The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-04-01

iloN WOulu you ike TO flue with DdiASS
Oldfeld on his Green Dragon around
narrow mile circular track? I thought
one day last summer in New York that
I would fancy the sensation, and SO ex-
pressed myself TO Barney. l had just re-
turned from & trip with the great driver
in his touring car and 1 guess we
clipped of. some of the miles in a minute
along the coney Island speedway, but
there were none of those dangerous curves
to be taken at full speed and no fences
to crash through. Suffering from an over
dose of enthusiasm which had been adj
ministered by the celebrating ride, | Sc
cured Barney's promise that he would
take me for thrilling drive in the Green
Dragon on the Brighton Beach track the
following Saturday afternoon before the
races he was scheduled to drive in. After
I had told all my acquaintance how /
was To court death, and boosted for a
couple of days about my bravery, I had
time to figure out what a hole | had
gotten into. I then decided TO take the
press agents word for the sensations at
tending such wild ride, but when Bar
ney called me up the morning of the races
and reminded me of our pleasure trip
that afternoon. | saw il was too late to
back out gracefully
F; Barney's reputation and record of SEN
| sational accidents does not lend a pleasur-
able anticipation to such ride. Nor,
| when one sees him whirling around the
track his machine swerving widely on
| the turns and passing the grandstand at
speed that raises ones hair, does one
like to imagine himself seated beside the
daredevil But | had thought of these
things too late, and my nerves were not
the calmest nor my thoughts the most
pleasant as I rode down ON an express
to, Brighton Beach. All the way out
was figuring the percentage of my chances
for coming out with anything less than
ten broken bones and with three inches
of whole skin on my body. They We're
working over the Green Dragon when 1
arrived at the track. Some one said it
was out of fix. l felt like cheering so
great was myireief. But my good cheer
was of short duration. Barney wiped
some of the oil Off his hands and greeted
me warmly. The track is pretty rough
today, but the machine is ali right now
III guarantee you enough thrills That
was easy enough to guarantee, but what
l was looking for was one who would
guarantee me q sound neck and bones at
the end of the ride.
You will haze to hang on here" said
Barney; ''yeu see there's only one seat
and ] am using that this afternoon"
turned and looked at what Barney re-
ferred to as Here 1t was a battery box
about six inches square, with place for
my legs to wrap around the rear axle
The car looked like some green demon
Low with a sharp pointed hood covering
the engine, it looked for all the world like
some contrivance of old Nick himself
Near my coat tails was a great set of
gears The fly wheel was a foot from
me. My feet were right over big driv-
ing rod There was room enough to about
get one hand on the seat and that was
ALL The steering wheel that was to put
me into the fence or keep me out of It
was right in front of my face Every-
thing seemed near, even heaven, Barney
pulled lever here and one there. The
engines started with their loud foreboding
exhaust. 1t sounded like cannonade
l vaguely remembered something about
SO many cannon being fired upon sailors
death. But ii was only vaguely for we
were off We passed down the stretch
rapidly increasing in speed We struck
the turn and rounded it nicely I thought
1t not so bad and was beginning to like
II when we struck the back stretch
thought we We're flying, yet ! knew we
were not going nearly as fast as had
seen Barney go. We circed around once
more and I knew the THRILLS" had ar
rived on schedule time. The next time
around saw Barney reach over and pull
steel rod. and as we tore past the grand
stand dimly remembered having seen a
black spot. I knew it was the crowd
there. The ground seemed like an end
less ribbon not foot below me- Then |
looked to the side and saw fence posts
that looked like one solid board