AUTOMOBILES IN THE SNOW.

The New York Times
March 18, 1900

Two Members Run to Ardsley and Albert Bostwick Makes a Fast Record.

With a strong wind, decidedly wintry in tone, and streets partially covered with snow, with the prospect of much worse conditions beyond the city limits, two brave members of the Automobile Club of America drove their machines to the Waldorf-Astoria yesterday morning prepared to make the run to Ardsley.  But in the face of such adverse circumstances Albert C. Bostwick, Chairman of the Committee on Runs, and E. E. Schwarzkopf were the only starters.  A handful of enthusiasts were on hand to see the beginning of the fun, and all sorts of gibes were poked at the two adventurers as they pulled the blankets tightly around them and got ready at the stroke of 10 to turn on the motor power and move up Fifth Avenue.  Mr. Whitney Lyon came up in his "auto," but declined to take any risks of being snowbound.

"It depends entirely upon the Hudson River trains when the men will get back to-night," he said, but the two game members of the club said they would get through or "bust," and off they went.

Mr. Bostwick is one of the youngest as well as most enthusiastic men in the club, and is building up quite a reputation for speedy and difficult runs.  He made no failure of it yesterday, for to the surprise of his friends he made the run to the Ardsley Club in the excellent time of 1 hour and 55 minutes.  He left here promptly at 10 o'clock, and stepped into the office of the Ardsley Club at 11:55 o'clock.  He used his light Winton road motor, propelled by gasoline, a carriage somewhat similar to the one in which Alexander Winton made his run from Cleveland to this city about a year ago.  Mr. Schwarzkopf was in a locomobile, the motor power being steam obtained from a small water boiler.  He arrived at Ardsley at 12:35, forty minutes later than Mr.  Bostwick.

The latter's run of one hour and 55 minutes was considered very fast by automobilists at the club last night, in view of the quantities of snow and ice on the road.  From the Waldorf it is between twenty-three and twenty-four miles to Ardsley.  In the last run to Irvington, under much better conditions, Mr. Bostwick covered the course in 1 hour and 40 minutes.  Yesterday's route was up the Boulevard, across Central Bridge, the new Macomb's Dam Bridge, up Sedgwick Avenue to Yonkers, thence along Madison Avenue, through Hastings and Dobbs Ferry.

"The roads were pretty heavy all along," said Mr. Bostwick last night.  "After crossing Central Bridge they were much worse than in the city, but there was no one spot that was particularly harder than another.  It was a good experimental run, to show what could be done on snow-covered roads.  We will have a better run in a week or two, for had the day been clear about thirty or forty machines would undoubtedly have been in line."

Both Mr. Bostwick and Mr. Schwarzkopf came back slowly, not attempting to make fast time.  Each man wore racing goggles and was well wrapped in fur coats.