328 



RECREATION. 



This season's automobile racing on the 

 tracks of the various large cities has been 

 successful from a financial standpoint, large 

 crowds assembled to see giant racers whirl 

 about the course at more than express train 

 speed. Undoubtedly the element .of dan- 

 ger has drawn many and that the danger 

 continues to exist is proven by several 

 severe accidents. Such accidents have re- 

 sulted from one important reason, namely, 

 the dense clouds of dust raised by the rac- 

 ing cars, which, following close on each 

 other, are sometimes entirely obscured. 

 The sense of direction being lost, a car 

 running at full speed crashes into the 

 fence. The remedy is clear. The tracks 

 should be well sprinkled. Oil can not be 

 used on horse tracks, but water can, and 

 if it had been liberally applied to some of 

 the tracks this summer accidents would 

 have been fewer. 



The mile record for circular track was 

 reduced this season to 52 4-5 seconds ; this 

 is at the rate of about 100 feet a second or 

 nearly 69 miles an hour. This feat was 

 performed by Earl Kiser, the old bicycle 

 racing man, driving Alexander Winton's 

 Bullet No. 2. The record for the straight 

 away mile made at Ormond Beach by W. 

 K. Vanderbilt, Jr., remains unbroken, one 

 mile in 39 seconds ; over 92 miles an hour. 



Skidding is not uncommon with auto- 

 mobiles, and, as a source of possible dan- 

 ger, has received considerable attention 

 from manufacturers, a number of appli- 

 ances having been devised to render skid- 

 ding, or side slipping, impossible. In turn- 

 ing the machine into dangerous places on 

 asphalt pavements, the car is apt to slide or 

 strike the edge of the curb unless great 

 care is taken to operate the car slowly and 

 carefully. No anti-skidding trials have been 

 held in America, but a number of them 

 have been promoted abroad, and have been 

 of great value in showing the advantage 

 of some of the details designed to prevent 

 the skidding of an automobile on a greasy 

 road or pavement. The results show that 

 although many of these devices are of great 

 value, they will not be an absolute preven- 

 tive when the car is being driven by a care- 

 less operator. At the automobile show in 

 New. York last January there were an un- 

 usually large number of automobiles on the 

 streets, moving among crowds of people. 

 It was almost impossible for horse vehicles 

 to proceed at all, whereas the automobiles 

 were entirely at home and little skidding 

 was noticeable. A great deal of sliding is 

 due to a desire to go too fast through city 

 streets. 



Automobile Club of Great Britain. This 

 test was confined entirely to cars of light 

 weight and prices under £200, or $1,000. 

 Such cars appeal to the average purchaser 

 as a substitute for the ubiquitous horse and 

 buggy. The summary of the results shows 

 that 38 cars were entered, none hav- 

 ing less than 6 horse power or more than 

 10 horse power. Of these 38 cars, 9 broke 

 down and retired before the conclusion of 

 the trials, which consisted of 12 runs of 50 

 miles each. Four cars made 12 non-stop 

 runs, 4 cars made 11 non-stop runs, and 

 5 cars made 10 non-stop runs. In short, 

 the light cars performed with notable regu- 

 larity and reliability, and demonstrated to 

 many the improvement which has been go- 

 ing on in the light car class. 



Charles J. Glidden, of Boston, is run- 

 ning his automobile touring car around the 

 world. He has just arrived at Vancouver, 

 B. C, having left Boston at the start of the 

 St. Louis automobile run. Mr. Glidden 

 made an extraordinary average of 23 miles 

 an hour, but this was accomplished by re- 

 moving the regular wheels from his car 

 and replacing them with flanged wheels so 

 that the car could be run on rails. In this 

 manner Mr. Gilder drove his car from 

 Minneapolis to Vancouver over the Cana- 

 dian Pacific tracks, after attaining terrific 

 speed of 60 miles an hour or more and 

 beating the schedule of the fastest trains. 



Mr. Alfred Harmsworth, the svell known 

 English publisher, is in this country, and 

 Avas recently interviewed by a New York 

 Herald reporter. Mr. Harmsworth, as one 

 of the most prominent automobilists in 

 England, has had much experience in the 

 sport, and made a somewhat surprising state- 

 ment that there was no necessity for Amer- 

 icans to go abroad to buy their automobiles. 

 Mr. Harmsworth has made a careful study 

 of some of the later types of American ma- 

 chines, and says that in his opinion they 

 are excellent in every way, thoroughly reli- 

 able, and very stylish cars. 



Careful drivers are not killed in motor 

 accidents, unless someone else runs into 

 them. If you keep cool and hold the steer- 

 ing wheel firmly a burst tire can not cause 

 any accident, even if running at full speed. 

 If you do not know how to drive, you are 

 sure to cause accidents. Many paid drivers 

 should not be trusted with a car. If you 

 wish a reliable driver address the automo- 

 bile club in your vicinity, and do not take 

 the first comer just because he wears an 

 auto coat and cap. — Tutomobile Topics. 



Some interesting trials of small cars 

 were recently held in Hereford, England, 

 under the supervision and rules of the 



Russian whiskers don't seem quite equal 

 to Japanese brains, on the field of battle. 



