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Whooooosh: 1902
October 24, 1902. "H.S. Harkness in his Mercedes-Simplex, winning five-miles event in 6:1 3-5, Grosse Pointe track, Detroit." 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Photographic Co. View full size.
Not in Grosse Pointe Anymore
Horse racing was a very popular pastime in Detroit at the turn of the last century and two horse racing tracks were built on the south side of E. Jefferson Avenue. One was called the Detroit Driving Club, where this image was taken. It was located at Algonquin Street and was designed by Mortimer Smith. Farther east out Jefferson Avenue at Marlborough Street was the Jockey Club. Both were in the Fairview Village area of Grosse Pointe Township. The Ford-Winton Race and the 1904 Thousand-Mile Packard Endurance Run took place at the Detroit Driving Club.
It wasn’t until 1907 that this entire area was annexed by the City of Detroit and the names Fairview and Grosse Pointe Township became lost over the passage of time.
More here: https://wikimapia.org/33799129/Detroit-Driving-Club
Consensus
Some scientists of note back then warned of exceeding 60 miles per hour, postulating that a human would face a lack of oxygen and pass out at the controls.
They were wrong.
H.S. Harkness
Harry Stephen Harkness, heir to a portion of the Standard Oil fortune, was a noted automobile racer and aviator. He cheated death in a 1910 airplane crash but was not able to buy his way out of the Spanish Flu epidemic. He died in 1919 at age 38.
Almost Flying
... and within a year and a couple of months, powered flight would be achieved.
Whenever I feel times are changing too quickly, I think back to if I were my current age a century-and-a-quarter ago. Getting past congratulating myself for making it to the ripe old age of 63, I would be utterly appalled by the spread of internal combustion engines, shattering the air with their noise and spewing smoke, scaring the horses, and breaking all the rules of the road!
Well, I'm pretty much still in that state of mind. So maybe not everything changes so quickly!
49mph
That's right around an average of 49mph. 5 miles at 6 min 13.5 seconds.
Or is it 6 min 1 3/5 seconds? Either way, close to 49mph.
Speedy!
If I read that time correctly, Harkness averaged 48.19 MPH
What the heck is "6:1 3-5"?
Is that some kind of time recording from yesteryear, or is it perhaps a biblical reference from even more yesteryears?
[361.6 seconds -- 6:01 and 3/5. - Dave]
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