New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-10-01
Speedy Peugeot Leads
Field from Fifty
Miles On.
10000 THRILLED
AS CAR UPSETS
RiCkenbacker Second in
Exciting Race for
$4,000.

With a roar and rattle that swept
over the Sheepshesd Bay Speedway like
the drumming of guns over European
battlefield thirty-one low, long racing
cars leaped across the starting line at
2:3O o'clock yesterday afternoon, rushed
past the thousands in the big grand
stand, swept perilously around the
steeply banked curve at the end of the
course-and the second international
contest for the Vincent Astor trophy
and s25,OOO in prizes was on.
From that moment until the time,
nearly two hours and half later, when
the speedy Peugeot car, driven by John
Aitken, flashed across the finish line a
winner, establishing a new worlds rec
ord for 250 miles, the 10000 persons in
the stands leaned forward with nerves
tense and tingling Watching the speed
kings fight for supremacy and fearing
each moment to see one of the flying
cars smashed into wreckage in one Of
the spectacular crashes that have 50
frequently marked such races.
Twice in the afternoon the crowd
caught its bfcsth when the spectators
believed two Of the racing machines had
met tho fate they feared. But each
time the thrill that swept the great
crowd proved ungrounded-or nearly so.
But one accident marred the entire race,
and it was trivial.
Ruckstelrs Car Oyerturns.
Sweeping around the highly banked
curve near the finish line, Grover Ruck-
stell, in Mercer, tried to cut ahead of
a competitor. A tire blew out and his
car shot downward into the runway at
the bottom of the track. With the cool
presence OF mind that facing the perils
Of the road at a hundred miles an hour
has made habit with the speed demons
Ruckstell swung his car about barely in
time to prevent II crashing through the
fence. But when II came 10 a standstill
il was INSIDE down, with Ruckstell PIN
lbncQ DeUNdNn IL. III a Ulvmtubi HpN
ever, he had freed himself and crawled
forth, with no worse an injury than a
sprained arm. The crowd heaved n great
sigh of relief as it saw the distant fig
ure drag itself from the track and rise
unaided.
The other momentary fear Of an ac-
cident came when Josef Christiaens's
Sunbeam, dashing about the track at
more than 100 miles an hour, broke a
connecting rod and he was forced to
come 70 a sudden halt far across the
field from the grandstand. Almost at
the same time and in the same place
Dario Resta, one of the stars from
whom much had been expected, threw
on his brakes and his car ground to
halt, following the swapping of con-
Meeting rod. In the grandstand there
was momentary doubt as TO what had
happened, and as half hundred per
sons dashed excitedly across the field
toward the distant machines, led by a
changing fire wagon and rushing am
bulance, the excited minds of the spec
tators conjured up visions of piled-up
wreckage and msngled forms, but no
one had been injured.
Athens Remarkable Feat.
Aitken's performance in winning the
big race in record breaking time was
truly remarkable. After the first fifty
miles of the 250-mile grind, he held
the lead and was never overtakcn.
Time after time Christiaens and Resta.
who were nearest to him, and a little
later Pete Henderson, coming from be-
hind in his Maxwell, sought TO over
toL. tho Hyinc AitLep hut in vain