AUTOMOBILE RACES. 



605 



rardot, the ultimate cup winner, had smashed his clutch at Chartres. 

 Later came the news that Fournier was Leading the next man Voigt 

 at Ruffec, 10] miles away, by twenty-five minutes, and that lots of 

 punctures, owing to nails on the roads, had been suffered by many 

 competitors. The time wore slowly on in the great heat and dust, 

 until another message came through to the effect that Fournier had 

 left Libourne, 15 miles away. Then the crowd, which made up in 

 enthusiasm what it lacked in numbers, braced themselves with the 

 expectation of excitement. The minutes passed almost in silence, so 

 tense had the feeling become. Even the camelots ceased to cry Le 

 Velo, and like all the rest strained their eyes upon the brow of the 

 hill over which the petrolic Jehu speeding toward them must come. 

 Suddenly a cry went up from the high bank on the right, Le voila! 

 and at the top of the narrowed way between the poplar tops as the} r 

 descended the reverse side of the slope were seen to be blotted out 

 as with a cloud. The cloud, as it appeared, surged over the top of 

 the hill, descended with awful rapidity, and whirled toward us. It 

 showed a black eye, which every instant increased in size. The eye 

 was the Mors, whose wildly whirring engine was now distinctly audible. 

 Machine, men, and cloud, which blotted out all behind, rushed up 

 the winning slope, and amid the wild cries of all who witnessed, com- 

 pleted the most remarkable automobile run yet accomplished. Over 

 an hour and a half elapsed before the second man was in, and the same 

 wild scene of welcome was enacted, though in lesser degree with each 

 arrival. The following table gives these as they occurred; also the 

 average speed per hour throughout the journey: 



Class 4. — Cars weighing !.."'; hundredweights and over. 



Character of machine. 



Chauffeur. 



50 horsepower Mors 



40 horsepi (jver Panhard-Levassor 



Do 



Do 



Do 



Do Hourgieres 



Do I De Crawhez . 



Do Farman 



Do | De Berteaux . 



Do Lefebvfe 



Fournier 



Farman . 



Voigt 



Pinson . . 

 Axt. 



Net time. 



H. M. s. 

 6 7 44 



6 37 15 



7 12 11 

 7 42 51 



7 43 17 



8 39 39 



8 51 34 



9 27 50 

 11 6 39 

 11 38 50 



Miles 

 per hour. 



53. 51 

 49. 95 

 45. 54 

 12.51 

 12.38 

 37.87 

 37. 02 

 34. 65 

 29. 50 

 28. 10 



Class 3. — Cars weighing from 7% hundredweights i<> 1 .'\ hundredweights. 



