Kleiner’s Korner: “On the Road to the Cup Race”
In this article that appeared in the March, 1907 edition of "The Outing", author Ralph D. Paine relays the excitement leading up to and during the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race from the viewpoint of someone not necessarily a race enthusiast. Along with illustrations, it is a very compelling read. The full text is provided at the end of this post - best viewed with Safari.
Art Kleiner
Ralph D. Paine (1871 - 1925) was a prolific journalist and author and contributed to many popular magazines including Collier's Weekly, The Century Magazine, Scribner's Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Everybody's Magazine, The American Magazine, Saturday Evening Post, The American Boy and Country Life in America. One of his sons became a publisher or Fortune magazine. (Wikipedia)
The region's residents were reflected in the story which was one of Paine's earliest magazine contributions.
Charles Sarza (1879 - 1960) illustrated the story with colorful depictions of the settings around the course. Sarka’s principle works are in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the National Portrait Gallery, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, among others. (oxfordgallery.com)
"Many motorists made camps along the road, where they sat around a fire until time to move on to the starting place."
"The cold dawn broke borealis-like, and objects loomed up in weird proportions."
"more people than there are in the state of Montana", "frantic constables are trying to drive them back"
"There they were, racing along in the fog of early morn, with the rising sun ahead showing through like a blotch of yellow."
Describing the excitement of the race.
"High up above the spectators at the grand stand the bugle sounded its warning cry of "Car coming"."
" . . . the ill-omened fame of the Hairpin Turn becomes the focal attraction of the Cup race", "Five thousand people have been massed . . . not at all concerned that their situation is as ticklish as if they were playing with matches in a powder mill."
"The curves of the roadway presented pleasing spectacles of the enthusiasts."
"B-r-r-r-r! Band! Whizz-! and a bad smell - and then some more of the same. That's all I saw of the Cup Race. I hope Mr. Vanderbilt got a better run for his money than I did."
The full article. Best viewed in something other than Firefox.
Comments
How he describes through out is humorous and true at the same time. Believe “The Gilt-Edged Lunatic” is Aldo Weillschott, millionaire doctor who drove his own Fiat.