Great Falls daily tribune., 1919-02-23
KING GREE1s HERO
Of TOP-O'-W0RLD
AUTOMOBILE RAGE
Hudson Super-Six Stock Car
Won Daring Annual
Spanish Event.
BY Special Cable to The Tribune.

Barcelona, Spain, Feb. 22.-1t was IN
the gray of the dawn. Beside little
wayside shrine. remnant of the middle
ages, stood an aged priest in full vest
ments, crucifix uplifted in his hands.
In the dusty road before hin, two
CRIME covered men sat with bowed heads
in low hung, powerful, racing car.
The priests lips moved in silent bless
ing as he stepped close to the car to al
low each of the occupants to kiss the
crucifix Then he moved back ana, With
a sullen roar, the great engine awoke.
There was . clash of gears, and the car
vanished in whirl of dust. its exhaust
echoing from the mountainside like The
thunder of battery of heavy artillery.
Hardly had the din subsidized when sn-
other car rolled up out of the mist,
paused, and the ceremony was repeated.
Twelve times this happened. And, as
the last Car disappeared up the tortu-
rous roadway, it left the priest surround
ed by a little group OF peasants, their
brlliant-h -hued headdresses offering
strange contrast to the sombreness of
the scene.
For it was in the very heart of me-
dieyal Spain, the sunny land of the Cru
sades and the Grandes, and these repre-
sentatives Of Il bygone age were paying
a tribute at the feet of supreme speed
and endurance AS exempiifled in the first
creations of the foremost automobile
engineers of two continents.
The great Partridge Mountain race,
tie premier event of the year in all
Spanish motordom, was being run. With
the sun not yet in sight Il great, speed
creations were hurting themselves along
the treacherous, win iing road, thru a
dangerous mist, toward Spains 'top-o'-
the -world-the cloud capped peak of
Partridge mountain.
Breathlessly the little group of men
and women at the foot of the shrine
waited, peering intently upward to where
the rising sun was painting the top of
the mountain a dusky, bloodrcd. y man
at 4 roadside tclefo1e turned. Jose is
out. Car went over on turn. Mechani-
clan killed. he cried, with Il sob in his
voice. for Jose, who drove high pow
cred Italian car, was q popular favorite
with the villagers.
Silently the seconds passed and, be-
fore the contest WAS half finished, only
five ears were left, the others being
strewn in splintered heaps of wreckage
along the treacherous road. 1t was a
saddened little group at the shrine which
waited the final result which came from
the watcher at the telefone after the
time of the contestants had been COM
Euted:
Luis Carreras. in Hudson Super-Six
wins" he shouted, and ripple OF
cheers greeted the sun, visible for the
first time thru the miss.
In winning with STOCK car, the only
change in it having been the use of q
special body. Carreras had broken all
records for the course by Is kilometers.
Carreras reached the top of the noun
tain in 81 30 minutes at an average
speed of 121 klometers an hour.
In recognition of the fact King Al
fonso had his chief secretary send Car
reras letter which said:
Il have had the honor to convey 10
his majesty the news of your victory and
he has specially charged me TO convey
to you his congratulations on having won
the race with Hudson Super-Six.'