The Washington herald., 1919-02-23
WINS
aSPANISR RACE
Victory Gained Amid
Medieval Scenes in Part
ridge Mountains.

barcelona. Spain. Feb. 22.-It was in
the gray OF the dawn. Beside a little
wayFIde shrine, a remnant of the mid
DIE ages. stood an aged priest in full
vestments. a Crucifix in his hands. In
the dusty road before him. two CRIME
severed men sat with bowed heads in
4 Iow-hung. pOwcrfur. racing car.
The priests lips moved in silent
blessing as he stepped close to the
car to allow each of the occupants TO
kiss the cruCifix Then he moved
back and. with a sullen roar. the
great engine awoke. There was a
clash Of gears. and the car vanished
in a whiTl OF dust, its exhaust echo
ing from the mOuntain-side like the
thunder of a battery Of heavy artil-
leTy.
Hardly had the din subsided when
another car rolled up out of the mist.
paused. and the ceremony was re-
peated. Twelve times this happened.
And. as the last car disappeared up
the tortuous roadway, it left the
priest surrounded by a little group of
pea SAINTS, their brilliant-hued mead
dresses Offering 4 strange contrast to
the sombreuess of the scene.
Speed Inyades MederiaIism.
For it was in the very heart OF
medieval Spain, the sunny land OF
the crusade and the grandees. and
these representatives of byEone ase
were paying tribute at the feet OF
supreme speed and endurance as CN-
empIifed i'm the finest creations Of the
foremost automobile engineers of two
continents.
The great Partridge Mountain race,
he premier event Of the year in al
Spanish mOturdOm, was being run.
With the sun not yet in sight, tweive
great speed creations were hurlinS
themselves along the trcacherous.
winding road, through a dangerous
nrst. toward SPANS 'top-o'-the-
NvoAd''-thc clOuG-capPed peak Of
T'artIidge Mountain.
BreathIessly ly the little group Of men
and women at the :oOt of the shrine
waited, perring intCntly upward 10
where the rising sun was painting IN"
tor Of the mountain "a dusky. blood
red. \ man at 4 roadside telephone
turned Jose is out. Car went over
on o. turn. Mychaniciau killed. he
cried. with a sob in his voice. for
d''Et.r w Il' ANDNt - Ills u l'''H'' w .S''i
AN car. was, a popular favorItc with
lhc villagers.
silently the seconds passed. and
before the contest was half finished,
only i've cars we're left, the others
IrCiuE strcwn i'm splinJcred heaTa OF
wTeckaEc along the trcaChcrOus road.
II Was saddeneI little group at the
shrine which waited the final result
which came from the watcher at the
telephone after the time OF the con-
tC~taut~ had been computed
super SiN winner.
luis Carrcras. in Hudson Super-siN.
wins he shouted. and a ripple Of
cheers greeted the sun, visible for
the first time through the msts.
In winning with a stock car. the
-uft change in it having been the use
q oycial body. Carrcras had broken
ord for the course by thirteen
ht rter--. Earreras reached the top
af the uountain in thirty-iivc and
-arge-flth- minutes at an average
srE,l Or 1T EiIOmcters an hour.
.r TF 7-gus .i0n of the feat King AL
f0.sr ... n.. chief secretary send
Carr r..-.E % .-Er. which said.
-.T '--f raH honor to convey
to L.a Ta... -r- naWs of your vic
tory. E. .a .-rcially charged
me . ,"-. ..U MS COn-ratula
tiOns on r,..- -... ..r ..- race with a
Hudson -u-. 81.