Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-09-30
GIANT STRIDES OF
THE SPEED DEMON
IN TWENTY YEARS
Horse Could Beat Racing Auto
mobile in 1S95--Better Than
1916 Miles an Hour
Expected This Week.

Spceu Oh 40 nlleS an nOur IN inc llTSt
American motor derby. A few weeks
ago Dario Resta Travelled 1O1 Sc miles an
hour and the winner of tho Astor cup
race next Saturday IS expected to ex-
coed that speed This great increase in
speed Is due not only to the development
of tho racing car. however, but to tho
scientific construction of tracks and
apeedways us we'll. says the New York
Times
Tho first automobile read race was
run between Paris and Bordeaux in 1885
"A series Of trials had been held on the
public highway between Paris and Roucn
the year before, but they were only tests
and not competitions.
1t Is peculiar coincidence In motor
racing that the first recorded victory
in n road race is credited to n 1oeugeot,
while the fastest time ever male in COM
petition. 10Ls6 miles Oh hour. was attain
ed by the same make car in the iO mile
match race in tho Chicago Speedway n
few weeks ago. Count &c Dion has the
distinction Of driving tho first sclf-p-o-
PEELED vehicle on public roads In compe-
tition. His car was uuadra cycle. and
his speedway" n Paris boulevard
PEUGEOT WINNER THEN AND NOW
In tho first recorded race Paris to
Bordeaux and return, the Peugeot was
declared the winner. although 1t did not
finish first, the leading car being dis
qualified for not complying with the
rules. The distance was 1872 miles
Twenty-Five cars started, and nine COW
cred the course. The Peugeot ran the
rn "a n
hour. and finished three days after it
started.
The first motor car race in America
was held in 1895. 1t was held by Chi
cago newspaper. A car manufactured by
C. E. Duryea came off victor, avera aging
rs miles an hour for a 54-mile course
covered with snow and ice. Only two
years later Alexander Winton, in his lit
tie Wtnton runabout, set the first Amer
lean record by travelling a mile in 40
Between 1898 and 1901 several motor
race meets were held. They served one
purpose. giving the public the idea that
Il new means of Transportation had ar
rived. There was no apathy in the pub
lies reception Of the motor car as rae
ing engine. Huge crowds turned out to
witness the sport whenever a meet was
announced
In 1901 motor racing became more than
experimental. Cars had been so perfect
ed that they could finish race Their
speed almost equaled that of the COM
mon object of comparison. the railway
engine. On August go. 1901, at Newport
r. l., William *. Vanderbilt Jr., drove
his Mercedes five miles in about seven
n nd hDl ~ .,
minutes On November 16 of the same
year the Automobile Club of Long Is
land held its famous speed trials on the
Coney Island boulevard In this event
Henri Fournier drove his Mors car one
mile in 0:51 As This feat caused the
greatest excitement all over the coun-
try. and was "headlined' in every paper
from coast to coast
Following the Coney Island boulevard
contest trials were held over the South
Shore boulevard. Staten Island. They
ended in an accident that killed several
persons. The year before the Automobile
Club Of America had promoted a 5O-mile
road race from Springfield to Babylon
and return over the Morrick road on Long
Island.
Early in 1904 W. X. Vanderbilt. Jr..
announced his intention OF offering a
trophy to be contested for or an intor
national basis. no country TO DO -cpre.
scented by more than ten cars The first
race was run on October s. 1894. over a
course on Long Island measuring 90. 4
miles, The total distance was 2Si4 rifles
George Heath. an American. driving a
Panhard car won. his tire being Sos IA
ha ao,.l.,
when crowdinG of the spectators OF the
| course and failure to obtain militia tn
patrol the road caused the ahan:, >nment
Of contests on the public highways. A
plan to build Il motor parkway on I'm;
| Island was then formulated. and al
though only a portion of the course was
inclosed this was the first -arno ricau
speedway. Then for several years motor
competitions were held on horse racing
tracks at Readvile, Empire City. Yon-
kers, Morris Park and Brighton Beach.
About this time straiBhtaway races wcrc
run on the sand shores ut Ormond Beach
Fla, Ventnor, near Atlantic city, AMI
Galveston.
The first specially constructed. en-
closed speedway for motor racing was
about 20 miles from London. This was
a saucer-shaped course. with a cement
racing surface of 1.-l6 miles. America 3
first speedway was built at INDIANAPOLIS
In 1909. 1t Is two and a half miles IN cir
conference. IT had a gravel surface
originally. After several persons lad
been killed In mishaps caused by the
poor condition of the track, the surface
was rebuilt with vitrified brick Tho first
races at Indianapolis We're short spirits
OF not more than 80 miles. A speedway
was also built at Atlanta, Ga, in 1909.
Only few short-distancc races were
run. A mile board speedway was nuilt at
Playa Del Rey near Los Angeles. Cal.
age fthe public.
Until 1914 Indianapolis had monop-
oily in speedway racing In that year the
Tacoma road race course was converted
into an enclosed and banked speedway
Soux City also had n two-milc speedway,
Now there are In existence or In course
of construction nearly n dozen inclosed
tracks, all measuring two miles or moro.
The speedway, as well as the car must
have credit for the remarkable records
recorded during the racing season Of
1914 indianapolis BEGAN the string with
the International swccpstakc of 800 miles.
won by n Mercedes car driven by Ralph
De Palma at an average speed of %Si
miles an hour, the fastest time ever made
on the Indianapolis track
The two-mile board track at Chicago
was then dedicated with 5oo-mile con-
fost Dario ReSta. In q IeuGptD car,