenberg car, which was substituted
for the Inflated laxWoli that buruC d
u, and almost killed Harry Grant. an
nounced that he would act only as a
relief driver He said that his wife
would not consent 10 his driving the
whole race. Ralph milford. who once
won the Vanderbilt Cup, has been Sc
cured TO drive i'm Orr5s place. Pete
Henderson qualified last Wednesday
evening in a Duesenberg car, making
his lap in l:1910, al clip Of ninety
four miles an hour. Il is probable,
now, that a field Of twenty starters
viii face the flag.
Wild Bob Burmen may not win the
race, but the writer has a belief which
amounts 10 a conviction, that whoever
beats him over the wire will drive
faster than ever a man drove before.
This conclusion was reached yester-
day afternoon, after riding sixteen
miles with Bob at q rate Of l06 miles
an hour.
Having plunged along in a motor
boat al a rate OF forty miles an hour
and scared aloft in an aeroplane at q
height Of 1000 feet or more in the
teeth Of a wind that had a plane teeter-
ing al precarious angles, flirting with
death az breakneck speed was an en-
tirely new sensation.
Racing along in that Peugeot, the
motor roaring like a battering Of ma
chine guns. and the wind trying its
miChtiest TO tear ne clothes off your
back. left little opportunity 10 con
template the utter hopclessness OF
those men who risk their lives 10 af-
70 70 Ifs
Billy Wcllman,, Burman's erstwh le
manager. arranged the trip. Burman
agreed quickly. and borrowing q pair
Of goggles from his mechanic. and
shedding our OvercOat. we stepped into
the car, nesting we'll down behind the
hood
The straightaway stretches are half
q mile. the surveyors declare, but they
seemed like fifty feet. The leaping car
just annihilatcd space and shot down
from one bank to mount another. On
next 10 the last lap il climbed and
climbed until il seemed the car must
obey the law Of gravity and topple 10
the bottom, but il just shot on and on
until relief. almost, seemed to cor q
in slowing down. 1t was pretty close
TO flying.
The drivers received their final in
structions at the meeting yesterday.
The men are TO report at the pits at
10 o'clock tomorrow morning. and
have everything in readiness. All srP-
plies must be on hand not later than
5 o'clock.
Before the race starts the cars will
circle the track, each bearing the flag
OF the country il represents. After
a preliminary round. paced by ReSta,
should he start. Fred Wagner will
drop the flag, and the greatest race
of its kind ever held in this part Of
the country will be on. No more than
FIVE cars Of any one make will be per-
mitted TO start.
Thousands Of enthusiasts are pour
ing into the city, and the tickets are
being snapped up in patches. The
companv's Offices. at 1926 Broadway
will be open until midnight tonight
and until 10 o'clock tomorrow morn
ing.
The track is taking on a holiday ap-
pearance, and is gayly festooned with
flags. bunting and the official colors
Of the Aston Cup races, which are
red. white and green.
Harry s darkness, president OF 'he
Sheepshead Bay Motor Speedway has
solicited the cooperation Of tho SAT-
~ First Society in urging caution 90
prevent automobile accidents to-mor-
row.
With favorable weather conditions,
IL is predicted that the greatest gath
ering of automobiles ever assembled
for any sporting fixture in this coun-
try will tour through the city streets
20 the race.
Parents are urged to keen their
children from playing in the streets
along t.e route. and pedestrians are
,rarrnd nm the interest Of safety 70