AUTOMOBILE RACES. 599 



lish tires that he saw it Avas useless tiying' to go to Bordeaux unless he 

 could get fresh ones. As this was not possible in the time, he replaced 

 them with French tires, which, of course, disqualitied him for the cup 

 competition, and he decided upon starting in the open race. As the 

 Napier arrived at the premises of the Automobile Clul), where it had 

 to undergo the process of marking, it attracted a vast amount of atten- 

 tion, and there is no doubt that it created a strong impression among 

 the Frenchmen by its powerful lines. It looked heavier and bigger 

 than the French vehicles, parti}' due to the fact that it has not such a 

 low center of gra\itv as the new cars. If, as was stated, the Napier 

 developed TO or 75 horsepower, it was by far the most powerful of 

 the competing vehicles, for though the new Mors was at first said to 

 be fitted with engines of this force, it was entered as 28 horsepower, 

 and it may therefore be supposed to give something like 85 horsepower. 

 All the foreign competitors having scratched, the cup race became a 

 run over for the French vehicles, but even then things did not go 

 smoothly, as there was trouble between Charron and Girardot and the 

 makers whose vehicles they were to drive. Fortunatel3% matters were 

 satisfactorily arranged, and Charron and Girardot, on their new 24 

 horsepower Panhards, and Levegh, on his 2S-horsepower Mors, turned 

 up at the start. 



THE FKTE DE N'UIT. 



The vehicles were to be sent olf at 3.30 in the morning, and to pass 

 away the still small hours a fete was organized at the Chalets du Cycle 

 in theBois de Boulogne, where all the automobilists who had not gone 

 down to Bordeaux were present. And then there was a nocturnal pro- 

 cession up the Suresnes hill to St. Cloud. The sight was an extremely 

 picturesciue one, as hundreds of cyclists with their colored lanterns 

 kept prudently to the side of the road, while the hig cars flashed their 

 headlights up the hill. On arriving at the starting place beyond St. 

 Cloud, we found the road to Versailles in possession of the gendarmes, 

 and a squadron of cavalry guarded the approaches, though why the}^ 

 were there is a niystery that is j^et unsolved. The auto cars lined up 

 on each side of the road according to their numbers, and photographers 

 flashed magnesium light to get views of the competing vehicles. Still 

 another light leaped out of the darkness through one of the spectators 

 coming to the assistance of Fournier with a match while he was filling 

 up the petrol tank. The spirit caught fire, and it was only by Four- 

 nier's presence of mind that the flame was prevented from reaching 

 the tank. The gendarmes were busy seeing if the papers of the com- 

 petitors were in order. The officials had a lively time of it during this 

 operation. Some of the chauffeurs, including Levegh and Gilles Hour- 

 gieres, had not brought their certificates, and the police insisted that 

 they should not start, but as the result of an interview with the prefect 

 the objection was overruled, though two competitors hadtoturndiscon- 



