View of two men removing a piece of wood from rural dirt road during the 1907 Glidden Tour. Cars in foreground and background. Stamped on back: "Photo by N. Lazarnick, 29 West 42nd Street, New York." Handwritten on back: "Tours--Glidden Tour, 1907.
At one point between Toledo and South Bend a carpeted working on a house there a piece of wood embedded with nails on the road so as to hinder contestants! I do not know of this was it, however!
During the first half of 1907, the question was raised -- will the next Glidden tour be a pleasure drive for amateurs, a race, a scientific trial, or "missionary work" by starting the event in Cleveland.
The Horseless Age, v. 20, no. 3, p.86:
"The newspapers throughout the country have devoted columns and innumerable scare heads to their descriptions of "the Glidden race," and he word has gone broadcast that the event is not a tour but simple a mad road race, in which big cars and little alike vie to see how badly they can fracture speed ordinances in going trough towns enroute....when people see machines going at 40 and 50 miles an hour, and taking all sorts of chances in passing other cars and vehicles on the road, they refuse to believe the tour is not a race -- and a race it is considered throughout the length and breadth of the land.
...
Cars jumping in ditches to avoid collisions with wagons; cars smashing through bridges because they rounded turns too quickly; cars turning over in ditches because they went too fast; a long string of dead dogs and chickens, and a country covered with a dust stirred up by speeding cars,....
...
It is significant that Mr. Van Sicklen, who was the official race maker, quit the run at South Bend fort he reason "that the pace was too fast for safety." incidentally, it was the pace that he felt he should set under the committee;'s time schedule."
Map 1:
Map 2:
From Toledo to South Bend -- "The Wildest Ride of them all." And a fatal accident.
Continuous rain the night of Wednesday and Thursday morning turned roads into a slimy mess. But speed would remain fixed in the heads of those driving. And the tour administrators, who did not lengthen the permissible time for the route beyond its initial 9+ hours. Calls for caution were ignored. And thus the average speed of 19 mph was the target, much to unsafe for the conditions. During the first 10 miles of the segment men were thrown from cars and "all contestants were bruised and shaken up from bouncing over the roads."
Then more serious. accidents occurred. The first took place involving a Pierce Great Arrow 6 cylinder car, driven by K.R. Otis. Overturning and plunging down a 4 ft embankment, its passengers were trapped underneath the car, saved from more serious injury by the Tonneau. but Otis had a badly hurt and bleeding leg, and two women in the car, had to be taken to nearby homes where they received medial attention.
The next accident involved Packard number 6, enters by T.J. Clark. This veheicle skidded, overturned, and finally came to rest on its side. Clark fractured to ribs, and later it was learned that he had pictured his lung. Taken to Bryan, Ohio, he later died of pneumonia. His chauffeur, Hunt, righted Clarks car, continued on, and skidded while over a bridge. The car hang there until help arrived. With a broken steering wheel cut in half, Hunt ended up taking the car to South Bend, where it was retired.
More mayhem followed. One passenger in the Royal Tourist car had his head knocked by the top mechanism. Fan belts broke, magnetos failed, and gears were stripped, caused by the fast pace. Along the route natives dug a ditch with the idea of making money by pulling the cars out of it with their horse teams. Needless to say, dissension quickly reared its ugly head. O.A. Parker, driving Royal Tourist no. 16, withdrew, stating that the event was not a our but a road race.
Map 4:
Contestants were surprised that the National Road was dusty and not in very good shape. they had expected better.
Map 6:
The rigors of travel caused several passengers to quit the event. Since one requirement was to car 4 passengers, owners were forced to pay substitutes $5 to ride along.
Map 7:
View of the mayor of Canton, Ohio presenting a key to the city to Charles J. Glidden and F.B. Hower during the 1907 Glidden Tour. Lettering on key reads: "Welcome to our city, July." Stamped on back: "Photo by N. Lazarnick, 29 West 42nd Street, New York." Handwritten on back: "Mayor of Canton turning over key of city to Glidden and Hower. Tours--Glidden Tour, 1907."
Map 8:
The segment from Toledo to South Bend was particularly memorable. The day started with literally sheets of rain. That made the roads into muck, but the time to traverse the distance remained the same. It was dangerous driving given the necessary speeds, and several very catastrophic accidents involving serious personal injury occurred. Cars slide into ditches, overturned with passengers trapped underneath, drivers thrown from their vehicles, woman passengers with head injuries .... The upshot was that the path leader quit after arriving in South Bend.
During the first two segments there also proved to be resistance from locals who did not care for the intrusion into their lives of motor vehicles. More on this a bit later....
View of Charles J. Glidden (standing next to car no. 99) posing with motorists in cars lined up in street during the 1907 Glidden Tour. Stamped on back: "Photo by N. Lazarnick, 29 West 42nd Street, New York." Handwritten on back: "Tours--Glidden Tour, 1907."
View of overturned car on side of rural dirt road in aftermath of car accident during the 1907 Glidden Tour. Onlookers on right. Stamped on back: "Spooner and Wells, 1931 Broadway, New York, duplicates any time, enlargements all sizes, tel. 3472-3473 Col., credit appreciated." Handwritten on back: "Accidents. Glidden, 1907.
View of W.C. Straub and passengers in Peerless car no. 50 on mountain road in Pennsylvania during the 1907 Glidden Tour. Stamped on back: "Photo by N. Lazarnick, 29 West 42nd Street, New York." Handwritten on back: "Peerless #50. A stony Glidden Tour road in Pennsylvania, Straub's Peerless in the ravine. Tours--Glidden Tour, 1907."
One example of the commercialization of the Glidden Tour
Close-up view of motorist fixing tire chain on car during the 1907 Glidden Tour. Water tower in background. Stamped on back: "Photo by N. Lazarnick, 29 West 42nd Street, New York." Handwritten on back: "Tours--Glidden Tour, 1907."The tourists (or you might want to say manufacturers, if you are more of a cynic, gathered for a last time on Wednesday evening at the Hotel Astor for the awards banquet. Tourists were disappointed with the hospitality they received in New York; none of the manufacturers welcomed them officially, and they felt there was a chill, even more so than what was perceived in Chicago. It was hoped that the tourists would return in 1908, when rules would be revised after the experience of this year,
The Results:
Tourists line up prior to entering NYC. They would cross the Hudson on a ferry.
View of motorists and cars in street at Jersey City, New Jersey during the 1907 Glidden Tour. Man stands with bicycle policeman in middle of street. Handwritten on back: "The 1907 Glidden Tour reaches Jersey City, N.J. This tour started Wednesday, July 10, 1907 at Cleveland's Hollenden House. It went to Toledo, South Bend, Chicago, back to South Bend, Indianapolis, Columbus, Canton, Pittsburgh, Bedford Springs, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City. It ended at Columbus Circle, NYC on Wednesday, July 24. Tours--Glidden Tour, 1907."
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