Many thousands gathered from the neighboring states of Illinois, Michigan, Iowa, Indiana, and even from New York.
Among the sportsmen assembled were many foreigners, English, French, Germans and Austrians, each nationality, of course, supporting the chauffeurs of its land.

Moreover, as this was the United States, the country of the greatest gamblers of the world, bets were made of every sort and of enormous amounts.
The start was to be made at eight o'clock in the morning; and to avoid crowding and the accidents which must result from it, the automobiles were to follow each other at two minute intervals, along the roads whose borders were black with spectators.
The first ten racers, numbered by lot, were dispatched between eight o'clock and twenty minutes past.

Unless there was some disastrous accident, some of these machines would surely arrive at the goal by eleven o'clock.

The others followed in order.
An hour and a half had passed.

There remained but a single contestant at Prairie-du-chien.