Life — November 10, 1904 — page 6: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

LLP E- LIFE’S AUTO RACE. Fifth Avenue the Scene of a Great Contest. Unfortunate Pedestrians Who Didn't Know Enough To Go In When It Was Raining Automobiles. The Winner. N spite of the fact that for weeks past the ed society columns have been full of the Great Auto Race on Fifth Avenue, and people had been warned generally that they had no business on this great thor- oughfare, several thousands tried to cross, and had it not been for the great dura- bility of the machines entered, these machines with their owners might have been permanently injured. As it was, only the pedestrians were disabled, together with a number of impertinent carriages, belonging mostly to the middle classes, that had the extreme temerity to venture on the Avenue. It will be remembered that the race to take place at three-thirty, this being the most crowded part of the day. This would also give the contestants time to don their evening clothes. As a matter of fact, the race was delayed nearly fifteen minutes, owing to an almost criminal weakness of the authorities in daring to listen to a protest made by several citizens. And this, in spite of the fact that the race was to be held under the auspices of the Automobile Club of America, The protest was to the effect that Fifth Avenue was a public thoroughfare, that it belonged to the citizens of New York, and that automobiles under the most favorable cir- cumstances were a nuisance, anyway. The Judge was actually listening to this, when Reggie Asterbilt heard about it, and telephoned his Honor that if the thing went any further his name would be taken off the waiting list of Reggie's club. ‘That settled the Judge, and the race proceeded. Machines from all the principal foreign countries of the globe were represented, including one from New Jersey. The contestants got off one minute apart. The start was made from Washington Square. Time as follow Billy. Bonder in his 200 h. p. Slaughterer, Reggie Asterbilt “ 99 “ Death Dealer Archie Rockster “149 ‘** Slamhard Octavius Isecstein 88 ‘* Passover Willie DeWreckless ‘* 190 Splinterer 3349 Allie Dollarmark “5 Smasher 3:50 The course was to One Hundredth Street and return, one lap, a distance of ten miles, the race being thirty laps. The aarp. THE FLATIRON BUILD- ING IN DANGER. first lap was made by Billy Bonder in five minutes, and this, in spite of the fact that he swerved eight inches at Twenty-third Street, almost completely demolishing the Flatiron Building. ’ This matter will be taken up later by the Automobile Club, who will be able to prove that it wasn’t Billy’s fault —that it was done by a draught. At the end of three laps, three contestants had dropped out, for it is to the everlasting shame of New York that a prominent Fifth Avenue jeweler was permitted to put some of his largest collar buttons on the course. This dastardly act, besides being the cause of numerous tire troubles, resulted in a serious accident to Octavius Isecstein, who, in attempting to scoop one of the buttons up, was thrown from his machine. _ It will be several days before he will be able to smoke a cigarette. Archie Rockster punctured his goggles at Fiftieth Street, and getting off the track, went through Central Park and tore up several statues. For this act he is entitled to the gratitude of all lovers of art. In the last half of the twenty-ninth lap it was evident that the race lay between Billy Bonder in his two hundred comicbooks.com