Chicago Times-Herald race
First automobile race in the United States
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The Chicago Times-Herald race was the first automobile race held in the United States.[1] Sponsored by the Chicago Times-Herald, the race was held in Chicago in 1895 among six automobiles: four gasoline and two electric, all four-wheelers. It was won by Frank Duryea's Motorized Wagon.[1] The race created considerable publicity for the motocycle, which had been introduced in the United States only two years earlier.
Preparations
On July 10, 1895, the Chicago Times-Herald announced a race to be held in the city, prizes totaling $5,000 (approximately $193,500 in 2025). The promotion was an attempt to foster the growth of the young auto industry in the United States and to boost newspaper sales. The first automobiles in the nation were produced only two years earlier, and they were so new at the time that the paper's editors could not easily agree upon a name for them. After considerable wrangling, the editors decided to call it a Moto Cycle race and first used the term in a July 15 article.[1]
The original course of the race was to run from Chicago north to Milwaukee, but the roads were found to be too poor for early cars to traverse easily. The route was changed to be only 54 miles (87 km) from Chicago to Evanston and back. The finish line was near what is now the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry (what had been the Palace of Fine Arts at the 1893 Columbian Exposition).
The contest rules published before the race stated the following prizes were available.[2]
| Place | Prize Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| First | $2,000 and a gold medal | Open to all competitors of the world. |
| Second | $1,500 | In the event the first prize goes to a vehicle of foreign manufacture, the most successful American entry will receive this prize. |
| Third | $1,000 | |
| Fourth | $500 | |
| Total | $5,000 |
Chicago Times-Herald Race Motocycle Contest in 1895
Exhibition Run on 2 November 1895
The race was intended to be held on November 2, but by the day before it had become clear that, while many wished to take part, few were ready to do so. The race was rescheduled to Thanksgiving Day and the next day's event turned into an Exhibition Run of 100 miles to Waukegan and back. A purse of $500 would be divided equally among those participants who returned within 13 hours.[3]: 18
Only two cars started: a Benz Vis-à-vis imported from Mannheim driven by Oscar B.Mueller of Decatur, Ill; and a Duryea Motor Wagon driven by J.Frank Duryea of Springfield, Mass.
The Duryea led from the start, then a chain snapped. It took 48 minutes for a blacksmith to repair the damage and Mueller's Benz took the lead. The Duryea suffered a smash on a narrow road at Prairie View. Duryea blew his whistle to alert a farmer with a team in the road. The farmer and Duryea both headed to the left and Duryea drove into a ditch to avoid a collision. One wheel was wrecked and the vehicle had to be hauled to the nearest railway station and sent back by rail.[4]: 928
The day was very hot and the Benz struggled in the heat: two big cans of ice were strapped to the water jacket of the cylinder to keep it cool. More ice was taken on during the journey[a]. The Benz's cruising speed[b] was 12mph; in places it had to be pushed up hills. Running time was 8 hours 44 minutes, elapsed time 9 hours 30 minutes[4]: 914 Having completed the course within the 13 hours, Mueller received the entire purse of $500.[3]: 18
Although the Duryea crashed out early in the run, its early lead suggests that it was faster than the Benz. As it had failed to catch the Benz by Prairie View (39 miles), its average speed when running cannot have exceeded 15 mph.[c]
Competitors
Eighty-three cars were initially entered into the race, but only six arrived for the actual competition.[1][5] Many of the entrants did not have their cars completed on time, and several were unable to make the journey. Elwood Haynes' car, which was a favorite to win the race, was damaged en route and unable to compete.[citation needed]
Both Haynes and the driver of a Benz car were stopped by police while driving their cars into the city. They were forced to requisition horses to pull the cars because, as the police informed them, they had no right to drive their vehicles on the city streets. The situation caused the race to be again postponed while the Chicago Times-Herald editors convinced the city leaders to pass an ordinance to confirm the right of these vehicles to travel on city streets.
Events of 28 November 1895
Once the ordinance passed, the race was held on November 28, Thanksgiving Day. The day was snowy and 38 °F (4 °C), the roads muddy, with snow drifts in places.[1]
The first car to arrive at the starting line was a German-made car by inventor Karl Benz. In total, three Benz cars ran in the race, including a Vis-à-vis imported from Mannheim by Oscar Mueller of Decatur, Ill. The only other petrol-engined car to run in the race was Frank Duryea's motorized wagon.[6] The two other vehicles that took part were electric: a Sturges Electro Motocycle, and a Morris & Salom Electrobat.[3] The electric vehicles lacked the power to climb one of the course's grades and died from the cold weather before getting far.
Just after starting, one Benz struck a horse and was forced to leave the race. It came down to a contest between the Duryea and Mueller's Benz.
According to news accounts, Mueller's Benz "puffed its way slowly and laboriously along, its [solid-rubber][d] tires wrapped with twine to keep them from slipping, and one of its operators sanding the belt on the motor for the same reason." From point 31 of the course to the finish Mueller's car was driven by Charles Brady King because Mueller went unconscious from exposure.[3][7] King was originally an umpire to the race and of this motocycle.[8]
Result and Post-race prizes
The race was mired in confusion, claim and counter-claim. Duryea crossed the line first, completing the race after 10 hours and 23 minutes, with a claimed running time of 7 hours and 53 minutes, an average running speed of 7 mph (11 km/h).[1][9] Mueller's Benz crossed the line an hour and a half later. The performance of the other starters was as follows:
- Macy's Benz (#22) collided with a streetcar on the way to Evanston and with a sleigh and then a hack on the way back; it did not finish within the allowed time;
- Morris & Salom Electrobat (#18) drove 15 miles (24 km) and then returned to testing headquarters;
- Sturges Electro Motocycle (#25) abandoned the race after 12 miles;
- De La Vergne Refrigerating Machine Co. Benz (#7) was awarded the smallest prize ($50), so was presumably the vehicle which struck a horse soon after starting and was forced to leave the race.
Neither of the cars which finished complied with the rules: Duryea had external help from a blacksmith repairing a chain and, according to Duncan, transported his vehicle by rail after a wheel was wrecked (and presumably then had a new wheel fitted); Mueller's car had to be pushed at times and Mueller did not drive the whole way. No vehicle kept to the course.[10]
The Fort Worth Gazette stated, "The prizes will be awarded on the showing made in the road race, and in the scientific tests which have been made under the supervision of the best experts in the country."[11] The official prize results were not announced until December 5, 1895. The race judges determined that "All contestants violated the rules of the race. None of the three contestants which finished at Jackson Park kept the course."[12]
"The judges were compelled to make their awards based on the showing in the tests and in the road race. The test took precedence in the rules, but the remarkable run made by Duryea and Mueller compelled substantial recognition. It was deemed fair to make an award of the gold medal based largely on tests, and it therefore, went to Salom-Morris. The other awards were made on road performances and on special points in design."[13] Total prize money awarded was $5,000.
| Vehicle Information | Prize Awarded | Prize Rationale and Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Duryea Motocycle Company Springfield, MA Duryea; Race #5 |
$2,000 | "Carriage made best performance and average speed. Best pull and compact design."[12] Failed to keep to the course, and was repaired by a blacksmith which violated the race rules.[13] |
| H. Mueller & Co. Decatur, IL Benz; Race #19 |
$1,500 | "Wagon made best performance in road. Most economy in operation."[12] Failed to keep to the course, and pushed by outsiders.[13] |
| R. H. Macy & Co. New York, NY Benz; Race #22 |
$500 | "Best showing made in road race."[12] Failed to keep to the course, and did not finish within the allowed time.[13] |
| Sturges Electro Motocycle Chicago, IL Sturges; Race #25 |
$500 | "For showing made in road race."[12] Abandoned after 12 miles (19 km).[14] The Sturges was built by William Morrison in Des Moines, Iowa between 1888 and 1890. This vehicle was purchased by Harold Sturges, and he demonstrated it at the World's Columbian Exposition held in Chicago during 1893.[15] |
| Morris & Salom Electrobat Philadelphia, PA Morris & Salom; Race #18 |
Gold medal (Valued at $250) |
"Best show in official tests."[12] Did not attempt to complete the course. Drove 15 miles (24 km) of race and then returned to testing headquarters.[16] Award of the gold medal was based on, "Safety; easy of control; absence of noise, vibration, heat or odor; cleanliness, and general excellence of design and workmanship."[17] |
| G. W. Lewis Motocycle Chicago, IL |
$200 | Special prize money given ". . . for friction driving device and brake and a reduction gear for increasing speed."[13] |
| Haynes & Apperson Gasoline Wagon Kokomo, IN |
$150 | Special prize money given ". . . for plan of preventing vibration by balance of driving engines."[13] |
| George Hertel Gasoline Wagon Chicago, IL |
$100 | Special prize money given ". . . for a device for starting the motor from the operator's seat in the vehicle."[13] |
| De La Vergne Refrigerating Machine Co. New York, NY Benz; Race #7 |
$50 | Special prize money given ". . . for counterbalance of engine."[13] Some papers state they quit the race at 16th Street and others at 64th Street.[14][18] |
The race was the first known automobile race in the United States.[5] Newspapers across the country carried stories about it. Many predicted the demise of horse-borne transportation, citing the cars' ability to travel even in poor weather.
The success of the race sped up the rate of automobile development by at least five years in the United States due to the event's publicity.[5] The commercial production of American automobiles began only a year later.[5]
Epilogue
The Smithsonian Institution states the following regarding the winning Duryea car. "This car was unfortunately destroyed through a workman's misunderstanding many years ago."[19] The second-place car of Hieronymus Mueller is on display in the Mueller Museum in Decatur, Illinois.[20]
In addition to the enormous amount of publicity the race generated, several other automotive developments were related to this race.
- Adoption of pneumatic tires. The superiority of pneumatic tires over solid rubber was manifest: Mueller struggled through the slush and snow despite having wrapped twine around his tires in an attempt to improve traction. American manufacturers led Europe in adopting pneumatic tires.
- Motocycle. The early term for the automobile, "motocycle", was born out of a pre-race contest sponsored by the Chicago Times-Herald newspaper to replace the term "horseless carriage" with something better.[21] The term was never prevalent, and it has largely fallen into disuse. The Indian Motocycle Manufacturing Company used this term consistently to describe its motorcycles from their earliest days until 1953.
- First automotive club. Charles King, one of the drivers to have taken part in the November 2, 1895, contest, sent letters on October 8, 1895, proposing an automobile club be formed. This led to the creation of the American Motor League on November 1, 1895, in Chicago on the eve of what became the exhibition run between Mueller and Duryea motocycles. At the second meeting, Charles Duryea was elected president on November 29, 1895.[21]: 31–32
- First U.S. automotive trade publication. Edward E. Goff in Chicago, almost certainly inspired by the Chicago Times-Herald Race, began publishing the first English language automobile magazine Motocycle in October 1895. This was one month before the well-known publication Horseless Age which claimed to be the first such publication.[21]: 31
- Selden patent. The Morris & Salom Electrobat was the beginnings of the Electric Vehicle Company of Philadelphia.[21] This firm, although no longer producing automobiles by 1899, acquired the legal rights to the Selden patent and began the process of trying to collect licensing fees from all U.S. automobile manufacturers.[21]: 116–117 [22]
See also
Notes
- The Benz engine was water-cooled but used an open system: some heat was lost by radiation from the sides of the copper water tanks, but most of the cooling was from boiling of coolant water, which extracted from the remaining coolant the latent heat of vaporization of that which had boiled. Water consumption was therefore prodigious: several times that of gasoline. The colder the water which replenished that lost, the longer it would last. Ice packs around the cylinder of the engine also helped.
- Early Benz vehicles used belt drive to a counter-shaft and then chain drive to the wheels. There was no throttle and the engine was designed to run at constant speed. After 1890 Benz vehicles had two belt-systems for two different speeds. The driver selected one and then the vehicle's speed depended on the effort required to propel the vehicle forward.
- This assumes that the Benz was travelling at its average running speed from the start to Prairie View and that the Duryea had a 48-minute handicap.
- The newspaper reported them as pneumatic. They weren't. In his memoir about the race, Charles King (who was on the Benz) footnotes the newspaper report to correct its mistake.
